By Matthew Nevarez | Reporter
The Bears fell just short against No. 24 Louisville on Friday, dropping their third straight game, 82-71.
Baylor (13-12, 3-9 Big 12) was looking to get a much-needed win against the Cardinals (19-6, 8-4 ACC) in Fort Worth, but a poorly-played second half and shooting struggles ultimately halted the Bears’ shot at an upset.
Strong performances from the likes of sophomore guard Isaac Williams IV (20 points, 8-for-12 shooting) and freshman wing Tounde Yessoufou (16 points, 4 steals) were not enough to overcome the lack of scoring across the board for the Bears. Baylor’s leading scorer Cameron Carr (5 points, 1-for-11 shooting) and guard Obi Agbim (4 points, 0-for-7 shooting) struggled to get going against the Cardinals.
A poor shooting half from the Bears (1-for-12 from three) allowed Louisville to set the tone early into the first half, led by freshman phenom Mikel Brown Jr.
Louisville looked to make a defensive statement early, but the Bears were able to capitalize off the Cardinals’ aggressiveness and get to the line early, where they shot an impressive 15-for-15 from the stripe. This came as a part of a 16-2 Baylor run late into the second quarter which allowed them to take a seven-point lead with just minutes to go.
The Cardinals were able to answer back, with several buckets from different players, allowing them to cut into the deficit and go into the halftime break tied at 34-34.
Louisville was able to take that late momentum from the first half right into the second half, getting easy transition buckets and capitalizing at the free-throw line. A five-minute span saw points only coming from the stripe, allowing Louisville to go on a 15-6 run and build a strong 15-point lead at the midway point of the half.
The Bears made a late push to cut the deficit to eight, but that’s the closest they were able to get. Williams, Yessoufou and senior forward Michael Rataj gave the Bears some hope in the final minutes of the game.
In the end, the Cardinals’ offense and strong defense was too much for the Bears to be able to pull off the upset in Fort Worth. The Bears will jump back into conference play and head to Manhattan, Kan., Tuesday to face Kansas State (10-15, 1-11 Big 12). Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. on ESPN2.
