Skip to main content

Baylor Survives Gonzaga in National Championship Rematch

The Baylor Bears got their first big win of the season vs. No. 14 Gonzaga.

After getting blown out by the Marquette Golden Eagles on Tuesday, the No. 6 Baylor Bears Entered their Friday night national championship rematch against the No. 14 Gonzaga Bulldogs in the Peacock Class at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, looking to rebound in a big way.

Fortunately for the Bears, there was just enough offensive firepower to push them over the edge, as they took down the Bulldogs 64-63 in thrilling fashion.

Freshman phenom Keyonte George led the way for the Bears, scoring a game-high 18 points on 6 of 15 shooting to go along with six rebounds, two assists and two steals. 

As a team, however, the rest of the bears were not able to match George's output, shooting 37.1 percent from the field overall. 

George was one of just three Bears to finish in double figures. 

On the other end, the Bears forced the Bulldogs into similar struggles on the offensive end, allowing Gonzaga to hit just 36.1 percent of its shots. 

Luckily for the Bears timely the defense, in combination with a few timely opportunities, was just enough, as a late 8-0 run took them over the top, and brought home the win. 

Following their rematch with the Bulldogs, the Bears will now turn their attention back to Waco, where they will begin a four-game home stretch to wrap up non-conference play against the Tarleton Texans.

Big 12 play then begins on New Years' eve against the No. 23 ranked Iowa State Cyclones.


You can follow Matt Galatzan on Twitter @MattGalatzan

Want the latest in breaking and insider news for the Baylor Bears? Click Here

Follow Inside the Bears on Twitter and Facebook

Make sure to subscribe to our daily podcast @LockedOnBaylor today! Click here To Listen.

Want even more Baylor Bears News? Check out the SI.com team page here