MBB Drops 67-64 Decision to OSU

Wednesday, March 6

Waco, Texas

8 p.m.

Baylor

19-11,(10-7)

Oklahoma State

11-19,(4-13)

Oklahoma St.

Baylor

MBB Drops 67-64 Decision to OSU

3/6/2019 11:27:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score PDF Box Postgame Notes Postgame Quotes

Makai Mason led Baylor with 19 points and five assists

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            This was certainly not the kind of Senior Night that Scott Drew imagined or drew up for Makai Mason, King McClure, Jake Lindsey and Obim Okeke.
            Not even close.
            Oklahoma State freshman Isaac Likekele, scoreless when Baylor pulled out a win in Stillwater back in January, poured in a game- and career-high-tying 23 points to help the Cowboys win just their second road game of the season and upset the Bears, 67-64, Wednesday night at the Ferrell Center.
            "Not how we drew it up for Senior Night," said Baylor coach Scott Drew, whose team fell to 19-11 overall and 10-7 in the Big 12. "At the end of the day, disappointed for the seniors, disappointed how we played this game in the Ferrell Center. We've been so good in the last five minutes of the game, but give Oklahoma State credit. They've been playing great basketball."
            OSU (11-19, 4-13) had lost 11 of its last 12 conference games and was 1-10 in true road games, but the Cowboys took 11^th-ranked Texas Tech to overtime in an 84-80 road loss before losing a late lead in a 72-67 loss at home last Saturday to 15^th-ranked Kansas.
            "We were right there knocking on the door last week," OSU coach Mike Boynton said. "We took Tech to overtime on the road and had KU on the ropes Saturday at our place and just couldn't finish. It's a testament to these guys, because even though they keep getting knocked away, they never stop coming back. They keep fighting."
            The Cowboys' freshman duo of Likekele and 6-10 forward Yori Anei combined for 37 points. Likekele gave Baylor fits all night, constantly driving by defenders for easy buckets and finishing with 23 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Anei was a rim protector on the other end and chipped in with 14 points, nine boards and six blocks.
            "I think we got caught between going under and going over (screens)," said Mason, who picked up a couple early fouls trying to defend the 6-4 Likekele. "I think I got caught a couple times on screens, just not knowing what to do there. But, he was attacking and he was able to get to the rim."
            Baylor's had a hard time defending quicker guards, like Texas' trio of Kerwin Roach II, Matt Coleman III and Courtney Ramey, but "the irony is the first game we did a great job against him," Drew said of Likekele.
            "He drew a couple fouls early, and that allowed him to be aggressive," he said. "The first time, we did a better job taking a charge and not letting him get going. And our ball-screen defense, when we hard-hedged, we were a lot better. And we probably should have stayed with that. We went back to it late, and it worked."
            Even though Baylor jumped out to an early 8-0 lead, both teams struggled, scoring just 29 points combined through the first 12 minutes. OSU took its first lead of the game on a driving layup by Likekele, but the Bears had a 9-2 run that included a layup and 3-pointer by Mason and a Devonte Bandoo jumper and took a 35-31 lead into the break.
            Freddie Gillespie scored six of his career-high-tying 14 points early in the second half, helping Baylor extend its lead back to 47-40. But, he scored just two points the rest of the way.
            "The biggest thing they did was probably going to the 3-2 zone," said Gillespie, who was 6-of-9 from the floor but only 2-of-6 from the line. "That makes it hard, because it's kind of hard to roll off the 3-2, and it's hard to post up there."
            Drew credited OSU for the way it defended, denying passes and forcing the Bears into more one-on-one situations. "Up there, I thought we did a better job penetrating and kicking out for 3's. Today, for whatever reason, first of all, we were 7-for-24 (from 3-point range). I think if you hit a couple of those, they close out a little faster and it gives you more room for driving. I thought against the zone we were stagnant. All season long, when people have zoned us, we've hit 3's quick, and they've gotten out of it. Today, we didn't."
            Bringing OSU back from a seven-point deficit, Thomas Dziagwa scored six straight points on a 3-pointer and three-point play on back-to-back possessions. Devonte Bandoo knocked down a go-ahead 3-pointer for the Bears, but Likekele and Anei answered with eight straight points to give the Cowboys their biggest lead of the game, 59-53.
            A critical play came with 2:16 left, when freshman guard Jared Butler fouled out when it looked like OSU's Lindy Waters shuffled his pivot foot before the whistle was blown. The Cowboys hit four straight free throws to build a five-point lead and held Baylor without a field goal for the last 4 ½ minutes.
            In the closing seconds, Mario Kegler and McClure both missed potential game-tying 3-pointers that would have sent the game into overtime. Kegler, McClure and Butler combined to hit just 5-of-21 from the floor and 2-of-12 from outside the arc.
            "Everybody wanted the seniors to do well, so everybody kind of gets out of kilter and tries to take on more responsibility," Drew said. "Basketball is such a game of making the right play. When you're sharing the ball, you take better shots. When you take better shots, you make more of them."
            Playing his final game at the Ferrell Center, Mason led the Bears with 19 points, hitting three 3-pointers and 6-of-16 from the floor. Mark Vital chipped in with seven points, 10 rebounds, four assists and two blocks, while Butler finished a point shy of his ninth consecutive double-digit game.
            Baylor, already locked into the No. 4 seed for next week's Big 12 tournament in Kansas City, closes out the regular season with a matchup against 13^th-ranked Kansas (22-8, 11-6) at 1 p.m. Saturday in Lawrence.