No. 21 Baylor Men’s Basketball (13-5, 3-3) outlasted Texas Tech (10-8, 0-6) in Lubbock to secure its third-straight win in Big 12 play.
The offense erupted. Chalk it up to an easier stretch in Big 12 play or Scott Drew pressing some powerful button, but this Bears team looks vastly different than their opening stretch of conference play.
Then there was Keyonte George. He was as good as ever with 27 points on 8-15 shooting to send Texas Tech to its worst start in Big 12 play ever (0-6). George added a perfect 6-6 at the line along with five rebounds and three assists.
Recapping the first 20 minutes, defense wasn’t necessary. Texas Tech shot 58% and hit 7-15 from three en route to scoring 40 points. Not to be outmatched, the Bears shot 51% while taking nine more field goals and hitting three more shots. Parlay that with just one turnover, and Drew’s team boated 48.
And just as we all expected, it was Jalen Bridges who starred for Baylor’s offense. Bridges had 14 points on 6-7 shooting. LJ Cryer, not to be outmatched himself, also put up 14 on 4-4 from deep.
Thus, the Bears led a high-scoring race 48-40 at the break. With Mark Adams’ revered defense turned off, the Green and Gold took advantage.
The second half did not change much. Baylor’s lead stretched to as much as 16 with just under 11 minutes to go. While Texas Tech would challenge the Bears down the stretch, this one was never closer than five.
The 81-74 final propels the Bears to a much-needed three-game winning streak in the league after a dismal 0-3 start. Drew’s team gets a shot at Oklahoma on Saturday to stretch the run to four.
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