Baylor Bears, Keyonte George Land First Big 12 Win vs. West Virginia
Baylor Bears Men's Basketball (11-5, 1-3) rode 32 points from Keyonte George to capture its first conference win of the season against West Virginia (10-6, 0-4) in Morgantown 83-78.
It sure wasn't easy and it certainly was in doubt, but the winless in the Big 12 monkey is off Scott Drew's back. Following his team's worst start to conference play in over 15 years, the Bears finally notched a win.
And George, Baylor's freshman phenom and leading scorer, now owns seven games of 20 or more points. Midway through the regular season, it’s clear that he is the group's catalyst. Tonight, he earned the Bears their first win in Big 12 play.
Keyonte George now with the first 30-point game of his college career. https://t.co/eH25m4twe4
— Eric Kelly (@EricKellyTV) January 12, 2023
As for the opening half of play, the Bears leaned on defense to lead throughout. And that may be the first time a sentence of that nature has made it into a game recap.
The Mountaineers were held to 32% from the field on 10-31 overall and a baffling 1-12 from deep. While the Bears only forced three turnovers, West Virginia was forced into long possessions and tough shots that didn’t fall.
Offensively, George added 15 points and six rebounds. No other Bear scored more than six. George was 45% of the points at the break with Baylor leading 33-27.
ARE YOU KIDDING???@keyonte1george#SicEm | #CultureofJOY pic.twitter.com/I6TDKH6jqc
— Baylor Men’s Basketball (@BaylorMBB) January 12, 2023
The second half was a circus. With the lead swapping constantly and fouls being called religiously, it was anyone's game. With the Mountaineers up 66-65 inside of three minutes to play, though, Drew finally did it:
He pressed the red button of death. Baylor went on a 7-0 tear to take a 72-66 lead with under two minutes to play. From there, it was just a matter of making free throws.
Baylor did just enough of that en route to the 83-78 final. In a game that featured 53 combined fouls, it's good to get out with a win.
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