Box Score

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            As the visiting McNeese Cowboys showed all too well, good shooters are going to make open shots.
            Hitting 10 of their first 17 shots, including 5-for-5 on uncontested attempts, the Cowboys hung with seventh-ranked Baylor for the first 15 minutes of Wednesday's matinee game at the Ferrell Center and trailed by just two points.
            But, when the defense ratcheted things up, the Bears held McNeese to 28.6% shooting the rest of the way and used a 12-0 second-half run to pull away for an 89-60 victory in their first game since a 1-1 split at the Continental Tire Main Event in Las Vegas.
            "First half, I didn't know if we had gotten back from Vegas or not," Baylor coach Scott Drew said. "I thought McNeese really had great intensity, had a great game plan. Second half, I thought we did a much better job defensively and imposing our will. That leaves a much better taste in your mouth going into Thanksgiving."
            Freshman Keyonte George overcame a slow start to hit three-straight 3-pointers in a 64-second stretch late in the game to finish with a game-high 17 points to go with five assists and five rebounds. Guards LJ Cryer and Adam Flagler chipped in with 16 and 13 points, respectively, while Dale Bonner had seven points and a career-high 12 assists.
            "(The defense) was a difference-maker, for sure," George said. "Being in a stance, communicating to one another, and just picking up the energy and turning them over, we were able to get fast break points. And that's how we play. We were able to build a lead and come out with a win."
            Cryer hit four of his first five shots and scored Baylor's first 10 points to help the Bears take a 10-2 lead just over three minutes into the game. But, the Cowboys (2-4) scored 12-straight points and went up 14-10 on a 3-pointer by Zach Scott.
            George hit a 3-pointer and fed Flo Thamba for a layup in a 9-0 run that gave the Bears a 28-19 lead with 6:45 left in the half. After McNeese pulled back within two again, Baylor closed the half on a 9-2 run to go up 39-30 at the break, holding the Cowboys to just 1-of-7 shooting and two points over the last four-plus minutes.
            "Good shooters are going to make open shots," Drew said. "The goal defensively is to make them make as many tough shots as possible. I think the bench, our depth, helped give us a lift, maybe wear them down a little bit."
            Still leading by just 10 six minutes into the second half, the Bears scored 12-straight points that included a pair of Flagler 3-pointers, stretching the lead out to 57-35 at the 11:25 mark.
            Flagler also started a late 12-2 run, draining his third 3-pointer of the game, followed by the three-straight treys by George that gave Baylor its largest lead, 87-51. The Cowboys scored the last seven points of the game after Drew emptied the bench.
            "The energy level, that's always a coach's biggest concern coming off of a tournament," Drew said. "You get back at 4:30 a.m. (Monday), that comes into play. That's real. That's why you've got to have depth, and I thought our depth really helped us today. Now, we can go to Thanksgiving and hopefully have a good feeling."
            Langston Love scored in double figures (11) for the second time in his career. Jalen Bridges had eight points and seven rebounds, eclipsing 500 points in his career, while Scott and Johnathan Massie scored 12 points apiece for McNeese.
Baylor outscored McNeese, 50-30, in the second half while shooting 8-of-15 from 3-point range over the last 20 minutes.
            The Bears will face Marquette (4-2) next Tuesday in the Big 12/Big East Challenge in Milwaukee before taking on No. 6/5 Gonzaga (3-1) in the inaugural Peacock Classic on Dec. 2 in Sioux Falls, S.D.