How Auburn completed the trifecta and went 3-0 against Alabama inside Neville Arena
On Jan. 21, it was the help of a 19-point effort from Auburn women’s basketball’s leading scorer Honesty Scott-Grayson.
Seventeen days later, on Feb. 7, it was a combined 50-point effort from Auburn men’s basketball’s tandem of big men in Johni Broome and Jaylin Williams.
And on Friday night, it was an all-around-clinching performance from Auburn gymnastics’ Cassie Stevens that bolstered the Tigers.
All together, the efforts of Williams, Broome, Scott-Grayson and Stevens helped the three Auburn sports programs housed under the roof of Neville Arena beat their rivals in the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Johnnie Harris and the Tigers’ women’s basketball team beat the Crimson Tide by a score of 78-65 in a game that was preceded by a pregame presentation to recognize the jersey retirement of DeWanna Bonner.
Auburn’s women’s basketball team shot out to a lopsided 22-6 first-quarter advantage and closed out the game by outscoring Alabama 28-14 in the fourth quarter. In addition to Scott-Grayson’s 19 points, JaMya Mingo-Young, who transferred to Auburn from Alabama ahead of this season, pitched in 12 points against her former team.
Weeks later, after having already lost to Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Bruce Pearl and Auburn’s men’s basketball team avenged the loss, topping the Crimson Tide 99-81 in a highly anticipated ranked-vs.-ranked matchup that had Auburn students lined up outside Neville Arena for more than 24 hours beforehand.
The work of Auburn’s front court made the difference against Alabama as Broome and Williams combined for 50 points — of which 26 came from Williams, giving the Auburn fifth-year senior a new career high.
Then came Friday night’s gymnastics meet, which saw then-14th-ranked Auburn beat then-No. 7 Alabama 197.725-197.050. And for those who might not completely understand gymnastics scoring (it’s confusing, okay?), Auburn’s 0.675 margin of victory was the largest over Alabama in program history.
Leading the way for Jeff Graba’s squad on Friday night was fifth-year senior all-arounder Cassie Stevens, who logged a career high 39.7 after posting a 9.975 on beam, a 9.925 on vault and a pair of 9.9s on floor and bars.
The Tigers distanced themselves from the Crimson Tide courtesy of team score of 49.5 on vault, which tied Auburn’s program record.
Continuing on to a remarkable win, Auburn’s gymnastics team sealed the deal on the trifecta of the Tigers’ men’s basketball team, women’s basketball team and gymnastics team all beating the Crimson Tide inside Neville Arena.
For the Tigers, it was the first time since the 2015-16 season that their men’s basketball team, women’s basketball team and gymnastics team all beat the Crimson Tide at Neville Arena in the same year.
And it all comes back to Neville Arena being a tough place for any opposing team to play, which is something Auburn takes pride in — a lot of pride.
Just before tipoff at each of Auburn’s men’s basketball home games, the jumbotron that’s suspended in the rafters of Neville Arena cuts to a video featuring former Auburn basketball player and current member of the Utah Jazz, Walker Kessler.
“Why do we all come to Neville Arena?,” Kessler asks in the video. “It is to experience the adrenaline? Is it to remember what has happened in this place? Is it the Jungle — he most intimidating crowd in the country. Don’t believe me? Well prepare to witness it.”
Since Auburn released that video at the start of this year’s basketball season, Auburn’s men’s basketball, women’s basketball and gymnastics teams have combined records of 27-5 when playing at Neville Arena. The Tigers’ men’s basketball team is a perfect 12-0 at home, while the women’s basketball team is 11-3 and the gymnastics team in 4-2.
And then, of course, there’s that 3-0 home record against Alabama that Auburn gets to flaunt with the sounds of “Reverse Rammer Jammer.”