Sophomore guard Kira Lewis Jr. scored a game-high 25 points and unranked Alabama dealt No. 4 Auburn its first loss of the season 83-64 in Southeastern Conference action Wednesday night in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Lewis scored 17 of his total in the second half after junior guard Alex Reese scored 10 of his 13 points in the first half as the Crimson Tide (9-7, 2-2 SEC) took advantage of the Tigers' sloppy play to take a quick 5-0 lead they would never give up.
Guard-forward Herbert Jones had 14 points and 12 rebounds for Alabama for his second double-double of the season.
Freshman forward Isaac Okoro led Auburn with 13 points and senior center Austin Wiley had 10 points and 13 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the season and ninth of his career. But the Tigers' leading scorer, guard Samir Doughty, scored just six points, nearly 10 under his season average, before fouling out with 2:16 left.
The 64 points were a season low for the Tigers (15-1, 3-1), who also shot a season-worst 31.7 percent from the field. The defeat leaves San Diego State (18-0) the only undefeated NCAA Division I team.
In addition to matching their season high with 21 turnovers, Auburn struggled once again from the free-throw line, connecting on only 17 of 30 attempts. The Tide finished 29 of 37 on free throws.
After going to the locker room down 36-27 for their largest halftime deficit of the season, the Tigers got within 42-40 in just over five minutes of the second period but could not get over the hump.
The two teams meet again on Feb. 12 in Auburn.
--Field Level Media
Auburn | Alabama | |
Isaac Okoro 13 | Scoring | Kira Lewis Jr. 25 |
Samir Doughty 3 | Assists | Kira Lewis Jr. 3 |
Austin Wiley 13 | Rebounds | Herbert Jones 12 |
Austin Wiley 6 | Free Throws Made | Kira Lewis Jr. 8 |
Isaac Okoro 3 | Steals | Kira Lewis Jr. 2 |
Isaac Okoro 2 | Blocks | Kira Lewis Jr. 1 |