Bears advance in NCAA Tourney with 78-69 victory over Syracuse

SALT LAKE CITY — The 9 seed Baylor Bears took down 8 seed Syracuse in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday, 78-69.

It was raining buckets for both teams after an electrifying start as both teams traded blows constantly, a game featured seven lead changes in just the second half. It was Baylor’s shooting, however, that would ultimately prevail down the stretch as they paved their path to the second round of the tournament.

The Bears made 28 of their 52 field goal attempts, a percentage of 53.8%. The Bears assisted on 20 of their makes against Syracuse’s famous zone defense, one of Baylor’s best performances of the season in terms of ball movement. 

Baylor was expected to dominate the offensive rebounds against a weaker defensive rebounding opponent, but the Bears were outrebounded 11-9 on the offensive boards in a game where the two teams minimized their weaknesses. Limited on the offensive glass, a strong shooting night was needed.

The Bears did just that as they made their money in this game at the three-point line. The team made 16 of their 34 three point attempts, shooting 47% from the three point line including 10 made three pointers in the first half. Baylor is 10-0 on the season when hitting at least 10 from beyond ht arc.

Senior Makai Mason returned to his mid-season form just when the Bears needed him, showing out once again in a tournament game like seems to have done throughout his career. He posted 22 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals and shot 7 of 14 from the field. His stellar range was on display in some of the biggest moments of the game, as he hit 4 of his 10 three point attempts.

Freshman Jared Butler got off to a shaky start, but he exploded for some key plays down the stretch for the Bears. He finished with 14 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals while shooting 5 of 11 from the field and 4 of 9 from deep.

Junior Mario Kegler provided a jumpstart for the team to begin the game, making a few three pointers to give the Bears an early lead. He ultimately ended up with 13 points and 4 rebounds and connected on each of his three point attempts.

Still finding rhythm after returning from injury, senior King McClure played a solid overall floor game for the Bears finishing with 9 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. 

Freddie Gillespie was a monster in the paint on both sides of the ball with his 8 points, 5 rebounds and 2 blocks. Especially in the final minutes of the game, Gillespie made multiple momentum swining plays for the Bears on the defensive end, limiting Syracuse’s production around the rim.

The Bears will have an opportunity to continue their tournament run with a game against the powerhouse 1 seed Gonzaga Bulldogs in the second round.