Bruce Pearl’s Auburn team earned a dominant 99-81 win over Auburn on Wednesday night inside of Neville Arena.

Auburn began to separate from the Tide late in the first half. On the final possession before the break, Auburn’s KD Johnson played remarkable defense against Alabama’s Mark Sears and forced time to expire before the Tide could get a shot off.

The ensuing ovation from Auburn’s crowd was enormous — and according to Pearl, the loudest he’s heard Neville Arena get during his time as head coach.

Here’s Pearl’s comment along with video of the moment in question:

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That play ensured Auburn would take a 55-41 lead into halftime. The Tigers never looked back and cruised a double-digit win in the second half.

This was a huge win for Auburn. The Tigers evened the season series against Alabama and moved into a tie for 1st place in the SEC alongside South Carolina and the Tide entering the weekend. All 3 of those programs are currently 8-2 in conference play.

Auburn and Alabama have won each of the last 3 SEC regular season titles. The Tigers last won it in 2021-22 and are amongst the favorites to do so again this season.

Auburn will hope to move to 9-2 in the SEC with a win over Florida on Saturday.