Luka Brajkovic scored 22 points as Davidson upset No. 10 Alabama 79-78 on Tuesday night at the C.M. Newton Classic in Birmingham, Ala.
Brajkovic made 10 of 16 shots from the floor and also had seven rebounds and three assists. Michael Jones added 21 points and four assists for Davidson, which captured its first win over a Top 10 team since 2008, when the Wildcats beat Wisconsin in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
The victory was also the eighth straight for Davidson (9-2).
Alabama (9-3) had a chance to tie the game late at the foul line, but Jahvon Quinerly missed his second of two free throws. Davidson was able to run out the remaining four seconds on the clock.
The Tide led 12-7 in the early going before the Wildcats broke off a 16-0 run to take a comfortable lead. Jones scored seven points during that stretch.
Alabama briefly recaptured the lead at 35-34 with 2:31 left in the first half, but again the Wildcats responded, closing the half on a 7-0 run. In the second half, Davidson grew its lead to as much as 13 points.
Brajkovic’s second 3-pointer of the game with 2:01 remaining in the second half gave the Wildcats a 10-point advantage. Alabama didn’t quit though, closing the game on a 9-0 run. In the end, it wasn’t quite enough to overcome the deficit.
Key for Davidson in the victory was its superb shooting, as the Wildcats shot 53.4 percent from the floor and 50 percent (12 of 24) from 3-point range. Jones was a perfect 3 of 3 from behind the arc, while Hyunjung Lee made 4 of 8 3-point attempts. Lee had 17 points in all. Foster Loyer finished with 11 points and eight assists for the Wildcats.
Davidson won despite being outrebounded, 39-27.
The Tide wasn’t quite as sharp in its shooting, making 12 of 36 shots from behind the arc and hitting 44.8 percent from the floor in all.
Jaden Shackelford led Alabama with 20 points. Juwan Gary had 15 points and eight rebounds for the Tide, while Quinerly — who closed the game missing his last four shot attempts from the floor — contributed 13 points and six assists.
All three of Alabama’s losses this season have come against unranked teams.
–Field Level Media
