By Matthew Nevarez | Reporter
Baylor men’s basketball walked into Addition Financial Arena needing a spark and found it in the most thrilling way possible, edging out the UCF Knights in a back-in-forth game that came down to the final seconds.
The Knights (20-8, 9-7 Big 12) were coming off a dominating win over No. 19 BYU on Tuesday and the Bears (15-14, 5-11 Big 12) were looking to get back into the win column after a heartbreaking home loss to No. 2 Arizona.
“I’m proud as a coach because on the road its hard, but when you have a lead and lose it a lot of teams would crack,” head coach Scott Drew said. “These guys showed great resilience, fought back and got a lead again.”
The Bears and Knights were evenly matched for a majority of the first half, trading buckets to keep the game close. The Bears relied on confidence and pace to end the half on a 24-14 run, highlighted by a 20-point half by redshirt sophomore wing Cameron Carr. Baylor went into the half with a firm 56-42 lead.
This lead, however, did not last long.
The Knights came out of the gates early, their energy and defense feeding off the home crowd’s energy. They were able to cause turnovers and turn those into transition points, which swung momentum and allowed the Knights to cut into the Bears’ lead.
The Bears were able to answer with timely buckets and tough defensive stands, allowing them to keep the game tight as time wound down. The lead changed hands several times as both teams came up with clutch buckets.
With the score tied late, the Bears needed a bucket to take the lead. As the shot clock wound down, fifth-year senior guard Obi Agbim hit a late, midrange fadeaway over two defenders to give the Bears the lead.
The Knights answered, leaving the Bears with seconds remaining. The Bears inbounded the ball and got it to Agbim who hoisted up a three and was fouled, sending the away crowd into a frenzy and allowing the Bears to possibly win the game at the free throw line.
After missing the first shot, Agbim calmly knocked down the second to give the Bears an 87-86 lead. An intentional miss on the last attempt allowed the Bears to grab the rebound and secure a much-needed conference win.
“Shoutout coach Drew, he trusted me to play up,” Agbim said. “Glad I was able to draw the foul. First one I missed, so I knew I was gonna make the second one.”
The Bears will travel to Fertitta Center to take on No. 5 Houston (24-5, 12-4 Big 12) for the second time this season at 8 p.m. Wednesday. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2.
