ST. LOUIS, Mo. (EETV) - After leading by 10 at the half, No. 1 seeded Auburn struggles in the second half to lose to rival No. 9 seeded Alabama 81-63 in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament.
Alabama's Collin Sexton would take over the game for the Tide, leading them to a 50 point second half. He would dominate the Tigers on both ends of the floor, finishing with 31 points and 7 rebounds.
The Tigers jumped out to an early lead over the Tide, and they continue to hold that lead much of the first half. Auburn was red hot from the three-point line early, hitting 7-19 (36.8%).
Desean Murray led the Tigers offensively in the first half going 4-8 from the field and 3-4 from beyond the arc. He would lead Auburn in scoring at the half, finishing with 15. Murray would also finish the game with 15 points.
Alabama would come out on all cylinders to begin the second half, going on a 20-1 run to open up the half.
Auburn would struggle the entire second half, scoring only 22 points. The Tigers would go 7-29 from the field (24.1%) and 1-14 (7.1%) from beyond the arc.
The Tide was money the entire second half, going 14-25 (56%) from the field and 6-10 (60%) from beyond the arc. Sexton would make 4 of the 6 three-pointers for Alabama.
Auburn guard Bryce Brown would go 0-7 from beyond the arc, the third time this season he has not scored from 3-point range. Brown finished the game with 11 points.
Heron led the struggling Tigers in scoring on the day with a team-high 18 points.
Alabama has now defeated Auburn twice this season. Their first win over the Tigers came on Jan. 17 when they snapped Auburn's 14-game win streak. With their wins over Texas A&M and Auburn, Alabama has more than likely punched their ticket to the NCAA tournament.
The Tide will now advance to the tournament semifinals tomorrow. They will face the winner of the Georgia-Kentucky game. Alabama will tip-off at noon on ESPN tomorrow.
As for Auburn, they must now wait for Selection Sunday, March 11, to find out their postseason fate.
