No. 16 Alabama Falls to No. 12 Auburn 99-81 in the Iron Bowl of Basketball

Facing their biggest rival on the road, the Crimson Tide post a forgettable performance at Neville Arena.

AUBURN, Ala. — College basketball is a game of runs. Sometimes, they simply don’t go your way.

On Wednesday, No. 16 Alabama Basketball fell to No. 12 Auburn 99-81 inside Neville Arena, dropping to 16-7 (8-2 SEC) as their four-game win streak comes to an end. It was the Crimson Tide’s first loss to the Tigers in 736 days.

In the first half, Nate Oats' team managed to erase a 14-point deficit, climbing back with a 19-4 run and taking a 39-38 lead with 3:44 to go.

However, any form of momentum for Alabama didn’t last long, as Auburn immediately responded with a 16-2 run of their own to close out the half with a 55-41 edge.

The Tigers never relinquished their lead.

In the second half, Bruce Pearl’s squad got off to an inauspicious start, and at the 7:46 mark, had shot two for their last 13 from the field and hadn’t scored in over five minutes of action.

Despite Auburn’s struggles, a late comeback wasn’t in the cards for Alabama, as the Crimson Tide couldn’t string together a run offensively.

"Great environment," Oats said. "Auburn was ready to go, we weren't. It was for first place, they came out and played like it was for first place."

It was an up-and-down night for forward Grant Nelson, who posted 16 points on 3-for-7 shooting, draining 9-of-12 free throws while struggling with Auburn forward Johni Broome’s length versatility down low — fouling out with six minutes to go.

Despite the loss, it was a gritty performance from guard Mark Sears, who poured in 25 points on 6-for-13 shooting, grabbing nine rebounds and dishing out four assists.

For the Tigers, it was the Jaylin Williams show, as the senior forward tallied 26 points on 8-for-13 shooting while grabbing seven rebounds of his own, making his mark as Auburn's go-to energy player and vocal leader of the night. 

"They were better than us," Oats said. "They played harder, they took advantage of our smaller lineup inside, they turned us over, we didn't turn them over."

After the loss, the Crimson Tide will now turn their attention towards Matt McMahon’s LSU Tigers, as a matchup at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center awaits them on Saturday in Baton Rouge.

[This story will be updated with quotes from Alabama head coach Nate Oats and corresponding players.]

Live Updates

(most recent update at the top)

Final Stats: 

Final Stats courtesy of StatBroadcast

Second Half:

• 0:00: FINAL: Auburn 99, Alabama 81. 
• 3:20: Chad Baker-Mazzara just emphatically rejected a shot down low. Neville Arena explodes. Auburn 93, Alabama 72. 
• 4:12: This one is getting out of hand. Tigers appear to be in line for the win. Auburn forward Jaylin Williams continues to impress. Auburn 91, Alabama 70. 
• 6:05: Nelson picks up his fifth foul of the night. Alabama can't string together a run. Tigers are close to closing this one out. Alabama 84, Auburn 68. 
• 7:46: Crimson Tide aren't going down without a fight, as the Tigers are currently struggling from the field, not having scored in nearly 6 minutes. Auburn 78, Alabama 64. 
• 10:23: Aaron Estrada stops the bleeding once more with a quick bucket. Auburn 74, Alabama 57. 
• 13:54: Mark Sears drains two at the line. Tigers' lead remains at 16. Auburn 66, Alabama 50. 
• 15:58: Media Timeout. Tigers remain in control of this one. Auburn 61, Alabama 48. 
• 17:45: Estrada picks up his third foul of the game. Nelson picks up his second on the same possession. Auburn 59, Alabama 45. 
• 18:58: Tigers strike first in the half as Jaylin Williams converts both free throws. He's up to 19 points on 7-for-9 shooting. Mark Sears converts a layup. Auburn 57, Alabama 43. 

First Half Stats

Stats courtesy of StatBroadcast

First Half

• 0:00: Crimson Tide can't draw up a last second bucket for Mark Sears. Clock expires without a shot. Neville Arena explodes once again. Sears visibly frustrated. Auburn 55, Alabama 41.
• 0:26: Timeout Alabama. Auburn is 5-for-5 on their last 5 possessions. They're on another 6-0 run. Jaylin Williams just threw down a tomahawk breakaway dunk. Neville Arena is the loudest it's been all night. Auburn 55, Alabama 41. 
• 1:29: A 5-0 run turns into a 10-0 run. Sears gets to the line, however, and converts both. Auburn 49, Alabama 41. 
• 2:16: Quick 5-0 run for the Tigers shifts the momentum. Neville is getting loud again. Auburn 44, Alabama 39. 
• 3:44: Media Timeout. Nick Pringle with the tough finish, he'll try to convert the three-point play when we return. Alabama 39, Auburn 39.
• 4:25: Crimson Tide have taken the lead. They're on a 19-4 run after being down 14. Insane mental fortitude on display from Nate Oats' team. Alabama 37, Auburn 36.
• 4:54: Wrightsell Jr. drills another three. Nelson converts one of two at the line. Rylan Griffen cans a three of his own. Crimson Tide have climbed back here in this one. Auburn 36, Alabama 35. 
• 7:46: Stat break - Mark Sears, 7 points (3-for-4 FG); Aaron Estrada, 8 points (3-for-4 FGs). Crimson Tide is shooting 50% from the floor and 40% from three. Tied in the rebounding department with Auburn, 10-10. 
• 7:46: Media Timeout. Moment is currently with the Crimson Tide. Auburn crowd continues to look for calls. They're not happy here at Neville Arena. Auburn 32, Alabama 26. 
• 8:25: Estrada with the tough finish over Johnson. He completes the three point play. Auburn 32, Alabama 26. 
• 8:34: Estrada throws one high off the glass for a layup. Auburn 32, Alabama 23. 
• 9:47: Wrightsell Jr. stops the bleeding with a three. Auburn 32, Alabama 21.
• 10:05: 2:00 minute scoring drought for Alabama. Tigers are on a 12-1 run over the same span. Auburn 30, Alabama 18. 
• 11:41: Media Timeout. Quite the sequence for the Tigers as Johnson drills a three from the corner and Broome emphatically blocks Wrightsell Jr. on the other end. The Jungle is rocking. Auburn 25, Alabama 18. 
• 13:00: Nick Pringle makes his first appearance of the night after a noteworthy suspension. 
• 13:43: Holloway drains a three pointer of his own. K.D. Johnson one of two shots at the line. Auburn 18, Alabama 15. 
• 14:25: Mark Sears drills a three and scraps his way to a layup. Crimson Tide take the lead. Alabama 15, Auburn 12.
• 15:55: Media Timeout. A layup from Williams has the Tigers in front. 
• Auburn 12, Alabama, 10.
• 17:41: Back-to-back threes for Alabama and a bucket from Nelson puts the Crimson Tide in front. Alabama 8, Auburn 6.
• 19:20: We're underway at Neville Arena. Auburn wins the tipoff and Donaldson pulls up for a quick two. Auburn 2, Alabama, 0.

Pregame

• Alabama heads back to the locker room. Boos from the Auburn student section ensue. 
• Starting five for Alabama: Sears, Griffen, Wrightsell Jr., Estrada, Nelson. Starting five for Auburn: Donaldson, Jones, Williams, Broome, Moore. 
• Nick Pringle is dressed and going through warmups. Nate Oats said he would be available to play after serving a suspension. 
• The Auburn student section, better known as the Jungle, has had people lined up for nearly 24 hours, and is filling fast as the gates just opened.

How to Watch: No. 16 Alabama at No. 12 Auburn

Who: No. 24 Alabama (16-6, 8-1 SEC) at No. 16 Auburn (18-4, 7-2 SEC)

When: Wednesday, February 7, 6 p.m. CT

Where: Neville Arena, Auburn, Ala.

TV: ESPN2

Radio: Crimson Tide Sports Network (Play-By-Play: Chris Stewart, Analyst: Bryan Passink). The pregame show will begin one hour prior to tipoff.

Series: Alabama leads, 100-67

Last Meeting: Just two weeks ago, on January 24, Alabama defeated No. 8 Auburn 79-74 inside Coleman Coliseum to give the Tigers their first loss of SEC play.

Auburn center Johni Broome posted a 25-point, 14-rebound double-double while Alabama guard Mark Sears scored 21 points and dished out eight assists in the win.