Bears go 1-1 at Emerald Coast Classic

Baylor sophomore forward Tristan Clark dunks on Nov. 12 at the Ferrell Center. The Bears lost to Ole Miss and defeated George Mason in their trip to Niceville, Fla., over Thanksgiving. Jason Pedreros | Multimedia Journalist

By Ben Everett | Sports Editor

Baylor men’s basketball split their two games in the Emerald Coast Classic on Friday and Saturday in Niceville, Fla.

The Bears (4-2) fell to Ole Miss 78-70 on Friday, but bounced back to defeat George Mason 72-61 in the third place game on Saturday.

With the win over the Patriots, Baylor head coach Scott Drew became the first coach in program history to reach 300 wins.

Baylor sophomore forward Tristan Clark scored a career-high 27 points on 11-for-13 shooting from the field in the loss to the Rebels on Friday. The Bears took a brief 39-38 lead near the end of the first half, but the Rebels pulled ahead 49-46 early in the second half and never trailed in the win.

Baylor senior guard King McClure notched his career-high on Saturday, scoring 27 points, including 5-for-11 on three-pointers, to lift the Bears over the Patriots. Baylor held a slim halftime lead, but outscored George Mason by 10 in the second half to secure the win.

The Bears return home to face South Dakota at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Ferrell Center.