Jalen Bridges scored a career-high 32 points as No. 11 Baylor roared back to beat Texas 93-85 on Monday in a key late-season Big 12 Conference clash in Waco, Texas.
The Longhorns led by 14 points early in the first half and by eight at halftime. Baylor rallied to tie the game at 68 with an 11-0 run in the middle of the second half and then took the lead when Jayden Nunn hit two free throws with 6:50 to play.
The Bears (22-8, 11-6 Big 12) pushed their advantage to 78-70 when RayJ Dennis canned a jumper with 5:20 remaining. Texas went almost 10 minutes without a field goal before Max Abmas hit a runner high off the glass with 3:34 left to bring the Longhorns to within five points. But they would get no closer.
Dennis added 16 points for Baylor, with Ja’Kobe Walter scoring 15 and Josh Ojianwuna hitting for 10. The Bears have won three straight and are assured of a top-four finish in the Big 12 standings.
Abmas led all scorers with 33 points while Kadin Shedrick tallied 14 for the Longhorns (19-11, 8-9) and Tyrese Hunter added 12. Dylan Disu, Texas’ top scorer, was limited to three points in 10 minutes after struggling with a stomach ailment before the game and then leaving midway through the second half with a left knee injury.
The Longhorns started the game on fire, making 10 of their first 14 shots from the floor over the first 8 1/2 minutes. A 3-pointer by Abmas capped the surge and gave Texas a 30-16 lead.
Baylor whittled its deficit to eight points when Bridges hit a jumper from beyond the arc with 6:47 to play in the first half to make it 36-28. The Longhorns pushed the lead back to double digits after Abmas hit a basket for a 43-32 edge with 2:16 left, but Baylor responded, getting a three-point play from Dennis to trim the lead to seven points with 37 seconds left.
A free throw by Brock Cunningham granted Texas a 48-40 advantage at the break.
Bridges paced all scorers with 18 points before halftime. Abmas’ 17 points at the half led the Longhorns.
The Bears countered Texas’ hot start to the game by hitting their first nine shots of the second half, drawing within 68-61 when Ojianwuna dunked with 12:24 to play.
–Field Level Media
