Auburn’s start in Tuscaloosa made its struggles out of the gates in its previous three SEC contests look like offensive fireworks.

The Tigers missed their first 10 3-point attempts of the game, went nine minutes in the first half without a basket and committed 12 first-half turnovers, allowing Alabama to grab a 9-point lead at the break. The Crimson Tide held onto that advantage down the stretch as its opposition never found its footing offensively. Auburn (15-1, 3-1 SEC) suffered its first loss of the 2019-20 season in the rivalry tilt, 83-64.

"I'm not surprised that we weren't able to win, but I'm very surprised by the way we played," Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl told Auburn Radio Network postgame.

The Tigers were given plenty of opportunities, what with Alabama’s 15 turnovers and cold stretches of its own, but they shot 17-for-30 from the foul line and finished with 21 turnovers, tying their most in a game this season. The Tide converted those opportunities into 24 points.

"Just extremely poor execution and attention to detail," Pearl said. "We couldn't come out of timeouts and even remember where we're supposed to be or what we're supposed to do. Mentally, obviously, we just weren't sharp."

Isaac Okoro led Auburn with 13 points, but missed all five of his shots in the second half after going 5-for-6 in the first half. Austin Wiley posted his seventh double-double of the season with 10 points and 13 boards

Thanks to a 3-for-4 stretch from downtown from Jamal Johnson, Auburn cut what was a 14-point deficit down to three midway through the second half. But poor free-throw shooting and the continued trend of giveaways allowed Alabama to never trail.

Johnson provided the only solid guard play all evening for Auburn, as Samir Doughty shot 2-for-11 with seven turnovers, and J’Von McCormick was 2-for-8 from the floor. Both guards fouled out, a Auburn was tagged for 31 fouls on the night.

Auburn's 31.7% clip from the field is its worst of the season and lowest since it shot 25.8% in an 84-53 loss to Clemson in the NCAA Tournament.

"You're not going to be able to go on the road and win playing that ineffectively and with lack of urgency," Pearl said.

For a team that entered the showdown No. 4 in all of college basketball in efficiency inside the 3-point arc, Auburn was 11-for-25 on layups and dunks in the loss.

"What it really boils down to is that we didn't execute, more than anything," Pearl said. "And Alabama played with a little bit more effort and energy."

The 19-point loss is Auburn’s worst at the hands of their in-state rival since 2013. Pearl’s bunch is back in action Saturday, on the road against Florida.

"It's not a given, after the fact that we got off to this really good start, that it's just going to be there," Pearl said. "We play like this — that's a middle-of-the-league performance. So we've got to get better."

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