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Big 12 Tournament: Baylor advances to title game with sixth straight victory

drew

The early portion of Big 12 didn’t go well for the Baylor Bears, to say the least. At one point Scott Drew’s team lost five straight and seven of eight Big 12 contests, going from a team some thought to be a contender for the league title to one that looked destined to simply sit above TCU in the standings.

But there’s something to be said for a team that gets hot at the right time, and it’s clear that Baylor fits that description. The Bears have now won six in a a row and ten of their last 11 after whipping Texas 86-69 in a Big 12 semifinal Friday night. Brady Heslip shot 6-for-11 from beyond the arc and scored 24 points, leading four Bears in double figures.

As a team Baylor shot 12-for-24 from deep and 24-for-30 from the foul line, outscoring the Longhorns by 21 points from deep and 22 points from the charity stripe. And with their starting front court outplaying the Texas big men, Baylor led by 15 at the intermission and by as much as 24 in the second half.

Cory Jefferson racked up 20 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks, with both Isaiah Austin (ten points, five rebounds and seven blocks) and Royce O’Neale (eight points, ten rebounds) chipping in.

Another key for Baylor during this run has been the play of point guard Kenny Chery. Chery, the replacement for Pierre Jackson, has averaged 13.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 5.8 assists during this 11-game stretch with all three averages being higher than his season averages.

One reason for Baylor’s struggles early in conference play was the strength of the Big 12, and when a team isn’t playing well in a conference that difficult issues have the potential to snowball. But instead of getting frustrated and splintering off, thus allowing the season to get away from them, Baylor tightened things up and continued to work. They’ve turned things around as a result, and now Baylor has the look of a team capable of winning multiple games next week.

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