Baylor 77, Texas A&M 63: Freshman Johnathan Motley collected career highs of 22 points and 11 rebounds to lead the host Bears in the “Battle of the Brazos”.
Rico Gathers scored 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds while Taurean Prince and Lester Medford each finished with 11 points, and Al Freeman added a career-high 10 points for Baylor (8-1), which won its sixth straight in the 206-game series that began in the 1914-15 season. The Bears dominated inside, finishing with a 38-17 rebounding edge, including 17 offensive boards that led to an 18-0 advantage in second-chance points.
Kourtney Roberson and Alex Robinson each scored 11 points for Texas A&M (6-2), which had its five-game winning streak snapped. The Aggies failed to grab an offensive rebound in the contest.
Texas A&M, behind 3-pointers by Alex Caruso and Danuel House, bolted to an 12-4 lead in the first six minutes as Baylor connected on one of its first seven field goal tries while also turning the ball over three times. But the Bears used a 14-2 spurt capped by a 3-pointer by Freeman to go ahead 18-14 and later ended the half on an 11-3 run en route to a 36-29 halftime advantage.
Baylor extended its lead to 57-37 midway through the second half, holding the Aggies to just five field-goal attempts while forcing seven turnovers in the first 10 minutes. Texas A&M, despite shooting 57.8 percent for the game, could get no closer than the final margin the rest of the way.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Baylor PG Kenny Chery, who missed four games with plantar fasciitis in his left foot, returned and scored seven points and had three steals in 21 minutes before limping to the bench midway through the second half. ... The Bears finished with a 50-28 advantage in points in the paint. ... Gathers had his 21st career double-digit rebounding game.
Texas A&M | Baylor | |
Kourtney Roberson 11 | Scoring | Johnathan Motley 22 |
Alex Caruso 7 | Assists | Lester Medford 6 |
Danuel House 4 | Rebounds | Johnathan Motley 11 |
Antwan Space 5 | Free Throws Made | Rico Gathers 7 |
Alex Caruso 3 | Steals | Kenny Chery 3 |
Tonny Trocha-Morelos 2 | Blocks | Taurean Prince 1 |