BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – There was no exhibition feel to Thursday night’s game between Auburn and Alabama at Legacy Arena as the Crimson Tide escaped with an 87-85 victory over the Tigers.
In an emotionally charged game with both fan bases engaged from start to finish, the two arch-rivals delivered a game that had a postseason flare to it. The contest featured 12 lead changes and seven ties, and neither team had a lead larger than seven points at any point throughout the game.
With Alabama at the line with 3.9 seconds left leading by one (86-85), the Tide made the first and missed the second, but the ball bounced around as Auburn was unable to corral the defensive rebound for a potential game-winning shot.
Kevin Overton led all scorers with 26 points and made six 3-pointers, while Adam Olsen added 12 points on four made triples.
The Tigers battled foul trouble all evening long with center Bukky Oboye fouling out with seven minutes left and Tahaad Pettiford fouling out with three minutes left. Despite playing with a smaller lineup for the majority of the second half, the Tigers were able to out-rebound the Tide 51-42.
The Tigers led for 13 minutes of the first half but found themselves trailing 44-41 at the break with Alabama outscoring Auburn 12-5 down the stretch. Narcisse Ngoy and Overton led Auburn with eight first half points.
The two teams would trade baskets early in the second half, but a 3-pointer from Qayden Samuels at the 12:40 mark gave Alabama its largest lead of the game at 58-51.
From there, the Tigers responded with an 11-1 run highlighted by back-to-back 3-pointers from Olsen to give AU a 62-59 lead with 10:43 remaining in the contest.
However, a 9-0 Alabama run ensued and the Tide regained a 68-62 lead with nine minutes to go.
Trailing 72-67, Overton went on his own 7-0 run to give the Tigers a 74-72 lead, and Tahaad Pettiford’s jumper with 3:49 left gave Auburn a 78-76 lead at the final media timeout.
With the game tied at 80, Alabama’s Amari Allen scored five of UA’s final seven points and he finished the game with a team-high 23 points.
The Tigers conclude preseason action next Thursday, Oct. 29 with a home contest against Samford at Neville Arena. Tip is set for 7 p.m.