3-seed Bears fall to 14-seed GSU in first round of NCAA Tournament

Georgia State guard Ryann Green, left, and Baylor guard Austin Mills, right, battle for the ball during the second half in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Thursday, March 19, 2015, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Rick Wilson)
Georgia State guard Ryann Green, left, and Baylor guard Austin Mills, right, battle for the ball during the second half in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Thursday, March 19, 2015, in Jacksonville, Fla.  (AP Photo/Rick Wilson)
Georgia State guard Ryann Green, left, and Baylor guard Austin Mills, right, battle for the ball during the second half in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Thursday, March 19, 2015, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Rick Wilson)

UPDATED: 11:58 p.m.

By Shehan Jeyarajah
Sports Editor

Baylor seemed to have it. The game was a little close for comfort throughout, but Baylor held a two-point lead with its best free-throw shooter at the line.

Senior guard Kenny Chery stepped up for a one-and-one opportunity, 15 seconds remaining, his Baylor career on the line. As he had done 186 times before in his Baylor career, he went through his motions and shot a free throw. It ricocheted off the back iron.

GSU picked up the defensive rebound and pushed the ball up-court. With only seconds on the clock, Panther guard R.J Hunter launched a contested three-pointer from nearly 10 feet beyond the arc.

Nothing but net.

“He just made a contested three,” Chery said. “There was nothing we could do about it. We did our job and he just made it.”

Just like that, No. 3-seed Baylor’s season came to an unceremonious close in a thrilling 57-56 loss to No. 14-seed Georgia State on Thursday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla.

“We’ve been preparing all season for moments like these,” junior forward Royce O’Neale said. “He just made a good shot.”

Baylor had several chances to put the game away earlier. Junior forward Rico Gathers hit two free throws to give Baylor a 12-point lead with only 2:39 remaining. After that point, Baylor had eight possessions the rest of the game. The Bears couldn’t muster a point over that stretch.

Conversely, Hunter posted one of his best stretches of the season. The NBA prospect hit four straight shots, including a pair of three-pointers as he scored 12 points out of 13 unanswered for Georgia State.

“The thing I’m disappointed with is all year long we’ve executed down the stretch,” head coach Scott Drew said. “We’ve been a tough team and I feel bad the way that the last five minutes went.”

Baylor got off to a hot start, taking a 16-6 lead four-and-a-half minutes into the game behind a pair of three-pointers from O’Neale. The Bears then went almost six minutes without a field goal as Georgia State cut the lead to 17-14.

The two teams went back and forth to close the first half, but junior forward Taurean Prince was the difference. Prince scored 10 points in the half, including a three-pointer that bounced in as the half expired to give Baylor a 33-30 lead.

Baylor opened the second half by turning over the ball on its first three possessions, but Baylor stayed in front after Chery nailed a three-pointer and fed Prince for a dunk and a jumper.

The Bears then turned over the ball four more times, which allowed Georgia State to take a 41-40 lead with 12:54 remaining.

Baylor pulled ahead before the ultimate collapse, but turnovers were its undoing. The Bears coughed up the ball 21 times, well over their season average of 12.5 per game. GSU leveraged the turnovers into 21 points, while the Bears mustered only four points off turnovers.

three-pointer and fed Prince for a dunk and a jumper.

The Bears then turned over the ball four more times, which allowed Georgia State to take a 41-40 lead with 12:54 remaining.

Baylor pulled ahead before the ultimate collapse, but turnovers were its undoing. The Bears coughed up the ball 21 times, well over their season average of 12.5 per game. GSU leveraged the turnovers into 21 points, while the Bears mustered only four points off turnovers.

Baylor shot a better percentage than Georgia State, but the Panthers shot 11 more times thanks to the turnovers. Baylor, one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the nation, only outrebounded GSU on the offensive boards 12-9.

Prince was one of few bright spots for the Bears. The San Antonio native posted 18 points and 15 rebounds, which ties a personal best and ties Quincy Acy for a Baylor NCAA record. Three other players added nine points and Gathers added 10 rebounds.

Hunter led Georgia State with 16 points, 12 in the last three minutes. Markus Crider added 10 points, five rebounds and three steals.

Ryann Green, who averaged a career-high 3.4 points per game this season, shot 3-for-6 from three to post 11 points. It was the first time in his four-year career he achieved double-figures.

Baylor will lose both Chery and O’Neale to graduation, but return the rest of the roster. The Bears will also add high school recruits King McClure, Jake Lindsey and Wendell Mitchell along with junior college transfer Joseph Acuil.

Even with the loss, Baylor has finished with 20 or more wins in seven of the last eight seasons under Drew. No Baylor team had achieved 20 wins even once since Gene Iba was coach during the 1988 season.
The only other 20-win seasons in program history were in 1946 and 1948 under Bill Henderson.

UPDATED: 3:00 p.m.

Three-seed Baylor’s season ended in disappointing fashion after a 57-56 loss to 14-seed Georgia State in the opening game of the 2015 NCAA Tournament.

The Bears (24-10) had a 12-point lead with 2:39 remaining and a 10-point lead with 90 seconds left, but Georgia State guard R.J Hunter took over. The junior scored 12 points, including a go-ahead three-pointer with only 2.8 seconds remaining to give the Panthers one of the most shocking victories of March Madness.

Junior forward Taurean Prince did everything he could for Baylor, finishing with 18 points and 15 rebounds on 5-for-9 from the field. Three other scorers finished with nine points for the Bears and junior forward Rico Gathers added 10 rebounds.

Baylor is a team that relies on assists, but struggled moving the ball against Georgia State. The Bears finished with 14 assists, but turnover over the ball 21 times on 13 Panther steals. Prince and senior forward Royce O’Neale were the biggest perpetrators with five turnovers each. Senior point guard Kenny Chery added four of his own.

Baylor shot a better percentage, but GSU leveraged the turnovers into 11 more shot attempts on the game.

Hunter finished with game-high 16 points for Georgia State and was one of three players in double-figure scoring. Ryann Green, starting for the injured Ryan Harrow, posted a career-high 11 points. He came into the game averaging 3.4 points per game. Markus Crider was the other Panther in double-figures.

Baylor will now head home wondering what could have been, while Georgia State will move on to the next round of the NCAA tournament against the winner of Ole Miss and Xavier.