No. 6 Baylor overtakes No. 14 Gonzaga: Live In-Game Updates
The No. 6 Baylor Bears (5-2) return to the hardwood to face No. 14 Gonzaga (5-2) on Friday, Dec. 2 at 7 p.m. Central Time in Sioux Falls, South Dakota in the Peacock Classic.
Friday night’s battle between the Bears and Bulldogs, which is a national championship rematch from the 2020-21 season, and will be televised on the Peacock streaming service.
The Bears, who are coming off of a blowout loss to the Marquette Golden Eagles earlier this week, currently sit as three-point underdogs to the Bulldogs.
This will be the second Big 12 matchup for Gonzaga this season after they fell to the Texas Longhorns in Austin earlier in November.
Game Information: No. 6 Baylor Bears vs. No. 14 Gonzaga Bulldogs
Date/Time: Friday, December 2nd at 7 p.m. CT
Where: Sanford Pentagon - Sioux Falls, SD
Betting Via SI Sportsbook:
Over/Under: 160.5
Spread: Gonzaga -3
Moneyline: Gonzaga -161, Baylor +125
TV/Streaming: Peacock
Radio: Learfield/ ESPN 1660 AM / 92.3 FM in Central Texas and on the Varsity Network App.
Talent: John Morris (PBP), Pat Nunley (Analyst)
SIRIUS XM: Sirius 199, XM 199, Internet 953
Starters for Baylor:
- Adam Flagler
- LJ Cryer
- Keyonte George
- Jalen Bridges
- Flo Thamba
Starters for Gonzaga:
- Nolan Hickman
- Rasir Bolton
- Julian Stawther
- Anton Watson
- Drew Timme
Live updates will appear below at tip-off.
First Half
At the under-12 media timeout, the Bears had a 19-12 lead over the Bulldogs. Baylor — coming off a loss on Tuesday to Marquette — got off to a hot start with balanced scoring, led by Adam Flagler's three points. Gonzaga's Julian Strawther had five points, while all-America forward Drew Timme had not scored.
After the under-8 timeout, the Bears still held the lead, 24-18. Keyonte George had surged into the scoring lead by that point, giving the Bears seven points, including a 3-pointer. Timme still did not have a point for Gonzaga, and the Bears held Strawther at five points.
Halftime
Baylor was leading Gonzaga, 38-33, at halftime. George had a game-high 14 points, but last year's top freshman recruit, Langston Love, had eight points off the bench. Love missed all of last season with a torn ACL.
Malachi Smith came off the bench to score 11 points to lead Gonzaga. Timme had just two points and four rebounds by the break.
Second Half
By the under-16 timeout, the Bulldogs had tightened up the game and briefly took the lead before a Flagler jumper gave the Bears a 42-21 lead. George was still holding steady at 14 points for Baylor, while Anton Watson was giving Gonzaga a boost with nine points.
At the under-eight timeout, Gonzaga had a 50-48 lead over the Bears. Watson had 11 points by then, and Strawther had 10. George still led Baylor with 14 points, having not scored since the first half. Love, meanwhile, had cracked double figures with 10 points. Baylor was struggling from the 3-point line, as it was 4-of-20.
Entering the final four minutes of regulation, Gonzaga held a one-point lead, 57-56. The Bears finally got George going, as he scored four points to push his game-high to 18 points. While Strawther had 10 points and 10 rebounds, the Bears had successfully gotten Timme into foul trouble. He had four fouls, and seven points, heading into the final stretch.
The final minute saw Baylor overtake Gonzaga. Flagler's 3-pointer with 1:10 left cut the Bulldogs' lead to 63-62. At the other end, Gonzaga turned the ball over with 33 seconds left. Baylor's next possession saw Flagler miss a 3-pointer, but Jalen Bridges grabbed the rebounds. Timme fouled Bridges, fouling out of the game. Bridges made both free throws to give Baylor a 64-63 lead with 16 seconds left. Gonzaga took a time out with 13 seconds left to set up a final play. But, with six seconds left, Baylor's Dale Bonner stole the ball from Gonzaga's Rasir Bolton. But, right after that, Bridges turned the ball over and the Bulldogs had one final chance to win. But Nolan Hickman missed a layup with one second left and Baylor won, 64-63.
George led Baylor with 18 points, while Flager had 11 and Love had 10. Timme fouled out with nine points. Smith led Gonzaga with 16 points, while Watson had 13 points and Strawther had 10.
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