By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            When Baylor coach Scott Drew dials up LJ Cryer's number on the opening play of the game, the junior guard wants to "set the tone."
            Cryer did just that, knocking down the first of his career-high eight 3-pointers 31 seconds into the game and scoring 26 points to help the ninth-ranked Bears knock off West Virginia, 79-67, Monday night at the Ferrell Center.
            "I just know if I get a good screen or whatever, I'm going to knock it down," said Cryer, who was 8-of-11 from outside the arc, finishing two points shy of his career high. "That's the main thing, just setting the tone. Punch them in the mouth before they punch us."
            Winning their four-straight and 10^th in the last 11 games, the Bears (20-6, 9-4) reached the 20-win mark for the 14^th time in the last 16 seasons and moved into a tie for the Big 12 lead with sixth-ranked Texas (20-6, 9-4), which was upset by Texas Tech, 74-67, in the other "Big Monday" game.
            Just five weeks ago, Baylor was 0-3 and tied for last in the Big 12 standings with West Virginia and Tech.
            "It's just a credit to our guys, our staff, our support squad (and our players," said Jalen Bridges, a West Virginia transfer who scored 11 points against his former team. "We could have easily given up (after the 0-3 start). We could have let those three early losses affect us, but we toughened up. We knew what we had to do, and we've been on a good run ever since."
            West Virginia (15-11, 4-9) did punch back, hitting seven-straight shots at one point and leading by as many as seven, 16-9. But while the Mountaineers cooled off – missing 11 in a row and going nearly nine minutes without a field goal – the Bears went on a 12-2 run to take the lead for good and was up 36-29 at the break.
            "It felt good coming off my hands," said Cryer, who was 3-for-4 from outside the arc in the first half. "I felt like I got a lot of great looks, so credit to my teammates. When I get those looks, I can knock them down every time. It just went my way tonight."
            Taking up where he left off, Cryer hit back-to-back 3-pointers in the first minute of the second half and helped push the lead to double digits, 42-31.
            "Just the hot hand," Drew said of Cryer, whose previous high was five 3-pointers. "And you know what, he got some good looks. Our guys did a great job getting the ball on time, on target. When they were trapping and played some zone, that allowed for some good looks. Give a good shooter good looks, they're a good shooter."
            In control in the second half, the Bears pushed the lead to 78-60 on a four-point play by freshman Keyonte George with 3:06 left and led by as many as 19. While George only scored six points, he pulled down a career-high nine rebounds and matches his career high with seven assists.
            "I thought the guards did a great job," Drew said. "Especially when Adam (Flagler) went out (with two fouls), Key did a great job running the point and handling the trap and letting us play four-on-three and get some separation. .. . . Second half, I thought the guys were really focused and dialed-in. The way we shot the 3 (14-of-27), maybe it's better to play more games and less practice."
            Until Drew emptied the bench, Baylor had a 19-point lead, but WVU closed the game on a 7-0 run and held the Bears scoreless for the last two minutes of the game.
             Flagler added 13 points and six assists, Bridges scored 12 points against his former team and Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua had his first double-digit game of the season with 11 points.
            "I still think it's going to take time for us to get used to Jon, for Jon to get used to playing," Drew said of Tchamwa Tchatchoua, who was playing his fourth game after missing 11 months with a serious knee injury. "But you saw his skill level in the post. He was able to get some buckets, and those are huge, because now all of a sudden, you're not just depending on the 3's."
            Led by Cryer, Baylor shot 51% overall and a sizzling 14-of-27 from 3-point range. West Virginia scored 18 points off the Bears' 13 turnovers and 20 second-chance points off 14 offensive boards.  
            Emmitt Matthews Jr. led the Mountaineers with 17 points, while leading score Erik Stevenson tallied just five points in 20 minutes. Joe Toussaint was West Virginia's only other double-figure scorer with 11 points.
            George had an off night with just six points, making his only field goal on a four-point play with 3:05 left, but had nine rebounds, seven assists and four steals.
            "I always encourage him," Cryer said of George. "You might not get many opportunities to shoot. I've had those games where I may have had five attempts, and it may be frustrating at times because we know what we're capable of. But I just tell him to impact the game in other ways. And he went out there and did that today. That shows maturity in hm."
            In a battle for first place, the Bears will play No. 5 Kansas (20-5, 8-4) at 3 p.m. Saturday at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence. The Jayhawks, who have won four of their last five, can grab a share of the lead with a win Tuesday night at Oklahoma State (16-9, 7-5).