By Foster Nicholas | Sports Writer, Claire-Marie Scott | LTVN Sports Reporter
Two games through a three-game stretch against ranked opponents, No. 13 Baylor men’s basketball extended its winning streak to three, knocking off No. 23 Texas Tech 79-73 on Tuesday night at Foster Pavilion.
Albeit under the weather, Red Raiders (16-6, 5-4 Big 12) head coach Grant McCasland made his return to Waco to take on Bears head coach Scott Drew for the first time as Big 12 foes. With Drew and Baylor (17-5, 6-3 Big 12) coming off a roller coaster weekend, the Bears keyed on locking in.
“It’s hard to come back and play right away after emotional games. You see it every night in college sports,” Drew said. “I know Kansas was so impressive against Houston, K-State beats them at home, that’s what makes our league so tough. If you’re not ready each and every night, you have no chance.”
Senior guard RayJ Dennis led all scorers with 21 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the floor while knocking down nine of his 12 free-throw attempts. Dennis also led the Bears with five assists and four steals. Freshman center Yves Missi (17) and junior guard Jayden Nunn (14) were the only other Bears in double figures.
#Baylor HC Scott Drew knew Texas Tech HC Grant McCasland was under the weather going into this game, so Drew offered for McCasland to spend the night at his house.
McCasland obviously said no, but laughed and said that speaks to Drew's character.
— Michael Haag (@MichaelHaag_) February 7, 2024
Baylor has struggled at the free-throw line in Big 12 play, shooting just 71.9% going into Tuesday night’s matchup. Missi flipped the script, finishing 7-of-8 from the charity stripe, his best rate on four or more attempts this season. Dedicating time to improve his skill set, the fruits of the labor were shown tonight, according to him.
“The entire team started working on it three weeks ago. And also, I mean, I went to the gym by myself to shoot 100, 200, 500 every day and I guess it’s paid off,” Missi said.
The Bears started hot, jumping out to an 11-6 lead, but struggled to convert on open looks. Baylor shot just 3-of-11 from the floor during that stretch, with most of its misses coming from point-blank range.
Baylor closed the half leading 36-35 with 16 points in the paint. With a 20-12 rebounding advantage, the Bears were able to make up for missing more shots in the lane than they made.
“I thought we had a lot of good looks, didn’t make them, but we did a great job getting to the glass,” Drew said. “[I] wish we would have been more efficient with second-chance points, but couldn’t fault their effort.”
The Red Raiders kept it close for a while until the crowd backed the Bears. With 14:30 on the clock in the second half, Missi slammed down an alley-oop off a dime from Dennis. Less than 45 seconds later, senior forward Jalen Bridges ferociously mashed a putback dunk, which gave Baylor a four-point lead and forced a Tech timeout.
“The crowd was great tonight and it definitely helps, especially during runs,” Dennis said. “We had a big run in the second half and it got super loud and the other team can’t hear anything. I think it really affects the other team, so it’s huge for us.”
While the Bears weren’t able to capitalize on those high-energy plays, momentum shifted for good at the 8:51 mark. Handling the ball like a guard at the top of the key, Missi power dribbled past his defender and unleashed a monster tomahawk dunk that sparked a 13-0 Baylor run.
While the fans went crazy, the Bears tried to stay composed on the court.
“I mean it gets the team super hype,” Dennis said of Missi’s nifty move and dunk. “But I think we’re kind of numb to it a little bit because he does it all the time, and we shouldn’t be because it’s incredible.”
Texas Tech made a late comeback, knocking down its last four field goals while the Bears went without one in the final 3:40. However, it was too little too late, as the Baylor cushion from the explosive run put it on top 79-73.
The Bears will be back on the big stage Saturday when they travel to Lawrence, Kan., to take on No. 4 Kansas (18-5, 6-4 Big 12). Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. with College Gameday on ESPN in attendance for the marquee matchup at Allen Fieldhouse.
At the halfway point of Big 12 play, Baylor sits in a tie for second place with Iowa State at 6-3.
The Bears are the only one team in the Big 12 to not play a single conference game decided by double digits, as they have played FIVE Big 12 games decided by four points or less.
— Eric Kelly (@EricKellyTV) February 7, 2024
