Stop me if you’ve heard this before. Alabama basketball let a sizable halftime lead esc–

Once again, the Crimson Tide built a double-digit lead before halftime. Once again, the Crimson Tide let it slip away in the second half. Except this time, the crumbling loss stung even more, since the team on the other end of the comeback was Alabama’s fiercest rival, Auburn.

Alabama (17-13, 8-9 SEC) lost its final home game of the season in heartbreaking, but not unfamiliar, fashion on Tuesday night, falling to Auburn 66-60.

The Tigers closed out the game on a 6-0 run. Point guard Jared Harper was the hero late for Auburn on offense, but it was the Tigers’ defense that kept Alabama scoreless in the penultimate final minute.

It was Alabama’s defense that was stifling in the first half. The Tigers live and die by the three, and throughout the first 20 minutes, it was the latter. Auburn shot just 10-of-31 from the field and 3-of-13 from beyond the arc. Alabama’s length also limited Harper from driving into the lane, a critical part of Auburn’s offense.

“Alabama played really well in the first half,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. “Avery [Johnson] had them really prepared. Everything they did disrupted us. Their switching bothered us. We couldn’t get much done offensively. They’re size, they’re length kind of trapped us and made it difficult for Jared [Harper] to make plays that he normally makes.”

On the other side, Alabama shot 54 percent from the field while knocking down 4-of-11 from outside. The Crimson Tide took a 34-23 lead into the locker room.

Then, just as it’s happened numerous times this season, the wheels fell off for Alabama in the final 20 minutes.

It started with turnovers, which continued to pile up as the second half wore on. At one point, Alabama was averaging over one turnover per minute, losing possession on offense six times in just five minutes. The Tigers turned Alabama’s turnovers into points, going on an 18-2 run and grabbing the lead for the first time since they were up 2-0 at the start of the game.

Alabama only turned the ball over eight times in the first half, but turned it over 11 times in the second.

“We didn’t take care of the ball in the second half like we did in the first half,” forward Tevin Mack said.

The Crimson Tide fought back, tying the game 60-60 behind a big three-pointer from Tevin Mack and a clutch layup by Herbert Jones.

But then Auburn spread out the court on offense and let Harper take over. The speedy point guard proved too quick for whatever Alabama player was guarding him for the majority of the game, and that stayed true to the final minute when he sank a layup to give the Tigers a 62-60 lead.

After another empty Alabama possession in which Kira Lewis Jr. slipped and coughed up the ball under the basket, Harper zipped through the Crimson Tide’s defense and scored again, all but sealing the win.

“He’s a very quick guard,” forward Herb Jones said. “I wouldn’t say it was a defensive breakdown. It was a battle of two wills and they made great plays down the stretch.”

Lewis paced Alabama offensively with 13 points, while Jones finished with 11 and Mack finished with 10. Donta Hall had eight rebounds, but scored just four points on three shots.

Alabama will travel to Arkansas for its final regular season of the game Saturday. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m.

“I think our greatest example right now is to show how we’re going to recover from this loss,” Alabama coach Avery Johnson said.