AUBURN — Just in case there was any doubt, Auburn basketball is firmly entrenched in the race for an SEC regular-season title.

The Tigers made a statement Wednesday evening with their 99-81 win over Alabama in Neville Arena, running the Crimson Tide out of the building after a nip-and-tuck first few minutes. It's Auburn's third straight victory after the Tigers briefly went on a two-game losing skid, which was triggered by a loss at Alabama on Jan. 24.

The front court paring of Johni Broome and Jaylin Williams paved the way for the Tigers (19-4, 8-2 SEC) with a combined 50 points on 51.7% shooting. Broome has had at least 15 points in six of his last eight games, and Williams has hit that marker in all three of his latest appearances.

Auburn is now in a three-way tie atop the SEC with Alabama (16-7, 8-2) and South Carolina.

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Game of runs early for Auburn basketball vs. Alabama

The rout looked on early, as Auburn enjoyed a 20-3 run midway through the first half to take a 14-point lead with 10 minutes remaining in the first frame. Alabama, however, countered with a 19-4 swing to regain the lead ahead of the first half's final media timeout.

Johni Broome dominates end of first half

With the score knotted at 39-39, Broome went up for a shot and was fouled by Crimson Tide forward Nick Pringle. There was some extra curricular activity after the whistle, too, with the two big men jawing at each other while Broome made his way to the foul line.

The next 3:30 belonged to Broome, as Auburn's center collected 12 points, two rebounds a steal and a block over that stretch. He also made all four of his shot attempts, helping the Tigers to a 16-2 run.

Two sides of the turnover coin

Alabama gave the ball away 15 times, which led to an extra 22 points for the home team. Auburn, conversely, took care of the ball and logged just five turnovers.

What's next on Auburn basketball's schedule?

The Tigers will go back out on the road for an afternoon matchup with Florida on Saturday (2:30 p.m. CT, SEC Network). Auburn hasn't visited Gainesville, Florida, and left with a win since 1996.

Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @rich_silva18.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Johni Broome, Jaylin Williams lead Auburn basketball over Alabama