After No. 11 Auburn lost to No. 16 Alabama two weeks ago in Coleman Coliseum forward [autotag]Johni Broome[/autotag] was asked how the Tigers would treat the matchup in Neville Arena a few weeks later.
The junior responded with a succinct “It’s personal.”
Things certainly felt personal for Broome and the Tigers on an emotional Wednesday night in Auburn that ended in a 99-81 win over the rival Crimson Tide.
After an up-and-down first 15 minutes that saw the game deadlocked at 39, Auburn’s defense and timely shooting took over. Broome and fellow Forward [autotag]Jaylin Williams[/autotag] went on a two-man, 16-2 run to end the half, giving the Tigers a 14-point cushion as they went to the locker room.
The duo finished the night with 50 combined points, leading Auburn to a 99-81 home victory to knot things up atop the SEC standings.
Guards [autotag]Tre Donaldson[/autotag]and [autotag]Chad Baker-Mazara[/autotag] have become key complimentary pieces on the offensive end for the Tigers in SEC play. Tonight they were spectacular. The pair shot an effective 50% from the field in the win, combining for 27 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 assists.
While Auburn’s offense was extremely effective, the defense of [autotag]Johni Broome[/autotag], [autotag]Chris Moore[/autotag] [autotag]K.D Johnson[/autotag] in particular was also a story.
Broome’s five blocks and two steals combined with three steals apiece from Johnson and Moore led to transition opportunity after transition opportunity for an Auburn team that struggled shooting in the half court.
The 10+ turnover margin created by a suffocating Auburn defense was a major factor on the night. Other than the turnover issues, Alabama’s offense suffered from the road woes that have plagued it all season long.
Alabama guard Mark Sears and company made just 9 3-point shots on 26 attempts and only assisted on 8 made baskets. The Crimson Tide were bailed out by a bad Georgia defense in their last road game before tonight. [autotag]Bruce Pearl[/autotag] made sure his defense did not suffer the same fate as the Bulldogs.
Auburn’s victory improves the Tigers to 19-4 on the season and 8-2 in the SEC. The Orange and Blue will enjoy tonight’s victory before traveling to Gainesville to take on a red-hot Florida team on Saturday.
As for Alabama, the Tide drop to 16-7 and 8-2 in the SEC. They’ll travel down to Baton Rouge to battle a rejuvenated LSU team this weekend.
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