TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) -- Trevor Releford had 21 points and Alabama used a strong second half to win a rematch with rival Auburn 61-43 on Tuesday night.
The Crimson Tide (19-9, 11-4 Southeastern Conference) held the Tigers (9-19, 3-12) to 30 percent shooting -- 15 of 50 -- and a season-low in points.
Alabama scored 38 points in the second half, 24 more than the team managed in the first meeting -- a 49-37 loss 20 days earlier that remains Auburn's lone win during a 1-12 stretch.
Releford turned in a nice follow-up to a career-best 36 points in a triple-overtime loss at LSU. He made 4 of 9 3-pointers.
Trevor Lacey added 12 points while Nick Jacobs had 10 points and 10 rebounds for his second double-double. Retin Obasohan also had 10 points for the Tide, which visits No. 8 Florida on Saturday and is hoping to salvage its NCAA tournament hopes with a strong finish.
Rob Chubb led Auburn with 13 points on 6-of-11 shooting. Leading scorer Frankie Sullivan was 1-of-9 shooting for six points and made just one of 22 shots in the two meetings.
Chris Denson, who came in averaging 11.3 points, missed all five attempts for two points.
Alabama outrebounded the Tigers 40-29.
The first half closely resembled the first meeting, when Alabama led 23-13 before making just six field goals after halftime for its lowest scoring output in 146 meetings. This time the Tide was up 23-16 despite managing just two points in a 12-minute span.
Releford ended that cold spell with a 3-pointer with 2:39 left to start an 8-3 closing run that carried over.
The Tide opened the second half on a 16-7spurt to build a 39-23 cushion that Auburn never challenged. Alabama shot 46 percent (13 of 28) in the second half.
That was the margin when Tigers coach Tony Barbee was called for a technical foul during a media timeout with 11:04 left.
Alabama scored eight quick points after that. Releford hit the two resulting free throws and added a 3-pointer, then Obasahon also hit a pair from the line.
Releford's biggest highlight came in the final minute of a game long since decided. He nearly lost control of the ball and somehow scooped the ball up to Levi Randolph for an alley-oop.
Auburn was especially cold in the first half en route to its sixth straight loss. The Tigers went into the locker room after hitting 6 of 28 shots (21 percent).
Auburn was just 2 of 15 from 3-point range.
