No. 21 MBB Holds off Late Tech Run, 81-74

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
LUBBOCK, Texas – After a relatively quiet first half, Baylor freshman Keyonte George scored 18 of his game-high 27 points in the second half and led the 21^st-ranked Bears to an 81-74 win over Texas Tech Tuesday night at United Supermarkets Arena.
“He came out warm, huh?” Baylor coach Scott Drew said of George, who hit five of his first six shots in the second half and scored 13 points in the first five minutes. “And then, credit unselfish play by our guys. Langston (Love) had a shot, turns it down and gets (Keyonte) the shot. That’s identifying the hot shooter.”
After an 0-3 start in league play, the Bears (13-5, 3-3) have strung together three-straight wins and sit in sixth place in the Big 12, just two games behind frontrunners Kansas, Kansas State and Iowa State.
“I know we started off slow, but it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish,” said junior guard LJ Cryerwho scored 14 of his 18 points in the first half. “This isn’t the finish line, but we’re working towards that. And starting a win streak is really good for us.”
Scoring in double figures for the fourth-straight game, Jalen Bridges scored seven of Baylor’s first 12 points and helped stake the Bears to a three-point lead, 12-9, in the first four minutes. Bridges finished with 14 points, hitting 6-of-9, and added five rebounds, one block and a steal.
“I’m still waiting for him to go three in a row from 3,” Drew said of Bridges. “He’s capable of stringing multiple shots together because he does it in practice. His rebound defense has gotten better and shot-making has been better. And that was huge in the beginning of the game for us.”
Leading for all but two minutes of the game, Baylor led 48-40 at the break and stretched it to as many as 16 midway through the second half when Adam Flagler fed freshman Josh Ojianwuna for a dunk.
Undaunted, Texas Tech (10-8, 0-6) battled back and pulled within five with 55.1 seconds left when freshman Pop Isaacs made one of two free throws to make it a 79-74 game. Jaylon Tyson, who recorded a double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds, grabbed an offensive board on the missed free throw, but Isaacs missed a quick 3-pointer that would have made it a one-possession game.
“Proud of our guys for fighting back,” Tech head coach Mark Adams said. “We’re competitive, and we’re going to continue to play that way. These guys have a lot of fight in them.”
George, who was 6-of-6 from the line and 5-of-11 from outside the arc, hit a pair of free throws to seal it with 42 seconds left.
Cryer hit all four attempts from 3-point range and scored 18 points, while Bridges finished with 14 points and five boards. Flagler struggled from the floor, hitting just 1-of-8 from outside the arc, but finished with nine points, five assists and no turnovers in 38 minutes.
“What they do well is they have three guards that have tremendous freedom,” Adams said. “These guys have the luxury that they can shoot the ball off the dribble, coming off screens, and then they’re very good at it. We’ve got a hand in their face and they’re making them over and over again.”
As a team, Baylor tied Tech on the boards, 31-31, got 16 second-chance points and had a season-low three turnovers.
“That’s amazing,” Drew said of the three turnovers, including just one in the first half. “To have three turnovers, that’s an eclipse. Normally, if that happens, it’s at home. To happen on the road, it’s a double eclipse. Really proud of the guys.”
Tech, which shot a sizzling 50.9% from the floor, had a total of five double-figure scorers. While Tyson recorded his second-straight double-double, Isaacs had 14 points and five assists, followed by Fairdaws Aimaq (12), Kerwin Walton (12) and Kevin Obanor (10) also scored in double figures.
After stretching their winning streak to three in a row, the Bears go back on the road to face Oklahoma (11-6, 2-3) at 3 p.m. Saturday in Norman. The Sooners have won two of their last three and play Bedlam rival Oklahoma State at 8 p.m. Wednesday in Stillwater.