AP Photo/Elaine Thompson
The No. 16 Alabama Crimson Tide upset the No. 3 Gonzaga Bulldogs 91-82 on Saturday night in the “Battle in Seattle” to move to 7-1 on the season. It was the first time the two schools met and the first half of a home-and-home series, as Gonzaga will play Alabama again next year.
It was an incredible evening for the Crimson Tide, who took a dominant 51-35 lead into halftime. The 16-point halftime deficit was Gonzaga’s largest since a 2009 game against Memphis, per ESPN Stats & Info.
Junior guard Jaden Shackelford was the most impressive player on the court in Seattle, notching 28 points (which led all players), nine rebounds and two assists in the win. He scored 20 of his 28 points in the first half alone.
Gonzaga was able to keep things close through 10 minutes, but a Jahvon Quinerly layup at 10:31 and a Shackelford jumper at 9:37 gave Alabama a 25-20 lead, and they never looked back after that.
While the Bulldogs began cutting into the Crimson Tide’s lead in the second half and were able to get within four points at 6:32 of the second half, Alabama scored 10 unanswered points late to take back control of the game.
In addition to Shackelford, freshman guard JD Davison had an incredible performance off the bench for Alabama, notching 20 points, five rebounds, three assists and a steal. Quinerly, meanwhile, finished with 17 points, two rebounds, six assists and a steal.
As for Gonzaga, they were paced by junior forward Drew Timme, who finished with 23 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and two blocks. Freshman center Chet Holmgren finished with 10 points, 11 rebounds, two assists and four blocks.
While the Zags made 44.8 percent of their shots from the floor and 39.1 percent from deep, the team was awful at the free-throw line, making just 13 of 25 shots (52.0 percent).
Alabama, meanwhile, shot 43.1 percent from the floor and 38.2 percent from deep but made 16 of 22 free throws (72.7 percent).
Gonzaga dropped to 7-2 with the loss. The team’s only other loss this season came against Duke on Nov. 26.
What’s Next?
Gonzaga will host unranked Merrimack on Thursday, while Alabama will host No. 15 Houston on Saturday.
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