By: Elliott Lapin
 
 
Alabama trailed Auburn 18-12 midway through the first half. The game's next 13 points were scored by Alabama's Ignacio Ortega.
 
The Alabama men's wheelchair basketball team finished the first half on a 21-7 run and added a few more points to its lead in the second half to beat Auburn 68-57 on Friday evening Nov. 11 a home at Stran-Hardin Arena in its first National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA) intercollegiate division game of the season.
 
Ortega, a graduate student, finished with a game-high 27 points. He also grabbed 16 rebounds and dished out 10 assists, including a full-court pass that led to a layup from sophomore Eric Francis early in the game.
 
"I think he (Ortega) played very poised and calm which is great. He played a really good game and led his team like he should. He's a leader, and he's a true leader," said Alabama head coach Ford Burttram. "He's learning those skills on how to develop and how to take care of his teammate, so I was really impressed with the way he played."
 
Ortega had 17 points in the first half, as did Auburn's Luke Robinson.
 
Robinson picked up his fourth foul early in the second half and was held to only 2 second half points as he sat on the bench most of the second half.
 
Robinson hit four three-pointers in the first half, and Auburn made 10 threes as a team (out of 24 three-point attempts).
 
"There aren't a lot of teams that shoot the three ball. Auburn is really proficient at shooting it," said Burttram. "Sometimes they make a bunch. Sometimes they miss a bunch, but we've got to be able to recognize it and extend our defense early, and we were late in recognition. So we've got to get earlier recognition when they're coming down the court."
 
Alabama sophomore Peter Berry finished with 14 points, and Alabama senior Partha Venkatram finished with double-digit rebounds, 11.
 
Francis also had a double-digit scoring performance with 11 of his 13 points coming in the second half.
 
Ortega embraces the Alabama-Auburn rivalry.
 
"I mean it's Alabama vs. Auburn! Over these five years, I've learned that it means a lot," he said. "It's always very exciting to play this game. It's always a battle. It was up and down. They got on a roll, then we got on a roll, it's always a super passionate game."
 
After the Thanksgiving break, the Crimson Tide heads to the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Tournament, where they will play four NWBA intercollegiate division games (against University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, University of Texas-Arlington, Edinboro University, and the University of Illinois) in two days over the course of Dec. 2 and 3.
 
"A win like this just builds confidence," Burttram proclaimed. "We've got a long way to go. We need to be a lot better than we are, and we'll get there, but it builds confidence that we're on the right track. We're on the right train, and we're going in the right direction."