No. 12 Baylor was too much for West Virginia, as the Mountaineers continued to struggle on defense, in their 94-81 loss on Saturday at the WVU Coliseum.
WVU lost their fourth straight game, as the WVU defense has allowed at 81 points or more in each of the four losses.
In the first half, West Virginia and Baylor were polar opposites on offense. The Mountaineers, despite shooting 50 percent from the field in the first half, never seemed to be in it.
West Virginia led Baylor 8-7, with all eight points coming in the paint. Baylor quickly responded with a 7-0 run in less than 50 seconds as they took a 16-12 lead with 13:22 to play in the first half, forcing a timeout from the Mountaineers.
From that point on, Baylor would slowly build their lead, as the Mountaineers couldn’t find consistency on offense, and Baylor’s offense was crisp.
Baylor’s lead increased to as many as 11, as they shot 59 percent from the field in the first half, and even though they missed 10 three-pointers, their four makes matched the Mountaineers. WVU turned the ball over 10 times in the first half, leading to 22 points for the Bears.
Fouls were an issue in the first half for both squads, as there were 20 combined fouls, with WVU’s Jesse Edwards and Baylor’s Yves Missi each being whistled for three fouls. WVU went to the free throw line 15 times, making 10 of their shots, while Baylor went to the line nine times, making four.
Baylor led 42-34 at halftime, while the second half started in the exact opposite way that West Virginia wanted.
Baylor’s Jayden Nunn hit two three-pointers within the first 70 seconds of the half, while WVU interim head coach Josh Eilert called his third timeout of the game just 1:13 into the second half.
That would not change much of WVU’s fortune early, as Kobe Johnson hit a layup for the Mountaineers, by Ja’Kobe Walter hit a three, before Missi made a layup. RaeQuan Battle hit a three-pointer for WVU, but Nunn came right back down and answered with his third three-pointer of the half as Baylor was in front 56-39, just 4:12 into the second half.
Nunn started what was a super hot stretch from three for Baylor to open the second half. Baylor made six of their first nine three-pointers, and West Virginia simply could not keep up. Within the first eight minutes of the second half, Baylor made those six three-pointers, leading 66-44, with 12:33 to play.
WVU opened the same stretch of the second half, going 5-for-14 from the field, and made only two three-pointers compared to Baylor’s six. Baylor went 8-for-13 to start the second half, with only five shot attempts not coming from beyond the arc.
Jalen Bridges’ second return to the WVU Coliseum to face his former team was almost a non-factor this time around. While Bridges finished with 10 points, and seven rebounds, it was the strong shooting of the Bears which were the main storyline.
The physicality from the first half with the 20 personal fouls would continue in the second half. It hit a breaking point for Eilert when Battle drove the rim and finished a layup and Eilert thought Battle was fouled. He made a motion to the referee indicating the defender was not straight up, and he was given a technical foul.
The score was 81-67 with 4:58 to play when Eilert was issued the technical, while Walter knocked down both free throws.
West Virginia never cut Baylor’s lead to fewer than nine in the second half, as WVU rocked the rim on two possessions late in the game, as well as Battle hitting a three, but it was too little too late.
Baylor’s finished with 12 three-pointers made on the night, which tied the most they have made against a Big 12 opponent this season.
Battle led WVU with 25 points, while Edwards added 21. WVU’s offense finished shooting 53 percent from the field and went 42 percent from three.
Baylor had six scorers reach at least double figures, including three scorers reaching at least 18 points. Dennis scored 18, Nunn scored 20, and Walter scored 23.
West Virginia finished the game with 14 turnovers leading to 20 points, while the Bears also had 22 second-chance points. Baylor scored 36 points from three, and 22 points at the free throw line.
