Bridges' crucial 3s help No. 21 Baylor past Oklahoma
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) Jalen Bridges scored 11 points and hit a trio of game-turning 3-pointers in the final five minutes as No. 21 Baylor rallied to hold off Oklahoma 62-60 on Saturday.
Adam Flagler had 16 points and five assists, and Keyonte George added 11 points for Baylor (14-5, 4-3 Big 12), which won its fourth straight game after opening conference play with three straight losses and briefly dropping out of The Associated Press Top 25.
Baylor entered averaging more than 80 points per game, but the Bears had made only three of their first 16 3-point attempts before Bridges hit one with 4:46 left to put Baylor ahead 53-52 - after the Bears had trailed for much of the second half. With 3:39 left, he made another, giving Baylor a 56-54 lead.
Oklahoma (12-7, 2-5) went up 58-56 on a basket by C.J. Noland with 1:38 left, but Bridges hit another 3-pointer 17 seconds later and Baylor never trailed again.
''Obviously, it helps when you have someone like that closing games,'' Baylor coach Scott Drew said. ''He'll take tough shots and down the stretch, he made them. He also made the right pass down the stretch. You love having a guy you can trust.''
Grant Sherfield missed on a driving attempt at a tying basket for the Sooners and at the other end, Flagler ran the shot clock down, stepped back and drained a long 3-point shot to seal the win for Baylor with 20.2 seconds left.
Baylor's defense kept Oklahoma - in a two-possession game - from attempting a shot until Jalen Hill's uncontested layup with 1.3 seconds left and the Sooners never regained possession. Hill had 17 points and nine rebounds, while Tanner Groves added 16 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots for the Sooners.
Baylor went 6 1/2 minutes without a basket late in the first half and Oklahoma took advantage, taking a 30-26 lead.
Drew said the Bears' offensive struggles ''didn't affect our defense in the second half, and we needed all of that. (Oklahoma) really made everything tough for us. We didn't shoot it well.''
The Sooners only trailed once in the second half before Bridges' late heroics. Baylor won despite shooting 36.2% (21 of 58) from the field compared to 45.6% (26 of 57) for the Sooners. Baylor outrebounded Oklahoma 39-30, grabbing 17 offensive rebounds.
''That was the storyline,'' Oklahoma coach Porter Moser said of the rebounding discrepancy. ''In a one-possession game, they had 30 second-chance points. I thought we did some really good things defensively, against one of the top offensive teams. But time and time again, we couldn't block out, we couldn't get the rebound.''
BIG PICTURE
Baylor: After losing its first three Big 12 games, the Bears appear to have righted the ship - for now - with their four-game winning streak. Three of those wins came on the dangerous Big 12 road. But showdowns against No. 2 Kansas and No. 7 Texas loom before the end of the month.
Oklahoma: The Sooners still lack a true marquee win, dropping to 0-5 this season against ranked opponents. Oklahoma has the toughest remaining schedule in Division I based on future opponent winning percentage (175-53, or 76.7%, entering Saturday) so the Sooners should have plenty of opportunities to burnish their resume as NCAA tournament selection time approaches.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Baylor moved back into the rankings this week, and two wins in the past seven days could push the Bears higher in the next poll.
QUOTABLE
Groves, on rebounding: ''We've just got to do a better job on the glass. There is no complicated answer to it. We've just got to box out and get rebounds.''
UP NEXT
Baylor: Hosts No. 2 Kansas on Monday.
Oklahoma: Visits No. 14 Texas Christian on Tuesday.
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Time | Team | Play | Score | |
---|---|---|---|---|
20:00 | Flo Thamba vs. Tanner Groves (Jalen Bridges gains possession) | |||
19:43 | +2 | Flo Thamba makes two point layup (Adam Flagler assists) | 2-0 | |
19:24 | +2 | Tanner Groves makes two point layup (Jacob Groves assists) | 2-2 | |
19:02 | LJ Cryer misses two point jump shot | |||
19:00 | Flo Thamba offensive rebound | |||
18:57 | Jalen Bridges misses three point jump shot | |||
18:55 | Jalen Hill defensive rebound | |||
18:34 | Jalen Hill misses two point layup | |||
18:32 | Flo Thamba defensive rebound | |||
18:21 | +2 | Flo Thamba makes two point dunk (Adam Flagler assists) | 4-2 | |
17:56 | Jalen Hill misses three point jump shot | |||
17:54 | Flo Thamba defensive rebound | |||
17:40 | Grant Sherfield shooting foul (Keyonte George draws the foul) | |||
17:40 | Keyonte George misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | |||
17:40 | Keyonte George misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | |||
17:40 | Jalen Hill defensive rebound | |||
17:27 | Tanner Groves misses three point jump shot | |||
17:25 | Bears defensive rebound | |||
17:06 | Keyonte George misses three point jump shot | |||
17:04 | Flo Thamba offensive rebound | |||
16:57 | +2 | LJ Cryer makes two point layup | 6-2 | |
16:38 | Tanner Groves misses three point jump shot | |||
16:36 | Adam Flagler defensive rebound | |||
16:28 | +2 | Adam Flagler makes two point layup | 8-2 | |
16:08 | Milos Uzan misses three point jump shot | |||
16:06 | Bears defensive rebound | |||
15:44 | Adam Flagler misses two point jump shot | |||
15:42 | Jacob Groves defensive rebound | |||
15:19 | Jalen Hill misses two point jump shot | |||
15:14 | Tanner Groves offensive rebound | |||
15:14 | +2 | Tanner Groves makes two point layup | 8-4 | |
14:50 | Josh Ojianwuna misses two point jump shot | |||
14:48 | Jacob Groves defensive rebound | |||
14:39 | Milos Uzan turnover (bad pass) | |||
14:39 | TV timeout | |||
14:18 | +2 | LJ Cryer makes two point jump shot | 10-4 | |
13:57 | +3 | Grant Sherfield makes three point jump shot (Sam Godwin assists) | 10-7 | |
13:41 | Langston Love misses three point jump shot | |||
13:39 | Jalen Hill defensive rebound | |||
13:34 | Grant Sherfield misses three point jump shot | |||
13:32 | Caleb Lohner defensive rebound | |||
13:21 | Bijan Cortes blocks LJ Cryer's three point jump shot | |||
13:20 | Jalen Hill defensive rebound | |||
13:20 | Caleb Lohner personal foul (Jalen Hill draws the foul) | |||
13:04 | +2 | Sam Godwin makes two point dunk (Bijan Cortes assists) | 10-9 | |
12:41 | Keyonte George turnover (lost ball) (Otega Oweh steals) | |||
12:35 | +2 | Otega Oweh makes two point dunk | 10-11 | |
12:16 | LJ Cryer misses two point layup | |||
12:14 | Langston Love offensive rebound | |||
12:13 | Sam Godwin shooting foul (Langston Love draws the foul) | |||
12:13 | +1 | Langston Love makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 11-11 | |
12:13 | +1 | Langston Love makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 12-11 | |
12:00 | Sam Godwin misses two point layup | |||
11:58 | Caleb Lohner defensive rebound | |||
11:51 | +2 | Adam Flagler makes two point jump shot | 14-11 | |
11:33 | Bijan Cortes misses two point layup | |||
11:31 | Caleb Lohner defensive rebound | |||
11:15 | Otega Oweh personal foul | |||
11:15 | TV timeout | |||
10:57 | Bears turnover (shot clock violation) | |||
10:38 | +2 | Otega Oweh makes two point layup (Bijan Cortes assists) | 14-13 | |
10:19 | +3 | Adam Flagler makes three point jump shot | 17-13 | |
10:06 | Tanner Groves misses three point jump shot | |||
10:04 | Caleb Lohner defensive rebound | |||
9:52 | Keyonte George turnover (bad pass) (Otega Oweh steals) | |||
9:47 | +2 | Otega Oweh makes two point layup | 17-15 | |
9:27 | Milos Uzan shooting foul (Keyonte George draws the foul) | |||
9:27 | Keyonte George misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | |||
9:27 | +1 | Keyonte George makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 18-15 | |
9:06 | +3 | Tanner Groves makes three point jump shot (Milos Uzan assists) | 18-18 | |
8:44 | Keyonte George misses three point jump shot | |||
8:42 | Jalen Bridges offensive rebound | |||
8:39 | +2 | Jalen Bridges makes two point layup | 20-18 | |
8:28 | Jacob Groves misses three point jump shot | |||
8:26 | Jalen Bridges defensive rebound | |||
8:17 | Adam Flagler misses two point layup | |||
8:15 | Sooners defensive rebound | |||
8:03 | +3 | Tanner Groves makes three point jump shot (Milos Uzan assists) | 20-21 | |
7:40 | LJ Cryer misses two point layup | |||
7:38 | Milos Uzan defensive rebound | |||
7:20 | Grant Sherfield turnover (bad pass) (LJ Cryer steals) | |||
7:16 | Milos Uzan personal foul (LJ Cryer draws the foul) | |||
7:16 | TV timeout | |||
7:04 | LJ Cryer misses two point layup | |||
7:02 | Sam Godwin defensive rebound | |||
6:45 | +2 | Grant Sherfield makes two point jump shot (Bijan Cortes assists) | 20-23 | |
6:13 | Dale Bonner turnover (traveling) | |||
5:45 | Jalen Hill offensive foul (Adam Flagler draws the foul) | |||
5:45 | Jalen Hill turnover (offensive foul) | |||
5:18 | Josh Ojianwuna misses two point jump shot | |||
5:16 | Tanner Groves defensive rebound | |||
5:03 | +2 | Jalen Hill makes two point jump shot (C.J. Noland assists) | 20-25 | |
4:46 | LJ Cryer misses two point jump shot | |||
4:44 | Josh Ojianwuna offensive rebound | |||
4:44 | Tanner Groves personal foul (Josh Ojianwuna draws the foul) | |||
4:44 | +1 | Josh Ojianwuna makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 21-25 | |
4:44 | +1 | Josh Ojianwuna makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 22-25 | |
4:28 | Flo Thamba personal foul (Otega Oweh draws the foul) | |||
4:08 | +3 | Grant Sherfield makes three point jump shot | 22-28 | |
3:44 | Adam Flagler turnover (bad pass) (Otega Oweh steals) | |||
3:31 | Otega Oweh offensive foul | |||
3:31 | Otega Oweh turnover (offensive foul) | |||
3:31 | TV timeout | |||
3:10 | Keyonte George misses three point jump shot | |||
3:08 | Jalen Hill defensive rebound | |||
3:08 | Langston Love personal foul (Jalen Hill draws the foul) | |||
2:48 | C.J. Noland misses three point jump shot | |||
2:46 | Sooners offensive rebound | |||
2:36 | Jacob Groves misses three point jump shot | |||
2:34 | Jalen Hill offensive rebound | |||
2:27 | C.J. Noland turnover (lost ball) | |||
2:05 | +2 | Flo Thamba makes two point dunk (Adam Flagler assists) | 24-28 | |
2:04 | Sooners 30 second timeout | |||
2:04 | Sooners turnover (5-second violation) | |||
1:54 | Keyonte George misses three point jump shot | |||
1:52 | Sooners defensive rebound | |||
1:24 | Flo Thamba personal foul (Tanner Groves draws the foul) | |||
1:15 | +2 | Jalen Hill makes two point layup (Bijan Cortes assists) | 24-30 | |
0:48 | Adam Flagler misses two point layup | |||
0:46 | Caleb Lohner offensive rebound | |||
0:41 | +2 | Langston Love makes two point layup | 26-30 | |
0:39 | Bears 30 second timeout | |||
0:38 | Jalen Hill turnover (bad pass) | |||
0:18 | Tanner Groves blocks LJ Cryer's two point layup | |||
0:16 | Tanner Groves defensive rebound | |||
0:01 | Grant Sherfield misses two point jump shot | |||
0:00 | Flo Thamba defensive rebound | |||
0:00 | End of period |