Field Level Media
Feb 19, 2022
Jeremy Sochan matched his career high of 17 points and Matthew Mayer scored 16 to help No. 7 Baylor post a 72-62 victory over TCU on Saturday in Big 12 play at Waco, Texas.
Kendall Brown tallied 13 points as the host Bears (22-5, 10-4 Big 12) defeated the Horned Frogs for the second time this season. James Akinjo recorded 11 points and eight assists and Flo Thamba contributed 10 points and eight rebounds for Baylor in the wire-to-wire victory.
Emanuel Miller and Micah Peavy scored 16 points apiece for TCU (16-8, 5-7), which lost for the fourth time in the past five games. Mike Miles added 13 points and three steals.
Baylor played without leading scorer LJ Cryer (foot) for the sixth time in seven games and third-leading scorer Adam Flagler (knee). It also was the Bears' second game since losing key big man Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua to a season-ending knee injury.
The Bears shot 47.1 percent from the field, including 2 of 11 from 3-point range.
TCU made 43.5 percent of its shots and also was 2 of 11 from behind the arc.
Baylor scored the first six points of the second half to build a 39-23 lead.
The advantage grew to 54-35 on Sochan's three-point play with 11:33 left.
The Bears didn't hit a 3-pointer over the first 32 1/2 minutes before Mayer suddenly drilled two in 46 seconds to make it 66-46 with 6:37 to play.
The lead topped out at 21 with 4:58 remaining before TCU erupted on a 13-1 burst to cut its deficit to 71-62 with 43.1 seconds left.
The comeback was too late as Baylor improved to 16-4 against the Horned Frogs during Scott Drew's 19-season tenure as coach.
Sochan scored 11 first-half points as the Bears held a 33-23 lead at the break.
Baylor came out strong and led 14-4 after Brown's jumper with 13:51 left in the half.
The Horned Frogs scored 12 of the next 16 points to move within two on Miles' fast-break layup with 10:17 remaining.
But the Bears responded with an 11-1 burst and Meyer's basket made it 29-17 with 4:52 to play in the half.
--Field Level Media