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Jared Butler leads No. 24 Baylor past Ohio, 76-53

Baylor v Gonzaga

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - MARCH 23: Jared Butler #12 of the Baylor Bears reacts in the final moments of their 83-71 loss to the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the Second Round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament at Vivint Smart Home Arena on March 23, 2019 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

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CONWAY, S.C. — Jared Butler scored 19 points and No. 24 Baylor pulled away to beat Ohio 76-53 on Thursday in the Myrtle Beach Invitational quarterfinals.

MaCio Teague added 17 points, Freddie Gillespie finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds and the Bears (3-1) used a late 15-0 run to cruise to their second straight win. Baylor established a 42-32 rebounding advantage, forced 19 turnovers and turned them into 22 points.

Lunden McDay scored 16 points and Jason Preston added 12 for the Bobcats (3-2), who have lost two in a row to the ranked teams in the eight-team field. No. 17 Villanova beat Ohio 78-54 on Saturday.

The Bobcats trailed the entire second half and cut their deficit to single digits only once, when McDay’s layup with 8½ minutes remaining pulled them within 57-48. Butler — who has led Baylor in scoring in all four games — started the Bears’ run of 15 straight points with two free throws with 8:01 to play and scored eight points during the game-breaking burst.

BIG PICTURE

Ohio: Playing Villanova and Baylor in consecutive games is one way to force a young roster — which includes six freshmen and first-year coach Jeff Boals — to grow up in a hurry. The Bobcats can build on the seven-point lead they took during the opening 6½ minutes of this one.

Baylor: The Bears were back at full strength with preseason All-Big 12 pick Tristan Clark returning after missing their victory over Texas State while having what the school described as a minor, non-operative knee procedure. Clark, who missed the final 20 games of last season after having knee surgery, had eight points and four rebounds in 15 minutes against Ohio.

UP NEXT

Ohio: Plays the Coastal Carolina-Utah loser Friday in a consolation game.

Baylor: Faces the Coastal Carolina-Utah winner Friday in a semifinal.