George scores 19, leads No. 11 Baylor over Washington State

Keyonte George scored five straight points that gave Baylor the lead for good and finished with 19, as the 11th-ranked Bears beat Washington State 65-59 in the final game of Sunday’s Pac-12 Coast-to-Coast Challenge

ByThe Associated Press

December 19, 2022, 12:11 AM

Baylor guard LJ Cryer (4) battles Washington State guard TJ Bamba (5) for space during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Brandon Wade)

The Associated Press

DALLAS — Keyonte George scored five straight points that gave Baylor the lead for good and finished with 19, as the 11th-ranked Bears beat Washington State 65-59 Sunday night in the final game of the Pac-12 Coast-to-Coast Challenge.

George, a freshman guard who has started every game for Baylor, converted two free throws that put the Bears ahead 44-43 with 10:32 left in the second half. Following a steal by Dale Bonner on Washington State’s next possession, George hit a fade-away 3-pointer for a 47-43 lead with 9:46 to go.

Adam Flagler added 12 points for Baylor (8-2), which came in averaging 84.6 points, 12th-best in Division I. The Bears were held to their second-lowest point total of the season.

Jabe Mullins, back in the lineup after missing four games with a knee injury, led the Cougars (4-6) with 16 points off the bench. TJ Bamba added 14 points and Justin Powell 12.

BIG PICTURE

Washington State: When will the Cougars put their planned starting five on the court? Mullins, the team’s No. 2 scorer averaging 14.2 points, returned to the lineup as a reserve. They’ve played all season without projected starters Dishon Jackson (a center, out indefinitely with an unspecified medical issue) and forward F Andrej Jakimovski (a guard, foot injury).

Baylor: Played its first game after 11 days off, and will now play three games in 11 days. Will their win over Washington State be enough to return them to the top 10? That would likely require voters deciding No. 6 Tennessee’s loss at No. 9 Arizona this week slots them behind the Bears.

UP NEXT

Washington State: Faces George Washington on Thursday in the first of three games at the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu.

Baylor: Hosts Northwestern State on Tuesday.

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