Bruce Pearl explains in-game fight with Alabama

The Alabama–Auburn basketball game turned on a dime with an in-game fight that led to multiple ejections and a foul-out all in one fell swoop.

Alabama’s Charles Bediako and Rylan Griffen were ejected from the game for leaving the bench after a scrap broke out following a physical sequence under the basket for Auburn.

The play occurred with 7:31 to play in the game and delayed play for about 10 minutes while officials sorted everything out.

Even after the game Auburn coach Bruce Pearl wasn’t quite sure how officials ruled Auburn big man Johni Broome out by tagging him with a fifth personal foul.

“I’ve got to go watch the play, but I thought, was it Johni that took the shot?” Pearl asked reporters. “There was a pass over the top and like three guys tackled him. That play? We’re at Alabama. They play football over there at the football stadium. We threw the ball, a couple defensive backs climbed on his back.”

Pearl was clearly still upset when speaking about the in-game fight after the game, throwing his hands up in exasperation as he described what he was told following the sequence.

Auburn found it tough to recover momentum following the sequence, ultimately losing to its in-state rival in overtime.

Pearl was still trying to make sense of the confusion after the game.

“Then the ball went out of bounds, I guess. I don’t know,” he said. “I don’t know what happened. It was some sort of a scuffle. Our bench stayed on the bench and they had some guys come off I guess. So the explanation was his fifth foul.”

The in-game fight and subsequent chaos seemed to help Alabama overcome a double-digit deficit in the first half and cut into the lead enough to force overtime.

The Crimson Tide then outlasted the Tigers to secure the win, which made Alabama the outright SEC champions. Alabama had previously claimed a share of the SEC title with its 15th league win, coupled with a Texas A&M loss over the weekend.