TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Johni Broome's double-double helped No. 8 Auburn erase a 14-point halftime deficit but Alabama handed the Tigers their first SEC defeat 79-75 Wednesday at Coleman Coliseum, ending Auburn's 11-game win streak.
"Disappointed in the outcome. Congratulate Alabama," Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. "Really proud of my guys for bouncing back in the second half. We missed some shots tonight that you need to make to beat a really good team on the road."
Broome led Auburn with 25 points, 14 rebounds and five blocked shots. The Tigers remain tied for the SEC lead with Alabama while Tennessee is a half-game back.
"Johni Broome had a real advantage on the inside tonight and we took advantage of it," Pearl said. "He was terrific. He played like a first-team All-Conference player and he did it at both ends."
Trailing 75-72 after getting a defensive stop in the final minute, Chad Baker-Mazara drew a foul while shooting a 3-pointer with 12.6 seconds remaining, making the first two free throws before missing the third to pull the Tigers within one point.
Alabama's Grant Nelson made a pair of free throws with 11.8 seconds to play to give the home team a 77-74 lead. Jaylin Williams made one of two free throws with 10.8 seconds to play, then Alabama's Mark Sears hit a pair for the game's final points.
Trailing by 14 at the half, Auburn opened the second half with a 9-0 run. Denver Jones' 3-pointer on Auburn's first possession ended a 3-point drought that lasted 20 minutes and 28 seconds since Broome opened the game with a 3-pointer.
"Really good leadership, great chemistry, great kids," Pearl said of Auburn's halftime mentality and second-half surge. "We got some stops and made some shots."
Jones made a steal and scored a layup, then Broome dunked twice and reached the 20-point mark to pull Auburn within five at 44-39 while Alabama missed its first nine shots of the half.
After an Alabama turnover, Tre Donaldson hit a corner 3-pointer, then Dylan Cardwell's blocked shot led to K.D. Johnson's transition layup, pulling the Tigers within three points.
Donaldson banked in a 3-pointer, then after Chris Moore's 3-pointer and a pair of Jones' free throws, Donaldson's steal and dunk capped a 7-0 run that gave Auburn a 58-57 lead with 9:16 to play.
Alabama reclaimed a 65-60 lead but Broome converted a 3-point play, Aden Holloway hit a pair of free throws and Baker-Mazara scored in the paint to tie the score at 67-67 with 4:18 remaining.
Broome got Auburn off to a fast start, hitting a 3-pointer on the opening possession with half of the arena's lights still not back on after the introduction of the home team's starters.
After a 19-minute delay, Broome picked up where he left off, converting a 3-point play to give Auburn a 6-0 lead.
Broome made his first four shots, quickly reaching double figures on a drive that put Auburn ahead 14-6, the Tigers' largest lead. Broome scored 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds in the opening half.
Auburn made six consecutive shots but the Tigers struggled with turnovers, committing nine in the first half resulting in a 16-4 Alabama lead in points off turnovers. Auburn committed only two turnovers in the second half.
After Broome's game-opening 3-pointer, Auburn missed its next nine 3-point attempts in the first half while Alabama made 8 of 17, including 4 of 5 by Rylan Griffen, who scored 14 points in the half.
Sears led Alabama (13-6, 5-1) with 22 points and eight assists. Griffen added 17 points and seven rebounds, and Nelson logged a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
Auburn (16-3, 5-1) remains on the road this weekend, traveling to Starkville Saturday to play Mississippi State at 2:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network and the Auburn Sports Network.
"We can compete on the road in a tough environment against a really good team," Pearl said. "This may not be the outcome we wanted but this is an outcome that tells me something."
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer
ALABAMA POSTGAME NOTES
» Alabama now leads the rivalry series with Auburn, 102-65, including a 53-10 record in games played in Tuscaloosa (46-9 in Coleman Coliseum).
» Six of the last 10 games in the series have been decided by six points or fewer including the last three in Tuscaloosa.
» For the 14th straight game, the Tigers started Aden Holloway, Denver Jones, Chris Moore, Jaylin Williams and Johni Broome.
» Auburn made 10 blocked shots at Alabama, which matched its season high from its season opener against Baylor.
» Jaylin Williams played in his 126th career game on Wednesday night, which tied former player Chuck Person for 10th most in program history. Meanwhile, teammate Chris Moore played in his 100th career game.
» Williams tied his career high with 11 rebounds, which he had previously done twice – against Saint Joseph's in 2020 and Texas A&M in 2022. It was the second time this season two Tigers have recorded double-digit rebounds in a game after Chaney Johnson and Johni Broome each recorded 11 boards against Southeastern Louisiana. It was the first time two players had double-digit rebounds in an SEC game for Auburn since Broome and Dylan Cardwell each had 10 boards against Missouri last season.
» Johni Broome recorded his 54th career double-double, his eighth of the season, with a game-high 25 points on 11-of-17 field goals, 1-of-2 3-pointers and 2-of-2 free throws to go with season-highs of 14 rebounds and five blocks. Broome also made one assist in the game. It marked his 10th straight game in double figures during which he is averaging 16.4 points on 53.6 shooting from the floor and 8.9 rebounds. It was also his fourth 20-point and 10-rebound game of the season. Broome's first block of the night was the 300th blocked shot of his career. He ended the night with 304 career blocked shots to date. His five blocks are tied with Dylan Cardwell's five blocks against Baylor and LSU for the most by an Auburn player this season.
» Chad Baker-Mazara added 11 points on 3-of-8 field goals and 5-of-7 from the foul line to go with three steals and one block at Alabama. It was his ninth game in double figures this season including three in SEC play. Baker-Mazara has recorded 11 steals over his last five games for the Tigers.
» Denver Jones scored an SEC career-high nine points against Alabama – the most since he scored 12 points against Penn on Jan. 2.
