
No. 14 MBB Outlasts Cincinnati, 62-59
1/13/2024 9:28:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Walter scores 14 second-half points to help BU hold off Bearcats
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
WACO, Texas – Baylor freshman Ja'Kobe Walter certainly did his part Saturday night, scoring 14 second-half points, grabbing seven rebounds and hitting 5-of-6 free throws to help the 14th-ranked Bears come back from a seven-point second-half deficit.
But the new Foster Pavilion gets the credit for this one.
Walter said the sellout crowd of 7,500 "gave us that energy" during a pivotal 13-0 second-half run that helped the Bears (14-2, 3-0) squeak out a 62-59 win over Cincinnati (12-4, 1-2) and remain tied for the Big 12 lead with a surprising Texas Tech team (14-2, 3-0).
"The fans, they definitely showed up today," said Walter, who was scoreless for the first 25 minutes of the game. "Every big play we had, they got loud, gave us that energy. And I think all my team, including (Langston Love), are going to say the same thing. They did a great job just giving us that energy."
Cincinnati's Dan Skillings Jr. scored seven-straight points in an impressive 32-second stretch, cutting Baylor's lead to 59-57 with a 3-pointer, a layup off a turnover and a pair of free throws in a one-and-one situation.
Making it a one-point game, 60-59, when Day Day Thomas hit a jumper, the Bearcats had four chances to take the lead. But after Walter canned a pair of free throws with 9.8 seconds left to push the lead to three, Thomas and Simas Lukosius missed potential game-tying 3-pointers in a closing sequence that had Jalen Bridges rebounding the final miss.
"I think that was par for all the Big 12 games today," Baylor coach Scott Drew said of a day that saw three of the league's ranked teams lose and five games decided by five points or less. "Analytically, we have 10 teams in the top-50 (in NET rankings) and five games came down to one possession. So, if you're ranked, you probably lost. That's college basketball."
Particularly in the Big 12.
After starting out 0-3 last year with two games decided by a total of three points, the Bears have pulled out an overtime win at Oklahoma State, rallied from a nine-point second-half deficit against BYU and had another one go down to the wire versus a Cincinnati team that lost back-to-back games against ranked teams by a total of four points.
"It feels real sweet," said Love, who scored 11 of his 14 points in the first half. "We're just blessed to be here. God blessed us, really. Last year, we were in the same situation. We had three games to start, and we were on the other side, sitting there at 0-3. For us just to come out and show that we can win tough games, that's what the best teams do."
With both Walter and Bridges going scoreless in the first half, Love picked up the slack by hitting 2-of-3 from distance and 3-of-4 from the line to score 11 of his 14 points. The sophomore guard hit a pair of free throws, and then RayJ Dennis hit a layup that tied it up at 27-27 going into the break.
"Coming off the bench, I saw that we were struggling, and I just tried my best to help the team," said Love, who scored in double figures for the third-straight game and 10th time this season. "My teammates just put me in spots, and I can shoot the ball and just hope for the best, really."
Dominating the first five minutes of the second half, the Bearcats outscored the Bears 11-4 and went up 38-31 on a back-door cut by Viktor Lakhin.
Scoring his first points of the game on a pair of free throws at the 15:02 mark in the second half, Walter started a 13-0 run that included a Love 3-pointer, Walter's game-tying layup, a pair of free throws by Bridges and back-to-back dunks by Josh Ojianwuna and Yves Missi off lobs by Dennis.
By the end of that stretch, the Foster Pavilion reached a decibel level that Baylor hasn't seen in a home game in a long time.
"Hopefully, it gets even louder, because we needed that energy. And that's huge," Drew said. "I know we've got a lot more big moments ahead of us. It's new for all of us. We're treating lit ike an NBA arena. We come over here, get the shoot-around and get to the game.
"But I can tell you that President (Linda) Livingstone and (Director of Athletics Mack Rhoades) did a great job. Once all the construction, everything's done downtown, it's really going to make Waco a much better city."
Seemingly in control, the Bears took their biggest lead of the game, 59-50, on a pair of free throws by Ojianwuna with 3:17 left. And even when the Bearcats made another run and got within one, Baylor's defense took care of the rest, holding Cincinnati scoreless over the last 1:44 of the game.
"We practice those moments very day," Love said, "just trying to execute, get a stop, secure the board and then hit the free throws. (Ja'Kobe) hit two big free throws, so that's exactly how we drew it up."
Facing a Cincy team that was second nationally with a plus-12.8 rebounding margin, the Bears held their own, grabbing five more defensive boards and matching the Bearcats with 32 total rebounds.
Baylor's defense held Cincinnati to 39.3% shooting overall and just 4-of-21 from outside the arc. Walter and Love scored 14 points apiece, while Dennis had 11 points and a game-high nine assists.
Skillings led the Bearcats with 24 points, including 17 in the second half, while Thomas chipped in with 15 points.
Going on its second two-game road trip in conference play, Baylor will face Kansas State (12-4, 2-1) at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Manhattan, Kan., and 25th-ranked Texas (12-4, 1-2) next Saturday, Jan. 20, in Austin.
Baylor Bear Insider
WACO, Texas – Baylor freshman Ja'Kobe Walter certainly did his part Saturday night, scoring 14 second-half points, grabbing seven rebounds and hitting 5-of-6 free throws to help the 14th-ranked Bears come back from a seven-point second-half deficit.
But the new Foster Pavilion gets the credit for this one.
Walter said the sellout crowd of 7,500 "gave us that energy" during a pivotal 13-0 second-half run that helped the Bears (14-2, 3-0) squeak out a 62-59 win over Cincinnati (12-4, 1-2) and remain tied for the Big 12 lead with a surprising Texas Tech team (14-2, 3-0).
"The fans, they definitely showed up today," said Walter, who was scoreless for the first 25 minutes of the game. "Every big play we had, they got loud, gave us that energy. And I think all my team, including (Langston Love), are going to say the same thing. They did a great job just giving us that energy."
Cincinnati's Dan Skillings Jr. scored seven-straight points in an impressive 32-second stretch, cutting Baylor's lead to 59-57 with a 3-pointer, a layup off a turnover and a pair of free throws in a one-and-one situation.
Making it a one-point game, 60-59, when Day Day Thomas hit a jumper, the Bearcats had four chances to take the lead. But after Walter canned a pair of free throws with 9.8 seconds left to push the lead to three, Thomas and Simas Lukosius missed potential game-tying 3-pointers in a closing sequence that had Jalen Bridges rebounding the final miss.
"I think that was par for all the Big 12 games today," Baylor coach Scott Drew said of a day that saw three of the league's ranked teams lose and five games decided by five points or less. "Analytically, we have 10 teams in the top-50 (in NET rankings) and five games came down to one possession. So, if you're ranked, you probably lost. That's college basketball."
Particularly in the Big 12.
After starting out 0-3 last year with two games decided by a total of three points, the Bears have pulled out an overtime win at Oklahoma State, rallied from a nine-point second-half deficit against BYU and had another one go down to the wire versus a Cincinnati team that lost back-to-back games against ranked teams by a total of four points.
"It feels real sweet," said Love, who scored 11 of his 14 points in the first half. "We're just blessed to be here. God blessed us, really. Last year, we were in the same situation. We had three games to start, and we were on the other side, sitting there at 0-3. For us just to come out and show that we can win tough games, that's what the best teams do."
With both Walter and Bridges going scoreless in the first half, Love picked up the slack by hitting 2-of-3 from distance and 3-of-4 from the line to score 11 of his 14 points. The sophomore guard hit a pair of free throws, and then RayJ Dennis hit a layup that tied it up at 27-27 going into the break.
"Coming off the bench, I saw that we were struggling, and I just tried my best to help the team," said Love, who scored in double figures for the third-straight game and 10th time this season. "My teammates just put me in spots, and I can shoot the ball and just hope for the best, really."
Dominating the first five minutes of the second half, the Bearcats outscored the Bears 11-4 and went up 38-31 on a back-door cut by Viktor Lakhin.
Scoring his first points of the game on a pair of free throws at the 15:02 mark in the second half, Walter started a 13-0 run that included a Love 3-pointer, Walter's game-tying layup, a pair of free throws by Bridges and back-to-back dunks by Josh Ojianwuna and Yves Missi off lobs by Dennis.
By the end of that stretch, the Foster Pavilion reached a decibel level that Baylor hasn't seen in a home game in a long time.
"Hopefully, it gets even louder, because we needed that energy. And that's huge," Drew said. "I know we've got a lot more big moments ahead of us. It's new for all of us. We're treating lit ike an NBA arena. We come over here, get the shoot-around and get to the game.
"But I can tell you that President (Linda) Livingstone and (Director of Athletics Mack Rhoades) did a great job. Once all the construction, everything's done downtown, it's really going to make Waco a much better city."
Seemingly in control, the Bears took their biggest lead of the game, 59-50, on a pair of free throws by Ojianwuna with 3:17 left. And even when the Bearcats made another run and got within one, Baylor's defense took care of the rest, holding Cincinnati scoreless over the last 1:44 of the game.
"We practice those moments very day," Love said, "just trying to execute, get a stop, secure the board and then hit the free throws. (Ja'Kobe) hit two big free throws, so that's exactly how we drew it up."
Facing a Cincy team that was second nationally with a plus-12.8 rebounding margin, the Bears held their own, grabbing five more defensive boards and matching the Bearcats with 32 total rebounds.
Baylor's defense held Cincinnati to 39.3% shooting overall and just 4-of-21 from outside the arc. Walter and Love scored 14 points apiece, while Dennis had 11 points and a game-high nine assists.
Skillings led the Bearcats with 24 points, including 17 in the second half, while Thomas chipped in with 15 points.
Going on its second two-game road trip in conference play, Baylor will face Kansas State (12-4, 2-1) at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Manhattan, Kan., and 25th-ranked Texas (12-4, 1-2) next Saturday, Jan. 20, in Austin.
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