MARK Sears scored 22 points and distributed eight assists, and host Alabama held on for a 79-75 win over No. 8 Auburn on Wednesday night (Thursday in Manila) in a Southeastern Conference matchup in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
Rylan Griffen finished with 17 points for Alabama (13-6, 5-1), which bounced back from a 20-point loss against then-No. 6 Tennessee on Saturday. Latrell Wrightsell Jr. had 14 points and nine rebounds, and Grant Nelson registered a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
Johni Broome scored a game-high 25 points on 11-for-17 shooting for Auburn (16-3, 5-1). Chad Baker-Mazara contributed 11 points for the Tigers, whose 11-game winning streak ended.
The Crimson Tide recorded a 46-41 edge in rebounds and posted a 21-12 advantage in second-chance points. They made 11 shots from beyond the arc, compared with five 3-pointers for Auburn.
In other games, it was Northwestern 96, Illinois 91 (OT); Marquette 86, DePaul 73; FAU 69, Rice 56; Iowa State 78, Kansas State 67; Nevada 77, Colorado State 64; and New Mexico 95, San Jose State 75.
Northwestern 96, Illinois 91 (OT)
Boo Buie finished with 29 points and the host Wildcats scored the first nine points of overtime to claim an upset of the Fighting Illini in Evanston, Ill.
Brooks Barnhizer contributed 23 points for Northwestern (14-5, 5-3), which orchestrated a dramatically different result from the teams’ first meeting on Jan. 2, when the Wildcats never led during a 30-point loss on Illinois’ home floor.
Coleman Hawkins paced Illinois (14-5, 5-3) with 22 points and 13 rebounds while Marcus Domask added 22 points and six assists. Terrence Shannon Jr. finished with 12 points as he returned to Illinois’ starting lineup for the first time since Dec. 22. He came off the bench Sunday in his first game since returning from his Dec. 27 suspension that cost him six games.
