Alabama Crimson Tide

Heron's free throws seal Auburn's 82-77 win over Alabama (Feb 04, 2017)

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 8:26 p.m. ET

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AP

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) The Auburn Tigers rode a barrage of 3-pointers to a big lead, and Mustapha Heron made sure it held up.

Heron hit four straight free throws over the final 48 seconds to help hot-shooting Auburn hold off a frenzied Alabama rally for an 82-77 victory Saturday night.

The Tigers (15-8, 4-6 Southeastern Conference) made 15 of 27 3-pointers but still lost most of a 15-point lead in the final 7 minutes before completing the season sweep of their top rival.

''There are some places that you win and they don't count any different in the win-loss record or the column, but they just matter more,'' said Auburn coach Bruce Pearl, who had lost his first two trips to Tuscaloosa with the Tigers. ''Even when I was at Tennessee winning here mattered because of the rivalry, particularly with football. Then coming to Auburn it really mattered.''

It didn't come easily.

Ar'Mond Davis's 3-pointer from the left corner cut the deficit to 80-77 with 27 seconds left for the Crimson Tide (13-9, 6-4).

Heron then made two free throws with 17 seconds to play and Alabama couldn't make another 3 to stay alive.

''My focus was just to get to the free throw line and just knock my free throws down,'' the Tigers' freshman said.

Ronnie Johnson led five Auburn scorers in double figures with 15 points. Jared Harper and Danjel Purifoy each scored 14 and Heron added 13. Heron made all six of his attempts from the line. Bryce Brown had 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting from 3-point range.

''Our kids made big shots,'' Pearl said. ''We knew we had to knock down the three-ball because of how big they are.''

Corban Collins, who was scoreless in the first meeting in Auburn, and Braxton Key led Alabama with 17 points apiece. Dazon Ingram scored 16 despite playing through foul trouble for much of the game.

''We finally decided to go absolutely small playing without a center and just try to trap,'' Tide coach Avery Johnson said. ''Boy, our team showed a lot of heart, a lot of character. Our crowd didn't give up on us. Most of our fans were still in the building, and we appreciate that.''

Alabama's full-court pressure fueled a swift 10-0 run that included three straight Auburn turnovers punctuated by a trio of dunks. Riley Norris had a steal and dunk, then Brandon Austin swiped the inbounds pass and dished it to Key for another dunk. Ingram drove the baseline for an unchallenged dunk after another turnover to make it 78-74 with 1:01 left before Heron iced it from the line.

BIG PICTURE

It was Auburn's first win in Coleman Coliseum since a 77-73 victory on March 3, 2009, a seven-game losing streak. The Tigers had made 8 of 13 3s in an earlier 84-64 win over the Tide, their highest percentage of the season.

Alabama has lost two straight games. The Tide made 8 of 32 3-pointers but outrebounded the Tigers 47-28. ''When you outrebound a team by 20, you should win that game,'' Avery Johnson said.

RAINING 3s

Like Brown, Purifoy made four 3s, Johnson three and Harper two for the Tigers.

''They shot the ball incredible tonight from the 3-point line,'' Collins said. ''We allowed them to get a couple of open looks to gain a little confidence. After that, sometimes all shooters need to do is see a couple go in and that's all she wrote. That was kind of the scenario tonight.''

HARPER'S BIG SEQUENCE

Auburn's 5-foot-10 guard made big plays on both ends of the court in one sequence that helped Auburn build the big lead. He took a charge on Dazon Ingram then drilled a 3-pointer and made a free throw after Ingram's fourth foul with 9 minutes left.

UP NEXT

Auburn returns home to face Mississippi State Tuesday night.

Alabama visits No. 19 South Carolina Tuesday night.

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