No. 2 Alabama rides second half run, defeats Auburn in overtime

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (WBMA) — Jahvon Quinerly has had plenty of ups and downs during his career in Tuscaloosa including being named an SEC Tournament MVP but the past two seasons have certainly been filled with some disappointing moments from the point guard. However, Wednesday's game against Auburn had plenty on the line and Quinerly might have put together his most complete performance of his career with the Crimson Tide.

Quinerly scored 15 of his game-high 24 points in the second half, helping Alabama erase a 17-point deficit to force overtime. The second-ranked Crimson Tide scored five points in the opening minute of overtime and never trailed on the way to a 90-85 victory over the Tigers.

"To be down 17 with just over 10 minutes to go in the game, I couldn't be more proud of our guys," Alabama coach Nate Oats said. "It's our second regular season title in three years. It was definitely special tonight to do it in front of our fans... They brought the energy, i thought they fueled our run in the second half."

The win clinched the regular season SEC title for the hosts as players and staff took to the ladder to cut down the nets in front of the fans at Coleman Coliseum. It is the program's second regular season title since Oats took over the program and its sixth outright regular season conference championship.

"These fans have been great since we got here," Oats said. "I was really happy we were able to do this outright, do this celebration in Coleman."

Alabama (26-4, 16-1) struggled offensively in the first half, shooting just 39.3 percent from the floor including making just 3-of-13 attempts from beyond the arc. But the hosts cut the lead to just seven points at the break and had the game tied less than two minutes into the second half after a pair of 3-pointers from Mark Sears.

Auburn (19-11, 9-8) had a major response though. The visitors went on a 22-5 run over an eight-minute span to take a seemingly commanding 17-point lead with 10 minutes to go in the game, leaving the home fans stunned.

Fortunately for those wearing Crimson, Quinerly still had some tricks up his sleeve.

Quinerly scored seven straight points for Alabama including a 3-pointer which sparked a 16-0 run to cut Auburn's lead all the way to a single point with just under five minutes to go in the game. Auburn once again got a response though, this time from Wendell Green Jr. who stopped the drought with a driving layup then extended the lead back to four points on a step-back 3-poiinter with 2:48 left on the clock.

But Quinerly was the answer again for the hosts. A layup plus a free throw canceled out Green's shot from deep and less than a minute later, Quinerly gave Alabama its first lead of the game with a pair of free throws.

"I can't be more proud of JQ," Oats said. "We're getting the March version of JQ. He's definitely the X-factor for us... He knows how to win and he's making a lot of winning plays on both sides of the play."

Auburn had a chance to win the game at the end of regulation but a long two from Green was off the mark, giving the two teams five more minutes to determine a winner.

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Alabama got one basket each from Noah Clowney, Sears, Brandon Miller and Jaden Bradley in the overtime period before needing just free throws over the final two minutes of the game to finish off the win. Sears, Miller and Clowney each contributed 17 points with Quinerly leading the team in scoring in 36 minutes off the bench.

Auburn was also led by a player coming off the bench as KD Johnson knocked down four 3-pointers and finished with 21 points in the win. Allen Flanigan scored 17 points for the Tigers before fouling out in overtime. He was one of three Auburn players to foul out in the game.

The Crimson Tide shot 24-of-31 from the free throw line and outscored Auburn 42-22 in the paint. It was the first game this season Auburn did not register a single block.

The Tigers had the edge from beyond the arc, shooting 12-of-20 on 3-pointers while holding Alabama to just 8-of-31 from deep.

Auburn has lost two straight games and eight of its last 11 as it sits on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers will wrap up their regular season at home against No. 12 Tennessee.

Alabama will hit the road for its regular season finale, traveling west to face Texas A&M which currently sits in second place in the SEC standings.