AUBURN, Ala. – Extending the nation's longest win streak to 18, No. 1 Auburn beat Alabama 100-81 Tuesday at Auburn Arena, sweeping the season series behind Wendell Green Jr.'s season-high 23 points and Walker Kessler's eighth double-double of the season.
"Great team effort," Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. "To outrebound Alabama (47-40) is significant. It's the sum of our parts once again. I don't know that I've ever had a team where you could take any one of them and I could tell you a story why that kid was the player of the game. This game matters to both teams. It's a great rivalry. It matters to our fans."
Green added eight rebounds and six assists to lead five Tigers in double figures.
"I had a rough past two games and I knew this was a big one," Green said. "I wanted to come out for my teammates. They told me to get back to myself and that's what I tried to do, and it worked out."
Kessler did it all, totaling 14 points, 12 rebounds, eight blocks and four steals.
"I wanted this one," said Kessler, who played only 12 minutes and fouled out in Auburn's 81-77 win in Tuscaloosa on Jan. 11. "I felt like the last game I didn't get the opportunity I wanted. I was pumped for this game. I'm happy we got the sweep of Alabama."
"Unbelievable impact," Pearl said. "I'm so proud of Walker. He's a tough kid. He blocked eight, he changed eight. He was a major factor at the rim."
Jabari Smith scored 17 points, K.D. Johnson scored 13 and Allen Flanigan added 10.
Auburn reached the century mark with 28 seconds left on walk-on Carter Sobera's 3-point play, delighting the sold-out crowd.
"It was a fun game," Kessler said. "Carter's and-one was probably my favorite moment of the game. We wouldn't be in the position we are without our fans."
After Alabama (14-8, 4-5) cut Auburn's 14-point halftime lead to two early in the second half, Auburn regained momentum on Green's 3-pointer, Kessler's putback and free throw, and Johnson's baseline drive.
The Tigers switched to a zone defense during the second half, getting stops and turnovers while steadily adding to their lead down the stretch.
"The zone slowed them down and put them on the perimeter," Pearl said. "That and the bench were the difference. Alabama made a nice run to start the second half. Our bench came in and got several stops. The zone was an effective change."
Auburn committed only eight turnovers, outscored Alabama 52-22 in the paint and 44-20 in bench points.
Auburn shot 57.1 percent in the first half and used 9-0 and 11-0 runs to build a 51-37 halftime lead.
Green grabbed a defensive rebound and hit a 3-pointer to cap a 9-0 run that put Auburn ahead 19-14, erasing an early Alabama lead.
"It was fun," Green said. "It was loud in there."
The Tigers scored six unanswered points in 18 seconds when Green spun to the basket and drew a foul on a layup for a 3-point play, followed soon after by Devan Cambridge's 3-pointer.
Dylan Cardwell dunked an alley-oop and Smith hit a 3-pointer, culminating an 11-0 run that gave the Tigers a 44-26 lead. Alabama hit a trio of 3-pointers in the final two minutes of the half to trim Auburn's 19-point lead to 14 at halftime.
Pearl joins Bill Lynn as the only Auburn coaches to lead the Tigers to three home-and-home sweeps over Alabama. Under Lynn, Auburn beat Alabama three straight years from 1969-71. Pearl has led the Tigers to home-and-home rivalry sweeps in 2017, 2019 and this season.
"It means so much because of the respect we have for how good they are," Pearl said. "We just beat a team by 19 that's beaten three teams that were in the Final Four last year. It's a good win."
Auburn (21-1, 9-0) begins the second half of SEC play Saturday at Georgia at noon CT on SEC Network.
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer
