By Jackson Posey | Sports Editor
Baylor outgunned San Diego State Wednesday night, 91-81, closing the Player Era Festival with a 2-1 record behind a sterling offensive performance in Las Vegas.
The Bears (5-1) shot 52.6% from the field and 39.1% from 3-point range, overcoming a slow start to take down a San Diego State team (3-3) that has made five straight NCAA Tournaments.
Offensive creation difficulties persisted from Tuesday’s loss to St. John’s. The Bears scored the first five points, then went quiet for over four minutes. Ball-security issues plagued the Aztecs’ drives, though, and the teams ground to a 10-10 tie at the 13-minute mark.
Sophomore guard Isaac Williams kick-started a nine-point run for the Bears, building a small lead and some early momentum. Williams scored 13 points, the fourth time in five games the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi transfer has reached double figures.
Baylor kept scoring, but only in bunches. Later runs of six and seven points kept the Bears afloat offensively while San Diego State struggled to navigate their maze of defensive length. Neither team created consistently high-quality shots, but both converted at a blistering clip: 53.8% for Baylor and 50.0% for San Diego State. (Baylor shot 10-for-14 on 2-pointers.) Something had to give.
The Aztecs blinked first. While Baylor stayed hot, San Diego State went cold from the field, struggling to shoot above 40% from the field for most of the second half.
After fifth-year senior Obi Agbim (16 points, 4 assists) opened up the half with a driving layup, Baylor missed six straight shots, opening the door for Dan Diego State to mount a furious comeback. Taj DeGourville drained a jumper to take a 54-53 lead — and then the bottom fell out.
Agbim drilled a 3-pointer to open the floodgates. A torrential 12-0 run blew the game open, punctuated by Williams, who slowed down time on a reverse euro-step layup. San Diego State only managed to sink a single free throw between 12:30 and 6:01, handing Baylor a 15-point swing.
Agbim and redshirt sophomore Cameron Carr (17 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists) effectively ended the game with three minutes to play. The pair dropped bullseye 3-pointers from the deep left wing on back-to-back possessions, stretching the lead to 76-59.
Baylor will take the holiday weekend off before returning to action against Sacramento State Monday at Foster Pavilion. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN+.
