By Gio Gennero | Sports Writer
No. 4 Baylor dropped their third game out of the last six contests to the University of Alabama, 87-78 on Saturday afternoon at the Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
The Bears (18-3, 5-2 Big-12) lost their first road game of the season, after racking up 14 consecutive road wins. This loss to Alabama (14-7, 4-4 SEC) snapped Baylor’s 36-game win streak against non-conference opponents, their first out-of-conference loss since 2019.
The injury bug once again got a hold of the Bears, as sophomore guard LJ Cryer was kept out of today’s game with a foot injury.
Head coach Scott Drew said it’s tough battling injuries because it makes it harder to get people in a rhythm and hopes they can be back to full health soon.
“We’ve had so many people out,” Drew said. “From James to now LJ out to Jeremy out and as you know, you need to develop a rhythm and a chemistry and obviously, it’s hard for getting guys in and it takes them a little time to get back in the groove of things as well.”
However, senior guard James Akinjo returned to the lineup after missing the last game with a bruised tailbone. Unfortunately Akinjo struggled to find his scoring groove as he shot just 4-of-13 from the field and committed six turnovers.
Drew said it’s harder for Akinjo to get back to top form because of how much time he has to spend handling the ball rather than being able to ease his way back into it.
“It’s one thing when you have somebody coming back from an injury who doesn’t have the ball as much,” Drew said. “It’s kind of like when a quarterback comes back and they have the ball so much it just affects everybody’s feel and flow. It’s a little tougher when you get a guy like him coming back versus someone who’s playing off the ball.”
In his second game back from injury, freshman forward Jeremy Sochan posted a team and career-high with 17 points to go along with eight boards.
Closely behind Sochan was junior guard Adam Flagler with 16 points, including shooting 50% from beyond the arc. Senior forward Matthew Mayer finished with 12 points, and freshman forward Kendall Brown added 10 of his own as well as five rebounds.
Baylor struggled to play their game as the Bears only had 11 assists as a team despite making 26 field goals and committed 16 turnovers. On the defensive end they allowed for five different Alabama players to score in double figures and committed 21 fouls.
Baylor started the game in a slump and never seemed to fully recover. In the first five minutes of play the team had four turnovers and only three points. Both teams were playing at a chaotic pace and the Bears found themselves down only three points. Alabama looked to take control of the game as Baylor entered a four minute scoring drought, and just as the defending champions looked disoriented, they pulled out an 11-0 scoring run to take the lead with less than six minutes left in the half.
The teams alternated buckets back-and-forth for the rest of the half, but free throws helped Alabama to push their lead to four as the half concluded with Baylor trailing 38-34.
Although both teams were shooting over 45% at the half, the teams combined for 16 turnovers and looked to clean up their play in the next half. Sochan led the Bears in scoring at the half with eight points without a missed shot. He said he feels good after dealing with injuries previously.
“I feel really good,” Sochan said. “There was times in the game where I was a little bit winded and tired, but overall I think I’m really good.”
Coming out of the break, the contest was going basket-for-basket as the score remained tight until a 9-0 run from Alabama helped them take a double-digit lead with under 13 minutes to go. Baylor didn’t go away easily as multiple and-1 conversions from Sochan, some good defensive possessions and a three from Flagler allowed the Bears to cut the lead to five.
Unfortunately for the Bears, Alabama responded to every Baylor attempt to come back into the game seemingly right away. The teams traded threes on back-to-back-to-back possessions, and then a tough finish by Akinjo pulled the Bears within four points with just over three minutes left in the game. Baylor would derail from that point on.
Alabama responded with a quick 6-0 run capitalized with a fast break dunk, taking all the momentum away from the Bears. They held onto control of the game and went on to win 87-78.
Sochan said Alabama did a good job of staying on the attack and Baylor could’ve responded better.
“They were very aggressive and as a team just attacked us,” Sochan said. “At times we weren’t really focused or aggressive enough.”
The Bears have a quick turnaround, as they head back to Waco to face off against West Virginia University at 8 p.m. on Monday in the Ferrell Center. Drew said the team is eager to get back on the court following a loss.
“After a loss, there’s nothing you want more than to get out there and get that taste out of your mouth, ” Drew said. “So that’s a blessing playing on Monday.”
