Inside The Bears

No. 11 Baylor Men's Basketball, Keyonte George Down Washington State in Pac-12 Challenge

In a rollercoaster of a contest, Baylor's Keyonte George had just enough to climb past Washington State.

Drake Toll

No. 11 Baylor Men's Basketball, Keyonte George Down Washington State in Pac-12 Challenge
No. 11 Baylor Men's Basketball, Keyonte George Down Washington State in Pac-12 Challenge /

No. 11 Baylor men's basketball (8-2) rode a strong second half by Keyonte George to victory over Washington State (4-6) in the Pac-12 Coast-to-Coast Challenge, 65-59.

This was a fun matchup between two teams that are wildly unfamiliar with one another. At first glance, this is just a tightly contested game between fun basketball teams.

Employing the microscope, though, you'll see that this was a game between a No. 11 Bears team and a Cougars unit that came in at 4-5. What's more, the game was in Baylor's backyard.

Thankfully, Keyonte George exists and he exists in a Baylor uniform. The true freshman led the way for the Bears with 19 points, four rebounds and three assists. Washington State had few answers for the wily youngster.

Breaking down the first half, both teams started brutally slow. There is a non-zero probability that both coaches asked their players to start the game by throwing the ball as hard as possible against the rim from behind the arc. 

Over six minutes into the game, the score was 9-6, Washington State with the lead. It looked like both teams were learning to shoot for the first time. But, finally, LJ Cryer found the bottom of the net on consecutive possessions and the lid came off with Baylor taking momentum.

The Bears went into the half with a 31-25 lead on 45% shooting, despite a measly 4-14 clip from deep. Scott Drew's squad forced eight turnovers but turned the ball over eight times of their own. The only real difference at the break was the six-free throw advantage favoring Baylor. 

The second half was truly the Keyonte George show. Things were almost entirely even keel throughout the period, but George's offensive spark was pivotal for the Bears. 

It was ugly, but a win is a win, right? The 65-59 final pushes the Bears to 8-2 on the year with another home game on the docket against Northwestern State on Tuesday.

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Drake Toll
DRAKE TOLL

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