No. 15 Bears Bully Frogs to Claim 62-54 Win

FORT WORTH, Texas — A three-headed monster of Ja’Kobe Walter, Yves Missi and Jalen Bridges led the No. 15 Baylor Men’s Basketball team (20-8, 9-6) past the TCU Horned Frogs (19-9, 8-7) by a score of 62-54.

Scott Drew’s squad not only avenged their earlier 3OT loss to the Frogs but also earned their head coach a 15th 20-win season in the last 17 years. This was also year six in a row hitting that win threshold.

Walter and Missi tied for high-scorer in the game with 16 points each. The freshman guard got there mainly with three triples and five free throws. Meanwhile, Missi threw down some nice dunks and went 4-for-4 from the charity stripe.

The first half was a low-scoring affair with both teams struggling to make shots as they closed in on halftime. TCU was one for their last 14 shots, and Baylor was no better at one for their last 13.

The “third quarter” of the game was where Baylor pulled away. From the halftime score of 25-23 Bears, RayJ Dennis orchestrated the Baylor offense to 25 points in 10 minutes. Meanwhile, the Bears’ zone defense held TCU to just 10 points.

Dennis received great praise from his teammates and coaches alike after the game with Walter lauding his nine-point, nine-rebound and nine-assist stat line as the best of the night. Coach Drew added that Dennis’ servant leadership has greatly endeared him to his teammates and facilitated his success.

The Bears did still commit 15 turnovers that the Frogs turned into 22 points, but there was a scrappiness for the green and gold that seemed to carry over from the second half against Houston.

At one point, Walter got tied up with a TCU player and it caused a scuffle. After being asked if he was getting a little frustrated, Walter said “I think he was frustrated. I was perfectly fine.”

That energy is exactly what the Bears needed, stopping a two-game skid and getting the momentum going heading into a huge matchup with Kansas on Saturday at the Foster Pavilion. 

That game will tip off at noon and be nationally televised on ABC.