Matt Hellman | Lariat Photo Editor
By Tyler Alley
Sports Editor
Baylor men’s basketball beat Oklahoma 70-60 Saturday at the Ferrell Center, thanks mostly to its second-half effort. The Bears outscored Oklahoma 39-26 after halftime.
“Second halves have been very good in our last two games,” head coach Scott Drew said. “Maybe it’s our depth and wearing people down a little bit. Maybe it’s just us making more plays and playing with more energy. Holding them to 33 percent [shooting] second half was tremendous.”
The guards had a big role in this game for Baylor.
Junior guard Pierre Jackon led the Bears with 17 points. He also had two steals, two assists and three rebounds. Sophomore Brady Heslip had 16 points on 4 of 9 shooting from the beyond the arc. Junior A.J. Walton had five rebounds, three assists and block.
“We three guards, I think we flow a lot better,” Walton said. “We got the defense and scoring, so it all works.
The Bears’ defense, fueled largely by the three-guard lineup, held Oklahoma to zero 3-pointers. This was the first time in 510 games that the Sooners have not made a 3-point shot.
“Any lineup they throw out there is a challenge,” Oklahoma head coach Lon Kruger said.
Oklahoma’s Steven Pledger led all scorers with 21 points.
The Sooner held a 34-31 lead going into halftime.
“We had a hard time getting into our offense,” Jackson said. “We just had to slow down. In the second half we came out and we just had more focus and executed better.
Freshman forward Quincy Miller provided the early offense for the Bears with 10 points and seven rebounds. He would finish with 12 points, eight from free throws, and nine rebounds.
With the three assists, Walton is now on Baylor’s top 10 list for assists.
The Bears play their final home game of the season Monday against Texas Tech. It will be senior night for Quincy Acy, Anthony Jones and Fred Ellis.
“It is tough Monday night, I know,” Drew said. “If you can come out, if you got to leave early, I understand, but when we introduce them, I think a packed house would be something they would really appreciate and look back on and be able to say, “Thank you” to Baylor nation.”
It will also give Baylor a chance for a season sweep of all other Texas schools in the Big 12.
