No. 5 MBB Defeats Norfolk State, 87-70

Friday, November 11

Waco, Texas

7 PM

Baylor

2-0,0-0Big 12

Norfolk State

2-1,0-0MEAC

Team	1	2	F
Norfolk St.	34	36	70
Baylor	42	45	87

No. 5 MBB Defeats Norfolk State, 87-70

11/11/2022 9:39:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            Even with a backcourt loaded with shooters, fifth-ranked Baylor is not going to take 38 3-point attempts every night.
            But, with the visiting Norfolk State Spartans (2-1) packing it in to keep the Bears (2-0) out of the paint, Baylor's shooters took what the defense gave them and knocked down 15 treys in an 86-70 win Friday night before a crowd of 9,728 at the Ferrell Center.
            "They did a great job packing it in, running a lot of zone," said Baylor coach Scott Drew, who picked up his 399^th win. "And we've got shooters, so it's hard when you've got a shooter that's got an open shot. At the same time, we do have to get better at mixing things up, and we have to take opportunities to finish at the rim."
            Freshman Keyonte George put together a complete game, hitting 6-of-11 from outside the arc and finishing with 23 points, seven assists, five rebounds and three steals. West Virginia transfer Jalen Bridges scored 20 points in 23 minutes, knocking down 5-of-7 from the floor and a perfect 8-for-8 from the line, while Adam Flager chipped in with 18 points and five assists.
            "That was the shot that was open," said George, who hit four first-half 3-pointers. "We were getting to the paint and finding each other open, and they were 3-balls. Luckily, they were falling for us tonight. It's no coincidence. We're making shots, the ball's going to keep going in the rim."
            Baylor had an early 10-0 run in the first half, with George hitting back-to-back 3-pointers and then finishing it with an assist to Flo Thamba for a three-point play that pushed the Bears' lead to 16-7.
            After hitting just 2-of-8 from 3-point range in Monday's 117-53 season-opening win over Mississippi Valley State, George found his rhythm early and often against the Spartans. His 23 points were the most by a Baylor freshman since Jared Butler had 31 at Kansas on March 9, 2019.
            "I wasn't feeling it last game, but I was getting my teammates involved," he said. "The shots are going to fall, you just have to control what you can control. My shot was falling, and I was doing every little thing I could do. We came out with the win, and that's the most important thing."
            The Bears went up 30-15 just past the midway point in the first half, when LJ Cryer hit a technical foul free throw, but the Spartans went on a 13-4 run and closed to within 34-28 on a three-point play by Christian Ings. After blowing out Norfolk State, 85-49, in last year's NCAA Tournament first-round game, Baylor had a single-digit halftime lead, 42-34.
            "I thought we learned a lot as a team," Drew said. "We were able to have some teaching moments, and everything was magnified based on playing a competitive game. I thought mixing up their defenses made us stagnant for a little bit. But, you shot (39.5%) from 3 and 50% from the field, and offensively we did a good job getting rebounds. We just need to be more efficient and score some of them."
            Bridges played a pivotal role in Baylor's 11-2 run at the start of the second half, assisting on a George 3-pointer, finishing a fast-break opportunity with a layup off a dish by Cryer and capping it with a 3-pointer of his own off a dish from Flagler.
            "He's somebody that led the Big 12 in 3-point percentage, led the Big 12 in free throw percentage. So, he can really shoot it," Drew said of Bridges. "You get guys who can create shots for him and get good looks, he can definitely put up numbers."
            It was George's turn when the Bears scored eight unanswered points late in the game, assisting on a Bridges three-point play, draining a 3-pointer and then finishing a fast break with a layup off a feed from Cryer that made it 83-62.
            Baylor turned it over 15 times, gave up 12 second-chance points and missed nine of 25 free throws, but Flo Thamba had five of those misses, doing 2-for-7.
            "No offense to Flo, but if you take him out, the numbers are a lot better," Drew said. "And I know that bothers him, because he's worked hard. In practice, he's made free throws. In the scrimmage, he made free throws. So, that's hard when you weren't good from the line on Saturday. You work all summer, you're really good, and then you get into two games and you're not. If he wasn't good in practices and in scrimmages, I'd be concerned."
            Before heading to Las Vegas for a couple top-25 matchups in the Continental Tire Main Event, the Bears will finish off a season-opening three-game home stand hosting Northern Colorado (1-1) at 7 p.m. Monday. Caleb Shaw, Baylor coach Scott Drew's nephew, scored 18 points off the bench in Northern Colorado's 80-77 win over Texas A&M-Commerce.