UAB led 54-52 with 4:24 left in the game, before Harper took over to help put Auburn up six in the ensuing moments, and to hit clutch free throws down the stretch that helped stave off three late 3-pointers by the Blazers and keep Auburn alive on the way to overtime at the end of regulation.

UAB went up by two with four and a half to play on a 3-point play converted at the foul line by the Blazers’ Zack Bryant.

That’s when Harper shined in the ensuing moments, knocking down two free throws to tie the game, then pulling down a rebound on the other end and racing the length of the floor to make it 56-54 in favor of Auburn with 3:36 left.

A Wiley block on the other end delayed a UAB response, and sent the teams into the under-4:00 timeout on top. After a set of stops, Harper knocked down two free throws to put the Tigers up 58-54 with just less than two minutes to go, before Harper dished to Chuma Okeke for an alley-oop jam in transition to put Auburn up six with 1:15 left.

UAB hit three 3-pointers over the next 75 seconds from there, though, with Harper’s free-throw shots on intentional fouls keeping UAB from winning at the buzzer.