TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Earnest Shelton scored 27, Chuck Davis had 20 and Alabama snapped a five-game losing streak with an 83-70 victory over Tennessee in an SEC game on Saturday.
Kennedy Winston scored 14 of his 16 in the second half for the Crimson Tide.
"It was a must-win game for us," Shelton said. "We were glad to be back home and get things back on track, get our defense going."
The Volunteers led by six early in the second but never found an answer defensively for Alabama's three top players, who had all but 20 of the Tide's points.
Shelton and Davis both came away one shy of their career highs, combining to score 23 of the Tide's first 27 and 10 in a row to start the second half. Shelton made 5-of-9 3-pointers and 6-of-7 free throws.
Davis had nine rebounds despite sitting out nearly 10 minutes after picking up his fourth foul midway through the second half. He had combined for just 12 in his last three games.
Winston went nearly 24 minutes without a field goal, then keyed a 12-2 run to give Alabama the lead for good. He hit a 3-pointer with 16:05 left, then converted a three-point play for a 48-47 lead - the first since early in the first.
Brandon Crump led Tennessee with 19 points and Scooter McFadgon and C.J. Watson had 13 each. Watson also had nine rebounds for the Vols, who fell to 0-5 in SEC road games.
OLE MISS 72, AUBURN 68: Aaron Harper scored a career-high 30 - with two clutch free throws in the final 10 seconds - for the host Rebels. Harper was 9-for-13 from the field and had four assists. Justin Reed scored 15 for Ole Miss. The lead changed 16 times, but the Rebels went on an 11-3 run midway through the second to take the lead for good. Auburn's four-game winning streak in the series ended.
Conference USA
SAINT LOUIS 46, CHARLOTTE 45: Chris Sloan had 10 points and nine rebounds, and made a three-point play with 9.7 seconds to go for the host Billikens. Charlotte was sluggish about 36 hours after beating No. 9 Louisville - the 49ers' third victory over a Top 10 team. The 49ers shot a season-low 34.7 percent and scored a season low. It ended a four-game winning streak that began with a 68-62 victory over Saint Louis. Saint Louis ended a four-game losing streak despite shooting only 37.7 percent.
TULANE 67, TCU 66: Vytas Tatarunas' hook shot in the closing seconds lifted the host Green Wave. The Horned Frogs took a 66-65 lead with 35 seconds to go on a Marcus Shropshire 3-pointer. Tulane came back with a 3-point attempt by Tatarunas from the corner that missed the mark but was knocked out of bounds by TCU. The Green Wave capitalized on the second opportunity as Tatarunas hit the winner.
UAB 72, E. CAROLINA 69: Mo Finley hit a 12-foot fadeaway jump shot from the baseline with 1:02 left for the host Blazers. Gabe Kennedy and Demario Eddins scored 16 each. Belton Rivers scored 26 to lead the Pirates.
