No. 10 Bears Grind Out 75-60 Win Over Wildcats

MANHATTAN, Kansas — The No. 10 Baylor men’s basketball team (20-4, 8-3) fought hard for a bounce-back win over the Kansas State Wildcats (12-11, 4-7), 75-60.

Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua and James Akinjo led the way for the bears with 21 And 15 Points respectively. Tchatchoua added 6 Rebounds, while Akinjo dished 8 Assists.

The Bears started with good energy, especially on the defensive end, but the game quickly showed that they are still working back to full strength. 

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Sloppy turnovers and poor shooting were common in the half, with Baylor shooting 45% from the field and just 22% from deep before the break.

The Bears stayed close all half though, thanks to scrappy performances from Kendall Brown and EJ on offense plus improved team defense.

Brown and Tchatchoua both registered 8 points and 4 rebounds in the first frame, to lead the Baylor scoring effort.

Akinjo’s shot was still not falling, but he managed 4 points and 4 assists with the Bears going into the locker room tied 34-34 at the half.

While things were not necessarily prettier in the second half, Baylor kept grinding and eventually showed their superiority.

The Bears opened the half with a 19-4 run over the first 8 minutes before the Wildcats clawed back on a 7-0 run. From there, the game found some balance with the green and gold holding the lead by about 10 points for the rest of the night.

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Nijel Pack and Mark Smith combined for 48 Of Kansas State’s 60 points, with Pack going off for 31 points.

The Bears clearly made him and every KSU player earn each point they scored, often forcing tough jump shots or skillful finishes in the lane.

The key spots for the Bears today, on their way to the 15-point win were winning the rebound battle 39-31 and the second-chance points battle 17-9. EJ and Brown earned good buckets down low after cleaning up misses to help the offense stay engaged and find its rhythm.

Brown finished the game with 8 points and 6 boards, in a very nice showing tonight.

Jeremy Sochan added 8 and 7 rebounds, Adam Flagler had 10 and 4 assists, and Dale Bonner netted 9 points himself.

Matthew Mayer saw only 12 minutes of play with just one foul in a very tough night for the senior.

But overall, the Bears showed grit and energy that was lacking in Lawrence, and they finished strong. Tchatchoua even hit an exclamation point of a three to camp his career-record scoring night and push the Bears to 75.

Up next for the Bears is No. 20 Texas on Saturday. That game will tip-off in the Ferrell Center at 11 AM CT and will be televised on ESPN 2.