No. 2 Baylor stays unbeaten after win at Texas Tech
LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Davion Mitchell had 19 points and Jared Butler finally scored late as No. 2 Baylor overcame No. 15 Texas Tech 68-60 on Saturday to stay undefeated after their closest game this season.
Butler, the preseason AP AllAmerican coming off a season-high 28 points in the last game, was 0-for-9 shooting with six turnovers before hitting consecutive 3-pointers for the Bears (12-0, 5-0 Big 12) in the final five minutes.
Mitchell hit a 3-pointer with 5:38 left to stretch Baylor's lead to 49-45 after the Red Raiders failed to score on a possession when they missed three consecutive putback chances. Butler scored all seven of his points after that.
Adam Flagler had 15 points and MaCio Teague 12 for the Bears, who had won each of their first 11 games by double digits — the closest had been an 11-point win at Iowa State on Jan. 2. It ended their school-record streak of 11 consecutive wins by at least 10 points.
Mac McClung had 24 points for Texas Tech (11-4, 4-3), which was coming off a 79-77 win at No. 4 Texas on Wednesday night. Kevin McCullar had 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Red Raiders.
Texas Tech had a 45-44 lead after Marcus Santos-Silva made a free throw with 7:14 left. The Bears went ahead to stay when Flagler penetrated and made a floater, almost falling down when the shot went in before Mitchell's 3.
Baylor's biggest lead in the first half was 19-10 with 8:53 left in the first half after Flagler and Mitchell had consecutive 3-pointers. The Red Raiders led 3-0 after Kyler Edwards' 3 a minute into the game, but they then missed seven shots in a row and went nearly eight minutes before scoring again.
The Red Raiders opened the second with a 19-8 run to erase an eight-point halftime deficit. BIG PICTURE
Baylor: The Bears played for the first time since a 67-49 win at TCU the previous Saturday. Their scheduled home game Tuesday was postponed because of COVID-19 issues in West Virginia's program. They never trailed by more than three points, but reached a double-digit lead only once — at 61-51 on two free throws by Mitchell with 2:51 left.
Texas Tech: After beating a top five team on the road for the first time in school history, the Red Raiders were trying to win consecutive games over top five teams for the first time. But they are 1-3 in Big 12 home games this season, with the other losses to Kansas and Oklahoma State. They are 3-0 on the road in conference games.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Baylor will be in the top five for a school-record 20th consecutive poll when the new AP Top 25 comes out Monday — the Bears had been in the the top five only 12 total polls before this streak. Texas Tech likely missed a chance for its highest ranking this season. The Red Raiders started the season No. 14, and No. 13 is their highest ranking so far.