Baylor Bears vs. Gonzaga Notebook: Baylor Rallies for Big Win in Come-From-Behind Victory
Down by seven with a tad over one minute and 30 seconds remaining in regulation, Baylor coach Scott Drew and the young Bears were confident they could come back and win the game.
And what a comeback it was, as the No. 6 Baylor Bears rallied for eight points over the final 1:33 of play to garner a 64-63 win over the No. 14 Gonzaga Bulldogs on Friday night in South Dakota.
With the win, the Bears improve to 6-2 while the Bulldogs drop to 5-3.
Let's take a quick look at the biggest reasons Baylor won the game over Gonzaga.
Clutch threes.
Adam Flagler drilled a dagger three-pointer at the 1:33 mark of the second half to begin Baylor's rally, cutting Gonzaga's lead to 63-59.
At the 1:10 mark, Flagler answered the call again, draining a long three with a defender in his face to cut the deficit to just one at 63-62.
With 19.3 seconds, Flagler went for a three once again, this time missing the shot but thanks to great boxing out, the Bears grabbed the rebound as Jalen Bridges was fouled with 16.2 seconds remaining.
Pivotal free throws.
At the line with the game on the line, Bridges calmly swished the first of two free throws to deadlock the game at 63-63.
Shortly thereafter, Bridges' second free throw bounced off the front of the rim and in to give the Bears the lead at 64-63.
And that's when coach Drew preached defense to his young team as Gonzaga inbounded the ball with 4.6 seconds remaining and the game hanging in the balance.
Phenomenal defense.
Believe it or not, this game came down to defense.
Baylor's defense came to life in this game, especially down the stretch and in the clutch as the Bears' defended Gonzaga all the way to the basket to hold off the Bulldogs and pick up a huge road win over a ranked opponent.
This win was big in more than one way too, as Baylor desperately needed a bounce-back victory after falling to unranked Marquette on Tuesday, Nov. 29.
Hopefully, coach Drew and the Bears can use Friday's win over Gonzaga as a boost with the team heading into a December stretch of home games.
Baylor returns to the hardwood on Tuesday, Dec. 6 at 7 p.m. Central Time in a matchup against Tarleton at the Ferrell Center.
Tuesday night's game in Waco, Texas will be televised live on ESPN-Plus.
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Denton Ramsey has been a journalist for over 20 years with a decade of experience as a sports writer and editor for a plethora of newspapers throughout Texas and Alabama. Growing up in Houston and attending Baylor University, Ramsey is a die-hard sports fan with a true passion for writing. He may be reached via email at denton.itb@gmail.com