Chad Baker-Mazara did not let playing through an upper-body injury prevent him from making his presence known in No. 1 Auburn’s 94-85 road win over No. 2 Alabama.

Baker-Mazara fouled out with 2:22 left in the game, but finished with 15 points – making him the Tigers’ third-highest scorer alongside Miles Kelly – five rebounds, three assists and shot 4-of-7 from the field and 2-of-3 from 3-point range.

“Chad Baker-Mazara is a playmaker,” AU coach Bruce Pearl said. “He can score. He can shoot. He might look to make some tough passes, and he had a great assist-to-turnover ratio tonight.”

Alabama’s Chris Youngblood hit a 3-pointer to tie the game with 7:23 left. Baker-Mazara responded with a 3-pointer of his own on Auburn’s next possession. That shot ended up being one of Auburn’s most important as the Tigers did not let the Crimson Tide tie the game after that point.

"Chad just pulls up, kind of with the clock running down. Nothing else is going on, makes a shot,” Pearl said.

Baker-Mazara’s presence on the floor makes a significant difference for Auburn as his play style enables him to get in the heads of opponents. He took advantage of that on Saturday, drawing fouls and capitalizing on all five of his free-throw attempts.

If Baker-Mazara had been unable to play, the Tigers would have had a more difficult time overcoming the hostile environment. Chris Moore started in his place, but he did not miss a beat coming off the bench.

“Chad is so banged up, and I just wasn't sure he was going to play tonight. He got hurt yesterday in practice,” Pearl said. “But he's a gamer, and he's got some toughness, and he's got some real skill. He knows how to play and he's such a great passer. He's a dangerous player. I've got to go look at that.”

Baker-Mazara and the rest of the Tigers return to action on Wednesday, hosting Arkansas at 8 p.m. CT. ESPN will carry the broadcast.