No. 21 Baylor 69, Charleston Southern 64: Cory Jefferson had 16 points and 11 rebounds as the host Bears held off the Buccaneers.
Isaiah Austin added 16 points, eight rebounds and seven blocks for Baylor (4-0) and Jefferson added three blocks to his third double-double. Brady Heslip had 11 points off the bench, and the Bears outrebounded Charleston Southern 44-28.
Will Saunders led Charleston Southern (2-3) with 16 points off the bench and Sheldon Strickland added 14 points. The Buccaneers stayed close by hitting 7-of-16 3-pointers in the second half.
The Buccaneers hit three 3-pointers during a 13-1 run early in the game, but Baylor answered with a 15-3 scoring spree -- including six points from Jefferson -- to take a 24-16 with 5:40 left in the first half. Saah Nimley hit a pair of 3-pointers late in the half, but Austin scored the Bears' last five points on the way to a 32-28 halftime lead.
A pair of blocks and two baskets from Gary Franklin pushed Baylor's lead to 64-55 with 4:25 left before Saunders' 3-pointer capped a 9-3 run to cut the lead to three. The Buccaneers had a chance to tie in the final 20 seconds but missed a 3-pointer and turned the ball over.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Austin has 20 blocks this season and Baylor has 33. ... The Bears have won nine straight games and seven straight at home. ... Charleston Southern hit 22-of-63 from the field and was held well below its 99-point average.
Charleston Southern | Baylor | |
Will Saunders 16 | Scoring | Isaiah Austin 16 |
Malcolm Bernard 3 | Assists | Kenny Chery 5 |
Alhaji Fullah 6 | Rebounds | Cory Jefferson 11 |
Alhaji Fullah 2 | Free Throws Made | Isaiah Austin 6 |
Sheldon Strickland 1 | Steals | Kenny Chery 2 |
Alhaji Fullah 3 | Blocks | Isaiah Austin 7 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Charleston Southern | 64 | 34.9 | 12-26 | 8-11 | 14 | 25 | 3 | 1 | 9 |
Baylor | 69 | 41.2 | 7-15 | 20-26 | 15 | 37 | 12 | 4 | 13 |