Jalen Bridges scored 13 points and Baylor’s defense made key stops early in the second half as the 12th-ranked Bears defeated visiting Northwestern State 58-48 on Tuesday in Waco, Texas.
The Bears (9-2) led by just two points at halftime but forged a decisive 14-0 run over a 4 1/2-minute span early in the second half to create some separation from determined Northwestern State.
Baylor was up 50-34 with 6:10 to play before the Demons, who missed their first 12 3-point attempts after halftime, canned back-to-back 3s to pull within 52-44 with 2:53 remaining.
Baylor secured the win at the free throw line, with Langston Love and Caleb Lohner making two foul shots each and Lohner ending things with a dunk with 1:02 to play.
Dale Bonner and LJ Cryer added 11 points apiece for the Bears, who have won four straight games.
Ja’monta Black and Demarcus Sharp poured in 17 points each for the Demons (8-4) and Sharp corralled 10 rebounds to record his first career double-double.
The first half went back and forth as both teams struggled to score. The Bears went up by 12-6 after a jumper by Josh Ojianwuna at the 12:13 mark of the half. Northwestern State answered by forging an 11-3 run to sweep to a 17-15 lead; Black canned a 3-pointer with 8:01 left.
Baylor responded with a 9-0 spurt, capped by a steal and a dunk by Bonner with 3:16 remaining. The Demons came right back on a jumper by Reggie Hill and a 3-pointer by Isaac Haney, drawing within 24-22 at the break.
Haney led all scorers with eight points before halftime while Keyonte George’s six points paced Baylor.
Northwestern State tied the game on a jumper by Sharp to open the second half before the Bears finally found their stride, scoring the next 14 points to build their largest lead of the game. Cryer had two 3-pointers in that run and Bonner had a basket and two free throws.
–Field Level Media