Auburn pulls away to beat Alabama

Freshman center Greg Wiley scored 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds, and freshman guard Mustapha Heron ignited a late surge as Auburn pulled away from Alabama for a big 84-64 SEC win on Saturday at Auburn, Ala.

After being held to just one point in the first half, Heron heated up in the second half. Heron hit a pair of 3-pointers, sandwiched around a traditional three-point play by Ronnie Johnson, that helped put Auburn in control 72-59 with three minutes to play.

Heron finished with 15 points and Johnson added 17 points off the bench for the Tigers (13-6, 3-4 SEC), who have won two in a row and three of four overall.

Freshman forward Braxton Key scored 18 points to lead the Crimson Tide (11-7, 4-2), who had their two-game run snapped. Junior guard Riley Norris added 10 points and was the only other Alabama player to finish in double figures.

The Crimson Tide never trailed in the first half, but couldn’t build on a hot start. Dazon Ingram knocked down a 3-pointer to give Alabama 10-3 lead. But Auburn stayed right with the Tide throughout the first half. A layup by Johnson sent the teams into halftime tied 30-30.

Auburn grabbed the lead early in the second half and then pulled away late, with Heron and Johnson leading the closing push. The Tigers outscored Alabama 54-34 in the second half and enjoyed a 28-10 advantage at the foul line.

Auburn made eight 3-pointers, shooting 61.5 percent from beyond the arc.

Alabama will look to bounce back at Georgia on Wednesday. Auburn travels to No. 24 South Carolina on Tuesday