Jan. 28, 2018
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AUBURN, Ala. -- Junior Janiah McKay led five Auburn players in double-figures as the Tigers defeated rival Alabama, 69-60, before a season-high crowd of 3,357 fans Sunday afternoon at Auburn Arena.
The Tigers (11-9, 2-6 SEC) overcame a slow start to pull ahead of Alabama midway through the second quarter and never looked back, forcing the Crimson Tide (14-8, 4-5 SEC) into 25 turnovers that turned into 29 Auburn points.
"We think all wins are good, especially after having such a terrible losing streak," Auburn head coach Terri Williams-Flournoy said. "When that first win comes against Alabama, it just makes it even more special.
"I just told them in the locker room - and it was one of the things we talked about yesterday - was everybody doing something. Everybody that comes into the game right now, whether (they) haven't played, don't play too many minutes... Whoever comes into the game, you have to be relevant and make something happen, whether it's a steal, diving on the floor, getting a rebound, you have to do something. Everybody has to do something to help us get a win."
McKay's 18 points led all scorers; she also had a game-high five assists along with four rebounds and two steals. Freshman Unique Thompson recorded her sixth double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
Sophomore Daisa Alexander scored 12 points, and junior Emari Jones and senior Tiffany Lewis added 10 and 11 points, respectively, off the bench -- just one game after the Tigers' bench was held scoreless at Georgia. It was the first time for Auburn to have five players in double-figures since the 2014-15 season at Florida International.
Alabama jumped out to a 21-16 lead after one quarter, leading by as many as nine in the early going. But a 6-0 Auburn run over a 75-second span in the second quarter gave the Tigers a 29-27 lead they would never relinquish. Auburn led 34-31 at halftime.
The Tigers then started the third quarter on a 6-0 run to push the advantage to 10 at 41-31. Some Auburn foul trouble and a cold streak late in the period allowed Alabama to get as close as five points, but the Tide would pull no closer.
Of Alabama's 25 turnovers, Auburn forced 22 of those in the final three quarters. The Tigers scored 29 points off those turnovers, the most in SEC play since the win over Florida. Auburn shot 44.9 percent to Alabama's 38.3 percent, including a season-best 55.6 percent (5-of-9) on 3-point attempts. Emari Jones and Lewis had all five of the Tigers' 3-pointers.
This was Auburn's fifth win over Alabama in the last six meetings between the teams and was the Tigers' 50th all-time win over the Crimson Tide. It also marked Coach Flo's 99th win as Auburn head coach.
Alabama was led by Jordan Lewis with 15 points, and Quanetria Bolton added 14.
The Tigers hit the road for their next two games, beginning with a trip to Lexington, Ky., on Thursday night. Game time is 6 p.m. CT from Memorial Coliseum with the broadcast on WTGZ 93.9 FM and SEC Network +.