No. 2 MBB Completes Comeback at Oklahoma State

Saturday, January 18

Stillwater, Okla.

11 a.m.

Baylor

15-1,5-0Big 12

Oklahoma State

9-8,0-5Big 12

Baylor

Oklahoma St.

Photo by: USA Today Sports Images

No. 2 MBB Completes Comeback at Oklahoma State

1/18/2020 1:42:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Postgame Notes

Bears are 5-0 to start Big 12 play for the second time in league history

  STILLWATER, Okla. – Mired in a bit of a shooting slump, hitting just one of his last nine shots from the floor and going 0-for-4 from 3-point range, senior guard Devonte Bandoo turned to fellow Canadian and former Baylor sharpshooter Brady Heslip.
            "I was just trying to get some words of wisdom from him, just trying to figure things out," he said.
            In the second half of Saturday's game at Gallagher-Iba Arena, Bandoo did his best Heslip impersonation, draining four 3-pointers and scoring 14 of his 16 points in helping the second-ranked Bears rally from a 12-point deficit to beat the upset-minded Oklahoma State Cowboys, 75-68.
            "Even though one person might not have a good night, we're so deep that anyone can step in and have a great night," said Bando, who also hit a pair of late free throws to seal the Bears' 14^th win in a row overall. "Today, it was me, so it was a good feeling."
            Two of Baylor's five starters didn't even score a point, with Davion Mitchell and Mark Vital going a combined 0-for-7 from the field. But, Jared Butler and Freddie Gillespie had game-high scoring honors with 17 points apiece, and Bandoo's season-high 16 points helped the Bears' bench outscore the OSU reserves, 32-22.
            "It takes a team to win it," said Baylor coach Scott Drew, whose team improved to 15-1 overall and a school-record 5-0 in Big 12 for the first time since 1998. "As a coach, you're really proud when different people step up, especially guys that have been working hard. Devonte's been spending time, and it was just a matter of time. We had confidence in him, but he really played hard defense and rebounded. He had a great rebound late."
            OSU (9-8, 0-5) came into the game shooting just 22 percent from 3-point range in league play, but the Cowboys were 8-of-14 from outside the arc in the first half and were up 36-27 at the break. Cameron McGriff had made just 9-of-42 (21.4 percent) of his 3-pointer attempts for the season, but drained four treys and scored 14 of his 16 points in the first half.
            Bandoo said the Bears didn't even have McGriff as a shooter in their scouting report, "and out of nowhere he's hitting four 3's. We're going to get players' best, and we've got to adapt and figure that out."
            "Normally, he makes open ones and maybe some contested, but he was on fire early," Drew said of McGriff. "But, it's like free throws. We go 19-for-23. Last game (68-55 win over Iowa State), we were 13-for-22 or something. That's why defense and rebounding are so critical. And taking care of the basketball can't be understated. We only had two turnovers in the second half, and that was huge."
            The Cowboys never trailed through the first 31 minutes and matched their largest lead of the game when Yor Anei scored off an offensive rebound and put-back to make it 47-35 with under nine minutes to play.
            Tristan Clark, who scored eight points in 12 minutes, started a key 11-2 run with a nice outside jumper. And then Gillespie finished it off with a fast-break bucket that trimmed the deficit to 49-46.
            A pair of free throws by Lindy Waters stopped the bleeding for OSU, but MaCio Teague knocked down his only 3-pointer of the dayafter an offensive rebound to give the Bears their first lead, 53-51, with 8:43 left in the game.
            "It's not easy being down, especially when a team gets going like that," Bandoo said. "Just the fact that we picked it up, we found a way and we executed, especially on the defensive end."
            OSU fought back to take a 61-60 lead on a pair of free throws by Isaac Likekele, who had 16 points, nine rebounds, five assists and four steals.
            But, Bandoo had the answer, draining back-to-back 3-pointers in a closing 15-7 run as the Bears pulled away late for their fifth-straight win in Stillwater.
            "Everybody contributed," Drew said. "It's a great day to be a Baylor Bear."
            McGriff and Likekele shared team-high scoring honors for the Cowboys with 16, while Waters and Thomas Dziagwa hit a combined six 3-pointers and chipped in with 14 points apiece.
In arguably one of his best games of the season, Clark was a perfect 4-of-4 from the floor and finished with eight points and two rebounds in just 12 minutes off the bench. Matthew Mayer was also solid off the bench, scoring six points in 14 minutes and adding two rebounds and two assists.
            The Bears have a quick turnaround, hosting Oklahoma (12-5, 3-2) at 8 p.m. Monday in an ESPN "Big Monday" game at the Ferrell Center. Junior forward Brady Manek had a career-high seven 3-pointers and 31 points in the Sooners' 83-63 drubbing of TCU on Saturday.
            "We need our fans rested, we need their voices rested, we need that energy caffeine," said Drew, whose team can match a school-record 15-game win streak with a victory on Monday. "We need their 'A' game on Monday. We've got to protect the home court."