Australia have opted against enforcing the follow-on after Nathan Lyon's bowling and the West Indies' calamitous running between the wickets handed them a 297-run lead in Adelaide.
After resuming at 4-102 in reply to Australia's 7(dec)-511, the Windies lost six wickets in 140 minutes on day three to be all out for 214 at the first break.
Lyon claimed two of the wickets lbw, taking his figures for the innings to 3-57 after overtaking Shane Warne as the leading wicket-taker at the ground on Friday night.
Mitchell Starc (2-48) also bagged two when he had Jason Holder caught behind for a duck, before Roston Chase was the last to fall on the hook shot for 34.
But in reality, the tourists were their own worst enemies as they lost two wickets before a run was added on Saturday afternoon.
Their great hope in Tagenarine Chanderpaul (47) was run out on the fourth ball of the day, when he prodded into space, took off, turned around and was caught short by a Starc direct hit.
That came in a mix-up with nightwatchman Anderson Phillip, who was the Windies' second top-scorer before also falling victim to a poor piece of running.
After slog-sweeping Lyon for a six and taking the long handle to the spinner down the ground and over the legside, he only had himself to blame when he was the Windies' eighth to fall.
In his second Test, he hit the ball to short cover, stayed in his crease, took off when the ball trickled past the fielder and was then sent back before Alex Carey took the stumps.
It was the kind of moment that summed up the Windies' tour, which began in T20 disappointment, a World Cup exit in the preliminary stage and what looms as a 2-0 Frank Worrell Trophy defeat..
Between the run outs, Lyon took hold.
He ended a 60-run stand between Joshua da Silva (23) and Phillip when he trapped the former lbw, before also getting Alzarri Joseph on the pads for a first-ball duck.
Michael Neser al finished with 2-34, after claiming the first two scalps on Friday night.