No. 9 Bears Top No. 8 Texas 81-72 Despite George Injury

WACO, Texas — The No. 9 Baylor Bears (21-8, 10-6) overcame an early 14-point deficit and an injury to Keyonte George to top the No. 8 Texas Longhorns (22-7, 11-5) by a score of 81-72.

The Bears were led in scoring by Jalen Bridges who had 17 points, but many Baylor players stepped up today.

Dale Bonner, the next guard up after Keyonte George left the game netted 13 points. 

Flo Thamba also had a great day, registering a 12-point, 12-rebound double-double. An outstanding Birthday effort for the fifth-year senior. 

Adam Flagler and Langston Love rounded out the five Bears in double figures with 14 and 11 points respectively.

Things did not look good early on for the green and gold. Texas jumped out to an 18-4 lead thanks to a 16-0 run.

Immediately before the Horns’ last points of that run, George pulled up limping and immediately hobbled to the locker room.

After the game, Baylor head coach Scott Drew said, “I don’t know how bad his ankle is or how long he’ll be out.” He added that George had a 102-degree fever yesterday and is an incredibly tough competitor, so Drew would not be surprised at a faster-than-expected return. 

There is no expected return time though, with Drew waiting on more information on the injury at the time of the postgame presser.

Somewhat unexpectedly, this was the point in the game that the Bears turned things around.

Baylor embarked on a 25-5 run that included an 18-0 stint giving the Bears a 29-23 lead.

Once again, the green and gold gave up a pair of buckets to end the half, but this time, it was not a sign of things to come.

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“We made it a point of emphasis not to let it happen three times in a row,” Bridges noted after the game.

Baylor kept out-rebounding the Longhorns and forcing the issue on offense. The final rebounding count was 35-27 and the Bears earned 29 free throws, 22 of which they converted.

After riding a pair of 7-0 runs to a 57-42 lead, the Bears were in almost total control. 

The lead peaked at 18 with 9:19 to play, but Texas was not done threatening the result.

The Horns put Baylor under full-court pressure and the Bears struggled. 

The lead was trimmed to 77-70 with just 32 seconds left, but the green and gold saw it through to the end, winning 81-72.

After the game, Drew made sure to praise Dale Bonner’s approach to basketball this season saying Bonner “was an unbelievable teammate, supported his team but kept working on his game and stayed ready.”

For Bonner’s part, he made his performance and approach sound much more understated than it was.

“Just come in and have energy, have a presence. That’s my job,” Bonner said after the game.

Depending on George’s ankle, Bonner may have to keep doing his part, at least through the Bears’ next game on the road in Stillwater, Oklahoma. 

Tipoff for Bears at Cowboys is set for 8 PM on Monday, and the game will be televised on ESPN.

With the Bears still barely alive in the race for a share of the Big 12 title, they will need a little help from elsewhere on top of winning both of their remaining games.