Over Auburn, Alabama Wins Biggest Win of the Season
Towards the end, Grant Nelson delivered a 14-point, 11-rebound performance.
In Coleman Coliseum on Wednesday night, Alabama let up ten points in the second half of their game against No. 8 Auburn; however, the four points Auburn was unable to make up in the final seconds gave the Crimson Tide their largest victory of the year, winning 79-75.
As a result, Alabama ended Auburn’s 11-game winning streak and handed the Tigers their first conference defeat, moving AU into a tie for first place at 5-1.
Auburn is 16-3, and Bama is now 13-6 overall.
The Tigers opened the second half with a 9-0 run after Alabama had a quick run at the end of the first half to take a 44-30 lead. Despite the visitors taking a 58-57 lead that lasted for less than a minute, Bama managed to hold onto a slim lead for the majority of the second half. In the entire game, there were only five lead changes and three ties, the last occurring at 67-67.
For the most part, Bama had depended on the scoring of guards Mark Sears (22 points), Rylan Griffen (17 points), and Latrell Wrightsell (14 points), but Grant Nelson was a down-the-stretch hero.
With five free throws, a monster putback, and crucial rebounding, Grant reached double digits with three minutes remaining. He finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
With 12.6 seconds remaining, Auburn’s Chad Baker-Mazara made three free throws to give the Tide a 75-72 lead. Nelson snatched the rebound after he missed the third, and he was fouled. With 11.8 seconds remaining, he made two free throws. Jaylin Williams scored one or two free throws for the Tigers, and Sears added two more to wrap up the scoring.
