Baylor
2-0
South Carolina
1-1
MBB Tops South Carolina, 69-65
11/18/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
 69 BAYLOR |
Box Score | Notes | Photo Gallery |  65S. CAROLINA |
THE RUNDOWN
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - Kenny Chery scored 18 of his 20 points in the second half and Baylor held off South Carolina's late charge for a 69-65 victory Tuesday.
The Bears were up 64-54 with 4:48 left and looked on their way to an easy win when the Gamecocks (1-1) rallied with an 11-3 run to cut it to 67-65 with 3 seconds left on Tyrone Johnson's layup. But Chery followed with two foul shots with 1.3 seconds left to seal the game.
It was the ninth straight year the Bears opened 2-0.
Freshman Johnathan Motley added a career-high 17 points for Baylor.
Johnson finished with a career-high 21 points to lead South Carolina.
It's the second consecutive season these teams have played a down-to-the-wire contest - and the second year Baylor came out on top. Last season, Royce O'Neale made two foul shots at the end for the Bears' 66-64 win.
Motley's jumper gave Baylor its biggest lead - 10 points - with less than 5 minutes left. But freshman Marcus Stroman sparked the final charge by the Gamecocks. Johnson had a chance to tie it down 64-61, but his 3-pointer didn't fall.
Baylor and South Carolina both had easy season-opening wins and geared up for a much tougher test. The teams locked up inside with the Bears' Motley and Deng Deng squaring off against the Gamecocks' Demetrius Henry and Michael Carrera under the boards.
The Gamecocks overcame Baylor's 16-11 lead with 11 straight points, closed by Carrera's put-back basket.
Stroman hit a pair of foul shots to put South Carolina up 27-24 with three minutes left in the half when Baylor closed the period with a 6-0.
Motley had two buckets, including a final one just before the buzzer, to send the Bears into the break ahead 30-27.
HIGHLIGHTS
? Baylor closed the first half on a 6-0 run to take a 30-27 halftime lead.
? Newcomers scored 26 of Baylor's 30 first-half points (87%), but the returning players combined for 30 of the Bears' 39 second-half points (77%).
? Redshirt freshman Johnathan Motley (17 points) has scored in double figures in both games this season and is averaging 13.5 points per game.
? Motley had 13 first-half points, including a jumper at the buzzer that gave BU a 30-27 halftime lead.
? Senior Kenny Chery had 20 points, recording his 23rd career double-figure scoring game (BU is 16-7 in those).
? Chery had his 7th career 20-point game, including 18 second-half points.
? Senior Royce O'Neale had 9 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists - it was his first game at Baylor with 7 rebounds and 7 assists, and he was one assist shy of his Baylor career high.
? O'Neale had his 7th game at Baylor with 5+ assists (BU is 6-1 in those games).
? O'Neale had 7 of Baylor's 9 assists - it was his 9th time leading the team in assists during his BU career.
? Junior Lester Medford had 12 points and has scored in double figures in both games at Baylor and is averaging 12.5 points per game.
STAT OF THE GAME
80.8% - Free throw percentage for Baylor, as the Bears converted 21 of 26 attempts.
TWEET OF THE GAME
Kenny Chery and Lester Medford on the floor together in Baylor's backcourt is a heck of a duo. #Juco @JucoRecruiting
-- Josh Sash (@joshsash) November 18, 2014
WHAT'S NEXT
Baylor returns home to take on Prairie View A&M Nov. 21 at 6 p.m. CT.
