Alabama tops No. 4 Baylor; 3rd win over '21 Final Four team

Updated Jan. 29, 2022 7:03 p.m. ET

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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Jaden Shackelford scored 19 points and had nine rebounds as Alabama toppled No. 4 Baylor 87-78 Saturday in the Big 12/SEC Challenge.

Alabama (14-7) has now beaten three teams that reached the Final Four last season. Along with the defending champion Bears, the Crimson Tide knocked off then-No. 1 Gonzaga in early December and topped Houston a week later.

The Crimson Tide led by four points with under three minutes to play, then freshman J.D. Davison scored seven of his 14 points to seal the win.

Jahvon Quinerly scored 20 points for Alabama, Juwan Gary had 15 and Keon Ellis 11.

Baylor (18-3) played without its leading scorer, LJ Cryer, who's had foot soreness. James Akinjo, who was the Bears’ top scorer two weeks ago before a back injury limited his minutes, had just eight points and didn’t hit his first basket until midway through the second half.

Jeremy Sochan scored 17 for Baylor and Adam Flagler had 16, going 4 of 8 from 3-point range.

Alabama used a 14-2 run early in the second half to take a 57-42 lead with about 13 minutes left. Noah Gurley blocked a dunk attempt by Flo Thamba, and Ellis hit a 3-pointer on the other end to break it open.

Mathew Mayer scored 12 points and Kendall Brown 10 for Baylor.

BIG PICTURE

Baylor: The offense missed the presence of Cryer, but the good news is other players stepped up when needed, getting 26 points from the bench.

Alabama: Perimeter shooting continues to be an area of concern. Entering the game, Alabama was at 30% on 3-pointers. The Crimson Tide limited its 3-point shooting against Baylor, hitting 7 of 21.

UP NEXT

Baylor: Hosts West Virginia on Monday.

Alabama: Plays at Auburn on Tuesday.

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More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

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Flo Thamba

Adam Flagler

Jahvon Quinerly

Jaden Shackelford

Alabama Crimson Tide

Baylor Bears