Savannah State Tigers vs Baylor Bears Match Player Stats On Dec 17, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Dec 17, 2017

WACO, Texas -- Baylor went into the paint to counter Savannah State's 3-point barrage and the No. 21 Bears claimed a 118-86 victory on Sunday afternoon at the Ferrell Center.

Baylor scored 54 points in the paint and outrebounded the Tigers 58-26. The Bears' dominance inside allowed them to weather Savannah State's fits of hot shooting.

The Tigers finished 20 of 51 from 3-point range to set a Ferrell Center team record for most baskets from beyond the arc.

Forward Jo Lual-Acuil posted a hefty double-double with 31 points and 20 rebounds to lead Baylor (9-2). Guard Manu Lecomte added 25, guard King McClure had 19 and forward Nuni Omot finished with 18.

Guard Dexter McClanahan scored 22 to lead Savannah State (3-10).

The Tigers closed the gap to 10 points in the second half when McClanahan nailed a 3-pointer from the left side. McClanahan's trey, the Tigers' 17th of the game, capped a 14-2 run.

But Baylor punched back with a 13-2 run to go ahead 91-70. Lual-Acuil completed a 3-point play and threw down a two-handed dunk to highlight the surge.

Baylor shot 62 percent from the field and scored 61 points in the first half as the Bears distanced themselves from Savannah State.

Lecomte connected on 4 of 8 3-point shots as he and McClure each scored 14 in the first 20 minutes.

But it was a brief period of solid defense by Baylor that defined the first half. The Bears kept Savannah State from scoring for more than five minutes and built a 25-point edge.

Baylor went on a 21-0 run during the Tigers' scoring drought. Omot scored the first seven points of the spurt as he hit a free throw and a pair of treys. Forward Tristan Clark capped the run with a jumper in the lane to put the Bears in front 37-12 with 8:35 remaining before halftime.

But Savannah State found the range late in the half and kept from falling farther behind by the break. The Tigers hit 11 of 26 from beyond the arc in the first half and trailed 61-37 at halftime.

NOTES: Baylor entered the game with a 3-0 record in the series with Savannah State. All of the games have taken place since 2005 and all have been in Waco. ... Savannah State, which ranks 351st nationally in scoring defense, has given up 100 or more points in eight of its 13 games. ... Savannah State has defeated only one NCAA Division I team so far this season, a 101-97 win over Alabama State. The Tigers also have wins against National Christian College Athletic Association member Carver College and NAIA's Middle Georgia State.