NCAA College Basketball Box Scores

National Basketball Association

BOXSCORE | RECAP

Baylor 118, Savannah State 86

When: 3:00 PM ET, Sunday, December 17, 2017
Where: Ferrell Center, Waco, Texas
Officials: # Tom Eades, # Lee Jones, # Kerby Sitton
Attendance: 6996

By The Sports Xchange

WACO, Texas -- Baylor used its inside-outside game to great effectiveness in fighting off Savannah State.

Bears forward Jo Lual-Acuil posted a hefty double-double with 31 points and 20 rebounds and guard Manu Lecomte hit 7 3-pointers on his way to 25 points as the No. 21 Bears pounded the Tigers 118-86 on Sunday at the Ferrell Center.

Baylor scored 54 points in the paint and outrebounded Savannah State 58-26. The Bears' dominance inside allowed them to weather Savannah State's fits of hot shooting.

The Tigers finished 20 of 51 from 3-point range to set a Ferrell Center team record for most baskets from beyond the arc.

"We knew they were wanting to come out and play fast and shoot 3s," Lual-Acuil said. "We just had to make sure that we contested as much of them as possible and not get caught up in their game, just play our game."

Guard King McClure finished with 19 and forwards Nuni Omot and Mark Vital added 19 and 12, respectively, to join Lual-Acuil and Lecomte in double-digit scoring for Baylor (9-2).

Guard Dexter McClanahan scored 22 to lead Savannah State (3-10).

The Tigers closed the gap to 10 points in the second half when McClanahan nailed a 3-pointer from the left side. McClanahan's trey, the Tigers' 17th of the game, capped a 14-2 run.

But Baylor punched back with a 13-2 run to go ahead 91-70. Lual-Acuil completed a three-point play and threw down a two-handed dunk to highlight the surge.

"I think (Baylor coach Scott Drew) did a good job at that time of going to his strength versus our weakness, which was excellent," Savannah State coach Horace Broadnax said. "We just couldn't stop the guys inside."

McClanahan and backcourt teammate Austin Dasent, who finished with 18 points, each went 6 of 12 from 3-point range. The Tigers had 24 assists and just 10 turnovers as they attempted to offset Baylor's distinct size advantage.

"If we're going to get our head cut off by Baylor, we're going to get it cut off doing what we do," Broadnax said. "I told them to stay the script and that's how we're going to play."

Baylor shot 62 percent from the field and scored 61 points in the first half as the Bears distanced themselves from Savannah State.

Lecomte connected on 4 of 8 3-point shots as he and McClure each scored 14 in the first 20 minutes.

"I think we did a great job as a team of finding each other," Lecomte said. "They did a great job of finding me. We did a great job of finding Jo inside. Obviously, they couldn't stop him. It was really a fun game."

But it was a brief period of solid defense by Baylor that defined the first half. The Bears kept Savannah State from scoring for more than five minutes and built a 25-point edge.

Baylor went on a 21-0 run during the Tigers' scoring drought. Omot scored the first seven points of the spurt as he hit a free throw and a pair of treys. Forward Tristan Clark capped the run with a jumper in the lane to put the Bears in front 37-12 with 8:35 remaining before halftime.

But Savannah State found the range late in the half and kept from falling farther behind by the break. The Tigers hit 11 of 26 from beyond the arc in the first half and trailed 61-37 at halftime.

NOTES: Baylor leads the series with Savannah State 4-0. All of the games have taken place since 2005 and all have been in Waco. ... Savannah State, which ranks 351st nationally in scoring defense, has given up 100 or more points in eight of its 13 games. ... Savannah State has defeated only one NCAA Division I team so far this season, a 101-97 win over Alabama State. The Tigers also have wins against National Christian College Athletic Association member Carver College and NAIA's Middle Georgia State.

Top Game Performances

Savannah State		Baylor
Dexter McClanahan 22	Scoring	Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. 31
Dexter McClanahan 5	Assists	Nuni Omot 8
Dexter McClanahan 6	Rebounds	Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. 20
Dexter McClanahan 2	Free Throws Made	Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. 11
Austin Dasent 3	Steals	Jake Lindsey 2
Austin Dasent 1	Blocks	Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. 3

Team Stats Summary

Team	Points	FG%	3PM-3PA	FTM-FTA	Assists	Rebounds	Blocks	Steals	Turnovers
Savannah State	86	38.0	20-51	6-9	24	23	2	10	10
Baylor	118	59.4	14-33	22-31	32	54	7	3	18