Bears Blow 15-Point Lead, Survive Overtime Scare Against Arizona State, 72-67
TEMPE, Ariz. — The Baylor men’s basketball team (11-4, 3-1 Big 12) held on for a 72-66 overtime win against new Big 12 member Arizona State (10-5, 1-3 Big 12) after blowing a 15-point second half lead.
Norchad Omier (5Sr.) led the Bears in scoring with 19 points while gathering eight rebounds, though fellow frontcourt starter Joshua Ojianwuna (Jr.) may have been the MVP this game. The junior center recorded a double-double with 12 points and a monster 17 rebounds in perhaps his best game in Green and Gold. This was perhaps the best game Ojianwuna has played yet for Baylor, and he truly looked like a man among boys attacking the boards tonight.
After a stellar first half, holding the Sun Devils to just 20 points on 6-for-23 shooting, the Bears slowed down, and the lead was whittled away. In the last four and a half minutes of regulation, a 57-48 lead disintegrated as ASU went on a 13-4 run to tie the game with two seconds left.
Baylor regrouped and opened overtime on an 8-0 run — in part because the offense seemed more free when not worrying about how much clock it bled — while the the Sun Devils missed their first six shots after the emotional comeback in regulation.
One last ASU three rattled Baylor fans late in OT, cutting the lead to four, but this time, the visitors would see things safely to the end. The Bears are now 3-1 in conference play and have notched their first road win of the season and the program’s first road win since a February tilt at TCU last season.
Head coach Scott Drew also maintained his perfect record against Arizona State, moving to 6-0.
Looking back to the more enjoyable first half, freshmen VJ Edgecombe and Robert Wright combined to score 18 of the Bears’ first 20 points. Edgecombe finished the game with 15 points, while Wright missed out on double-figure scoring by one.
With those Bears highlighting the first half, it would be wrong to neglect the Sun Devils’ BJ Freeman and his game-leading 22 points. He scored 14 of those in the second period to help spark the hosts’ comeback.
While the second-half defense and late-game offense are concerns at the top of the list for Baylor after this game, 16 total turnovers and 22 fast break points allowed will surely be points of focus as well.
Drew and company will look to have those areas cleaned up by tip-off in Tucson on Tuesday night as the Bears move on to play the Arizona Wildcats (10-5, 4-0 Big 12). Arizona topped UCF 88-80 on Saturday to remain perfect in Big 12 play. Bears vs. Wildcats will tip-off at 10 p.m. CT on Tuesday, and the broadcast will be available on ESPN.