NR/NR BAYLOR (11-6, 3-2) 73, 8/9 TEXAS TECH (15-3, 4-2) 62
Saturday, Jan. 19, 2018
Ferrell Center (Waco, Texas)
Attendance: 9,018
 
BAYLOR POSTGAME QUOTES
 
Baylor Head Coach Scott Drew
Opening Statement…
"Another typical Big 12 game, hard fought game of runs. I'm really proud of the different guys on our team who were able to step up. I thought Freddie (Gillespie) and Mario (Kegler) in the second half really did a great job. Jared Butler really had some big baskets, but his five assists were huge for us. Everybody contributed, the bench was tremendous, so it was a great team win."
 
On Jared Butler…
"Jared has gotten better and better. I think the guys on the team have done a great job of helping him along, and he's learned a lot from Makai (Mason) and they have really helped each other. He's a winner. He comes from a great program, and they're used to winning. He hates to lose. Very competitive kid. You feel when he's got the ball, he's going to make a win. Sometimes he has too much confidence in himself —he threw me the ball and I wasn't even on the court, but then he comes back and makes a great play right after. He's got a short-term memory."
 
On the end of the first half…
"We switched defenses, and that helped. We went to a bigger lineup and that helped. We settled down and started making some shots, and that always helps."
 
On forcing turnovers…
"I think it was really personnel based. As coaches, we try to do as much as we can to prepare our guys and it's up to them to execute it. I thought the crowd really helped us today. When they made runs the crowd really affected the game, gave us energy and allowed us to get deflections and make winning plays."
 
On Freddie Gillespie's playing time…
"Our staff and team have done a great job of making sure everyone's ready because you never really know when your time's going to be. You take Mario (Kegler) for instance — he didn't start in the second half and didn't play like he's capable. Then second half he comes in and was tremendous for us. That's what a team does. You have different people step up. As coaches, each player brings a different skillset and we're continuing trying to adjust the pieces we have and put them in positions to make it successful. King (McClure)'s leadership has been outstanding being the lone senior. He's done a great job."

Baylor Freshman Jared Butler
On his confidence…
"Me being a freshman, you have to get in the groove. The game slows down for you as the season goes on. It's tough playing against a team like Texas Tech. We had a run, and we knew they were going to have a run, so it's who can minimize their runs. Texas Tech is a great team, they do a great job of playing defense."
 
On learning from teammate Makai Mason…
"I learned how to shoot, a little bit. Makai is always poised and makes the right play. He doesn't get tired of making the right play, and I feel like that's a really great quality in being a point guard. I don't try to be like Makai, but I learn a lot from him and just add it to my game."
 
On being fearless…
"I just think me playing basketball a lot, I feel like I just got to trust my instincts. I love playing with these guys. They bring me joy."
 
Baylor Senior Makai Mason
On what made the difference…
"I think we just kept our composure. We knew they were going to go on a run, so it's the Big 12—every team is going to make a run, so we just had to weather the storm there. Jared (Butler) made a couple big plays, got some rebounds, got some stops. We were able to push it back to a double-digit game. Getting stops and rebounds was the big thing. We know shots are going to fall here and there, and we missed a couple early."
 
On takeaways from the last two wins…
"Every game comes down to the last possession. If we can keep stringing them along, you never know what could happen."

TEXAS TECH POSTGAME QUOTES
 
Texas Tech Head Coach Chris Beard
On Jared Butler…
"I thought he was fearless, played with courage. He looked like he was having fun out there, basically playing the game how we get our guards to play."
 
On the loss…
"We're in this together. We win together, we lose together, so tonight we weren't aggressive. I thought we were the more aggressive team for probably four minutes in the second half, and that's when we had the advantage."
 
On key takeaways…
"We had too many turnovers, we handed the ball to Baylor. Turnovers was the biggest key. We thought to beat Baylor we had to outrebound them. We had to have a low turnover game. We had some ridiculous ball handling out there. Ultimately that will fall on me. I'm the one coaching these guys. We knew Baylor was a good 3-point shooting team. Coach Drew has done a great job with their guys. He's reinvented their team with the injury of one of the best players in the Big 12. That's what good teams and good coaches do. Today they beat us with the 3-point shot, we turned the ball over too much, and they outrebounded us."
 
Texas Tech Senior Tariq Owens
On starting the game…
"We started the game well but like we've been saying all year, it takes 40 minutes to complete a game and see what happens."
 
On preparing against Baylor…
"Our coaches do a great job of getting us prepared. We definitely knew what they were going to do but we just didn't execute well."
 
On the offense…
"I don't think we got timid. We just have to be consistent in what we do on offense and keep learning our steps."