By Gio Gennero | Sports Writer, Video by Braden Murray | Broadcast Reporter
No. 8 Baylor men’s basketball pulled out the win, 81-77, after coming back from being down double digits against West Virginia University on Monday night in the Ferrell Center.
The Bears (19-3, 7-2 Big-12) rallied late in the second half, despite West Virginia hitting nine of their last 11 shot attempts thanks to late-game heroics from seniors guard James Akinjo and forward Matthew Mayer. Akinjo scored 18 of his 25 points in the second half while Mayer scored all nine of his points in the final four minutes of the game, knocking down some of the biggest shots of the game, including a dagger layup on a second effort to put the Bears up four with 30 seconds left.
Head coach Scott Drew said he was proud of the team for coming out victorious despite still dealing with injuries to key players.
“Typical big Monday night game, it’s going to be hard fought,” Drew said. “I couldn’t be more proud of our guys. Being short-handed, guys had to step up. Quick turnaround after a tough loss on Saturday we bounced back.”
Baylor was missing two of their three leading scorers in senior guard Adam Flagler (knee) and sophomore guard LJ Cryer (foot) both out due to injuries.
Drew said it was frustrating to be constantly dealing with injuries to different players, but they have to keep pushing.
“It’s frustrating,” Drew said. “You’re 15-0 when you have everybody, and then you get people back and then you lose people. A lot of times you find out the day of the game that they can’t go so it’s not like you get prep time. We’ll keep grinding.”
Akinjo led the way for Baylor with 25 points and four assists. Following was junior forward Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua with 14 points and freshman forward Jeremy Sochan with 13 points. The forwards also put in work on the glass, grabbing six and nine boards respectively. Mayer finished with nine points, seven rebounds and four dimes.
Baylor started the game strong, building a 10-point lead early in the first half. However, offensive struggles and a rough 0-of-7 start from the foul line allowed for West Virginia to fight their way into the lead. WVU ended the first half on a 16-1 run, capped off by a buzzer beater.
Without two of their best scorers, the Bears struggled in the first half, shooting just 36.3% from the field, as well as 15.4% from three and 38.5%(5/13) on free throw attempts.
The defending champs were able to turn things around in the second half, converting on 62.1% of their second-half shot attempts and going 6-of-8 from beyond the arc. The Bears forced 15 West Virginia turnovers, the 30th consecutive game in which they’ve forced over 10 turnovers. They showed effort on both ends as they outscored WVU 24-2 on second-chance points.
The energetic Ferrell Center crowd helped get the Bears back into the game, as back-to-back threes ignited the crowd and sparked a 10-1 Baylor run allowing them to take a 66-64 lead with five minutes remaining. Mayer was shut out for the majority of the game, starting out 0-of-6 shooting, but flipped the switch when the team needed it most and scored nine points in the game’s most crucial moments. The play of Mayer and Akinjo down the stretch helped Baylor hold on to its lead as they closed out the win 81-77.
Drew said Mayer can turn it off and on at times and credited Mayer for turning it on at the right time.
“We can turn that light on and off,” Drew said. “It was off most of the game for him, but when it went on you really got to credit him. Those rebounds he got, those were some tough plays defensively. Obviously he made some buckets, that was a huge three he shot. Matt’s one of those guys who’s capable of turning it on.”
Next, the Bears head out on the road for a top-10 matchup with No. 10 University of Kansas at 3 p.m. on Saturday at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kan.
