Baylor Bear Insider
PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas – Facing a stifling VCU defense that forced 18 turnovers and held Baylor to season lows for points and shooting percentage, the sixth-ranked Bears overcame an extended first-half drought to defeat the Rams, 69-61, Thursday night in advancing to the championship game of the Battle 4 Atlantis.
Freshman forward Kendall Brown was a perfect 6-of-6 from the floor and scored all 14 of his points in the second half in helping Baylor (6-0) win its 30th-consecutive non-conference game and extend its nation-best winning streak to 12 in a row, including eight games at neutral sites.
"We knew it was going to be a really good game where it's an NCAA Tournament type of feel," said Baylor coach Scott Drew, whose team improved to 25-4 in regular-season tournament games since 2013. "Credit our guys for doing a great job on the glass. The difference in the game was 15-3 second-chance points. I thought our front line did a great job."
The Bears won the battle of the boards, 42-33, limiting VCU (3-3) to just three points on 12 offensive rebounds, finished with a 20-14 edge in points off turnovers and also outscored the Rams, 18-7, at the free throw line.
"It was our first real test in terms of a close game at the end," said Matthew Mayer, who was 3-of-5 from 3-point range, scoring a team-high 15 points to go with six rebounds, two steals and a block. "I think we're a really good team and we've got a lot of toughness. I'm just glad we could get that out of the way so we can find that out about ourselves."
Baylor got out to a double-digit lead in the first half, going up 17-6 on a LJ Cryer floater with 13:15 left in the half. But, the Bears scored just 12 points over the next 13 minutes and were outscored 13-4 down the stretch, clinging to a two-point halftime lead, 29-27.
"When you're playing multiple games in multiple days, it's tough on your legs," Drew said. "Playing against a team that traps and pressures and does what they do, it's just a constant pressure. Fatigue makes cowards of us all. A deep bench is so critical to our success. And being able to keep guys fresh and rotating them in and out was important."
Tying his career high with 13 points off the bench, Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua scored 11 first-half points, knocking down 5-of-6 shots. He hit his first career 3-pointer and also hit another long-distance jumper with his foot on the line.
"Jon's worked really hard on his outside shot," Drew said of the 6-8 senior forward. "Both of them were late shot clock, catch and shoot. Those are the ones we want him taking. He was really efficient, 6-for-8, eight rebounds, really helped us, especially the first half when we needed that energy."
After missing his three shots in the first half, Brown took up the slack, scoring the Bears' first six points of the second half with a dunk, a driving layup and two free throws. Adam Flagler, who scored all nine of his points in the second half, capped a 9-0 run with a three-point play that got the lead back to double digits, 38-27.
"My teammates just talked to me and said play my game and play with a lot of energy, and that's what I did," said Brown, who was 6-of-9 overall, adding five rebounds and a steal. "I kept going at it, and we stuck together. That's what happens when we play together, we get good looks."
VCU fought back within three, 45-42, on a 3-pointer by Marcus Tsohonis and kept it within single digits the rest of the way. The Rams made one final push, getting within 65-61 on a pair of free throws and a layup off a steal with 15.3 seconds left.
But, James Akinjo and Flagler knocked down four-straight free throws to nail down the victory for the Bears.
Vince Williams scored a game-high 17 points and added five assists for the Rams (3-3), while Levi Stockard III had 13 points and six rebounds. VCU will wrap up the tournament with a third-place game against UConn.
Baylor advances to Friday's 10 a.m. CST championship game against Michigan State (5-1), which upset 22nd-ranked UConn, 64-60, in the other semifinal.
"Traditionally, we're two of the best rebounding teams in the country," Drew said of Baylor and Michigan State. "It will be a grown man's game."
The Bears are 5-0 all-time in the Battle 4 Atlantis, winning the 2016 title with wins over VCU, Michigan State and Louisville. Baylor also won the 2017 Hall of Fame Classic and 2019 Myrtle Beach Invitational.
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No. 6 MBB Earns Spot in Battle 4 Atlantis Finals with Win over VCU - Baylor University Athletics - BaylorBears.com
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