Bad News, Bears: Alabama Basketball Upsets No. 4 Baylor, 87-78

A solid display of effort, defensive efficiency and a 59-percent shooting effort from the floor were all crucial in the Crimson Tide's upset of the Bears.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — In front of a wild crowd inside Coleman Coliseum, Alabama basketball upset No. 4 Baylor with an all-around solid performance on both ends of the court. Powered by maximum effort that had been missing over the last several games, the Crimson Tide defeated the Bears 87-78.

The win for Alabama signified its third win of the season against a Final Four team from last season. After downing Gonzaga and Houston back in December, the win over Baylor was the final non-conference piece of the puzzle for the Crimson Tide this year.

Alabama shot 59-percent from the floor and was a solid 22-for-26 from the free-throw line. Additionally, the Crimson Tide scored 24 points in the paint and capitalized on the Bears' 16 turnovers with 24 points.

The win for the Crimson Tide also snapped a 36-game non-conference win streak for the Bears, dating all the way back to Nov. 8, 2019.

Alabama Athletics

"We knew it was a huge game coming in, so we just locked in and I feel we practiced really hard for two days coming into this game," Alabama guard Jaden Shackelford said. "And I feel like we were ready when the game ball went up."

Alabama got off to a roaring start in the opening minutes, jumping out to a 9-3 lead over the first six minutes. While its offense wasn't incredibly effective, its defense was stout. In the first four minutes of the game, Baylor turned the basketball over four times.

In the final 2:14 of the first half, Alabama outscored Baylor 9-6. At halftime, the Crimson Tide held a 38-34 edge.

In the first half, Jahvon Quinerly and Keon Ellis were a force to be reckoned with on offense, with Quinerly accounting for 12 points and Ellis registering seven. One key difference that gave Alabama the lead at the half was points in the paint, with the Crimson Tide holding a 20-10 edge when driving to the basket. While each team had eight turnovers, Alabama was able to take greater advantage, outscoring Baylor 14-5 off of turnovers.

"It felt good," Quinerly said of the start to the first half. "The team energy after two tough days of practice [and] obviously after a tough loss at Georgia, we were pretty pumped and ready to go. As long as we keep that for the rest of the year and hold our guys accountable and make sure we play like this every game in terms of our energy, I think we'll be really good."

On the defensive end of the court, Shackelford led Alabama with five rebounds. Davison registered one block, and the Crimson Tide as a team recorded five steals, including two by Shackelford.

To start the second half, a slew of fouls on both sides opened the first few minutes of play. A double technical was issued on Quinerly of Alabama and James Akinjo of Baylor after the two briefly exchanged words directly in front of an official. Less than a minute later, Quinerly was called for an offensive foul, bringing his total to three personals and sending Davison in to replace him before things got out of hand.

Alabama responded to the string of fouls, forcing a turnover and then picking up a defensive rebound by Shackelford. After a layup by Juwan Gary — who returned to the court for Alabama for the first time since suffering a facial contusion against LSU back on Jan. 19 — James Rojas recorded another defensive rebound to continue holding the Bears at bay.

Another layup by Gary improved Alabama's run to 10-2, forcing Baylor to call timeout with 14:02 left in the game and with a 50-40 Crimson Tide lead. The packed crowd in Coleman Coliseum rose to its feet, cheering the maximum effort on display in front of the home-court crowd.

Gary continued the onslaught after the timeout, recording another layup and giving him 10 points on the afternoon. In 11 minutes on the court, he was 5-for-5 from the floor and had registered three rebounds and a block without recording a single foul.

In what was likely the most energetic string of events of the game, Alabama graduate forward Noah Gurley blocked a dunk by Baylor's Flo Thamba. As Shackelford drove down the court with the basketball after the rebound, he pitched it out to Ellis, who sank a three-pointer to give the Crimson Tide a 57-42 lead.

Continuing to feel the pressure from the 17-4 run with 11:43 left in the game, Baylor called its second timeout and once again sent the crowd in a frenzy.

The loud crowd didn't last for long, though. An 8-0 run by Baylor cut Alabama's lead to 5. However, a three-pointer by Quinerly soon remedied the situation.

Baylor responded with a layup by Akinjo, and the ensuing Alabama possession gave the Crimson Tide 2 points along with an and-1 as Quinerly was fouled on the way up to the net. With 6:54 left to play, Alabama led 71-62.

A three-pointer by Baylor's Jeremy Sochan cut Alabama's lead down to just six points. However, the Crimson Tide responded with a buzzer-beating three of its own by Shackelford. Coleman's crowd, now on its feet, didn't quiet down when the Bears picked up an additional three. Another layup by Akinjo brought the score to 75-71 in favor of the Crimson Tide.

A layup by Gurley brought Alabama's lead back to six with 3:38 left to play. A defensive rebound by Davison led to a layup, and then a steal by Davison was punctuated with a massive dunk.

And just like that, a 6-0 run by the Crimson Tide brought the lead back to 10 points. With 2:33 remaining, Alabama led Baylor 81-71, forcing the Bears to call their final timeout.

Another three by Davison continued the Alabama downpour, and Baylor started to play recklessly. On the next Bears possession, Akinjo turned the ball over after it rolled out of bounds.

An alley-oop dunk by Gary, assisted by Davison, was the final dagger needed by the Crimson Tide to put the game away.

Alabama left Coleman Coliseum with an 87-78 upset victory.

"I told our guys before the game 'We got to get back to having fun,'" Alabama coach Nate Oats said after the win. "This is why we started playing the game of basketball when you were a kid. This is what we play for: show up in big-time games and have fun."

In total, five Alabama players shot in double digits, led by Quinerly and his 20 points. Shackelford was second for the Crimson Tide with 19, followed by Gary, Davison and Ellis with 15, 14 and 11, respectively. Alabama also shot a total of 22-of-26 from the free-throw line.

On the defensive end, Shackelford was one rebound shy of a double-double with nine on the game. Davison was second for the Crimson Tide with four, while Rojas, Gurley and Gary each brought in three.

Alabama totaled 10 steals on the game, led by Shackelford's three. Quinerly, Rojas and Davison each had two.

With the win, Alabama improves to 14-7 on the season. Baylor drops to 18-3 with the loss. Up next for the Crimson Tide, Alabama will hit the road to take on No. 1 Auburn on Tuesday (8 p.m. CT, ESPN).

"[The win] was huge, especially after the Georgia loss," Oats said. "We really needed to get one here. It was big. [...] To get the first one's great. You can't get all three if you don't get the first one, so we got the first one and now we're looking ahead to Auburn.

"[We] got a quick turnaround. I thought we played them tough here. We got to do a much better job at their place. It's going to be hard to beat them on the road, but we're capable."