Baylor makes light work of UC Santa Barbara… and will play the winner of NC State and Creighton
Baylor makes light work of UC Santa Barbara despite a slow start … and will play the winner of NC State and Creighton in the second round
Caleb Lohner scored a season-high 13 points in just 18 minutes, and No. 3 seed Baylor beat UC Santa Barbara 74-56 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday.
Adam Flagler led the Bears with 18 points and LJ Cryer scored 11 of his 15 points in the second half.
Baylor (23-10) overcame a one-point halftime deficit to advance and play winner Creighton-North Carolina State on Sunday in the South Region.
Lohner’s only other double-digit performance since transferring from BYU to Baylor for this season came in November when he scored 11 against Virginia.
The Gauchos (27-8) looked like easy options for the Bears in the opening minutes before they used a 13-1 run to take a 26-22 lead.
Caleb Lohner put on a show, scoring 13 points in just 18 minutes in what was a season high
Baylor (23-10) overcame a one-point deficit at halftime to advance relatively easily on Friday.
The Gauchos led the Mountain West Conference with a .493 shooting percentage and that accuracy carried over to Ball Arena, where they shot 61.5% in the first half to take a 36-35 lead in the locker room.
However, all of that disappeared after halftime. The Gauchos were held to 30.4% shooting in the second half and the Bears pulled away.
Miles Norris led the Gauchos with 15 points. Ajay Mitchell added 13.
The Bears, who won it all two years ago, are looking to reach the Sweet Sixteen for the sixth time in program history.
Last year, Baylor fell to eighth-seeded North Carolina 93-86 in overtime in the second round as the top seed.
The Bears will play winner North Carolina State-Creighton in the second round on Sunday.