Baylor Distributes the Offense in Dominant Win vs. Colgate

Baylor vs. Colgate - First Round NCAA tournament extended

Baylor vs. Colgate - First Round NCAA tournament extended | Image: March Madness/YouTube

Despite kicking off on a Friday morning, the third-seeded Baylor team was fully alert and prepped for action in their first-round NCAA Tournament West Region matchup.

The Bears had four players reaching double digits in scoring and drained 16 of their 30 shots from beyond the arc, securing a 92-67 win over the 14th-seeded Colgate at FedEx Forum.

Leading the charge was Jalen Bridges with an impressive 23-point performance for Baylor (24-10), advancing them to the next round on Sunday against either New Mexico or Clemson. Ja’Kobe Walter contributed 19 points, while Jayden Nunn and RayJ Dennis added 15 and 10 points along with nine assists, respectively.

For the Raiders (25-10), who had won 17 of their previous 18 games, Keegan Records led with 14 points, followed by Sam Thomson with 11 and Braeden Smith, the Patriot League Player of the Year, with 10 points. However, their efforts fell short against the Bears’ efficiency and exceptional long-range shooting.

From start to finish, Baylor maintained control of the game, only surrendering the lead for a mere 48 seconds. The Bears surged ahead by double digits less than 5 1/2 minutes into the game and held a lead of at least 10 points for the final 28 minutes and 6 seconds.

After Colgate narrowed the gap to 31-23 with Thomson’s putback at the 8:28 mark, Baylor unleashed a 9-0 run, with key contributions from Dennis with a pullup jumper and a 3-pointer, accompanied by Walter and Josh Ojianwuna adding points for a commanding 40-23 lead with 5:34 remaining.

Despite various lineup changes attempted by Raiders coach Matt Langel, Baylor’s superiority remained constant throughout most of the match. The Bears exhibited exceptional ball movement and consistently converted open looks, shooting at an impressive 57.9 percent and averaging 1.69 points per possession in the first half.

At halftime, Baylor held a commanding 54-34 lead, highlighted by Yves Missi‘s emphatic dunk off Dennis’ missed layup just before the buzzer, with a 63.3 shooting percentage in the first half.

In addition, Baylor also outrebounded Colgate 33-24 over the course of the game, further solidifying their dominance on the court.

While Colgate managed a decent shooting percentage of 45.6, their struggles from beyond the arc, making only 5 of 18 attempts, hindered their ability to keep pace with Baylor.

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