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Baylor Basketball

Win streak ends as West Virginia climbs over Baylor 71-60

February 20, 2018
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…And the clock resets to zero. After boosting its tournament odds with a four-game win streak, Baylor dropped big game at home to West Virginia, leaving the Ferrell Center with a 71-60 loss.


No poise playing from behind

Baylor held just one lead all game. That came after a Jo Lual-Acil layup but from there, the game took a sharp turn in favor of the Mountaineers. 

The rest of the half saw the Bears turn the ball over 12 times and allowing seven blocks (even the towering Lual-Acuil wasn’t immune, getting denied by Sagaba Konata a handful of times). Coach Scott Drew said the turnovers, either self-induced or forced by West Virginia’s press really affected the game and dug a hole difficult to climb out of. More specifically, it was a 22-point hole heading into halftime.

“When you did a hole like that, you have to expend a lot of energy,” guard Jake Lindsey added. “We just didn’t convert.”

And convert they did not.

It took 15 minutes for Baylor to reach double digits, and at one point, Tyson Jolly who hasn’t played since the Iowa State game, led the team in scoring with three free throws. In the first half, Baylor shot just 19 percent from the floor, unable to find any rhythm in the paint let alone the perimeter (shooting just three times from beyond the arc). The team vastly improved in the second half, shooting 43 percent from the field but it was too little too late.

Drew said the team needed “to do a better job in the paint and then kicking it out,” noting Baylor having just one assist in the first half. The Bears had five assists all game, the fewest since the single assist while visiting Texas Tech. 

Forward Nuni Omot said Baylor needed to play at its own speed rather than attack to match West Virginia, adding that the team could have played with a bit more poise than the first half showed.


West Virginia’s physicality and refs make a tough combo

It was clear from the beginning as the Mountaineers pressed across the floor that Baylor couldn’t match the physicality, even on the Bears home court.

Drew said his team tried to match the physicality but it turned into a losing game, especially considering all the turnovers in the first half. Coming out of halftime, the Bears hung on to a new, more restrained strategy that led to turning the ball over just twice and six blocks. West Virginia coach Bob Huggins took note and was impressed how well the Bears bounced back, cutting the lead to just 12 points with seven minutes remaining.

“Scott did a great job. They did a great job at halftime,” Huggins said. “Took a bunch of stuff away from us.”

Not only did Baylor take away West Virginia’s opportunities in the second half, winning 42-31 in the last 20 minutes, but so did the refs. The two teams combined for 26 personal fouls in the second half, leaving Huggins to wonder what kind of consistency the conference can find with its refs.

One of those calls extended West Virginia’s lead to 16 after Baylor stormed back within 12 points. After the game, Drew said that was the dagger. And as much as the technical fouls caused an uproar in the stands, Drew maintained that as long as you call the person that initiated the contact, he’ll accept those charges.


Tournament implications

Baylor’s not out of the tournament yet but this certainly doesn’t help. Though the loss breaks up an impressive win streak and would have certainly put Baylor in the next top 25 ranking, the second half adjustments saved this from being a real resumé breaker.

Had Baylor lost by over 20 points as the first half indicated, it’d be a major blemish that could knock the Bears down considerably among other bubble teams- assuredly more damaging than Baylor’s 24-point loss at Texas Tech.

The major takeaway is, this is just another top 25 loss for Baylor and an 11-point loss doesn’t look as out of hand as the rest of the game felt. Baylor sits at 7-8 in conference now. If the Bears close out at least 2-1 to sit at .500 in one of the most contest major conferences, the Bears hold a good case heading into the Big 12 tournament. A win tonight just could have helped seal the invitation.

Discussion from...

Win streak ends as West Virginia climbs over Baylor 71-60

2,679 Views | 2 Replies | Last: 6 yr ago by NoBSU
BaylorRocks
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Game 28 of the season.....and the Bears could not handle the full-court press? A press that at this point is NO surprise at all to anyone playing WV? That was the killer.
NoBSU
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Is "climbs over" a prison term that I have never heard? tommie, a little help?
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