National Basketball Association
Baylor 80, Wagner 59
When: 7:00 PM ET, Tuesday, March 13, 2018
Where: Ferrell Center, Waco, Texas
Officials:
# Larry Spaulding, # Danny Chance, # Steve Orkus
Attendance:
1988
By Field Level Media
Manu Lecomte poured in 24 points, with 15 of those coming on a 5-for-8 showing from beyond the 3-point arc, as Baylor rolled to an easy 80-59 victory over Wagner on Tuesday in an NIT first-round game at the Ferrell Center in Waco, Texas.
The Bears (19-14), one of four No. 1 seeds in the event, advance to play the winner of Wednesday's first-round contest between Mississippi State (22-11) and Nebraska (22-10). Wagner, from the Northeast Conference, ends its season at 23-10.
Baylor led by just 10 points after the third quarter -- the NIT uses four quarters instead of two halves for its games -- but put away the contest with a dominating fourth quarter, pushing to as much as a 24-point advantage in the game's waning minutes.
The Bears forged a 14-2 run to start the fourth quarter as Lecomte and King McClure hit 3-pointers, Nuni Omot threw down a dunk and Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. hit a putback basket.
Terry Maston added 13 points and eight rebounds for Baylor, which outshot the Seahawks 53 percent to 30 percent, including 50 percent (10 of 20) to 20 percent (6 of 30) from 3-point range. Omot scored 11 points and Lual-Acuil and McClure hit for 10 each for Baylor.
Blake Francis led Wagner with 23 points on 8-of-19 shooting but was the only Seahawks player to score in double figures. The Seahawks outrebounded Baylor 39-37 and forced the Bears into 19 turnovers.
Baylor never trailed as it sprinted to a 21-9 lead after the first quarter and pushed that advantage to 40-27 at halftime thanks to 18 first-half points by Lecomte.
The Bears outshot Wagner 54 percent to 29 percent in the first half but the Seahawks stayed within reach thanks to 15 points from Francis and a 21-15 advantage in rebounding.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
| Wagner |
|
Baylor |
|
Blake Francis 23 |
Scoring |
Manu Lecomte 24 |
|
Romone Saunders 5 |
Assists |
Manu Lecomte 6 |
|
Romone Saunders 8 |
Rebounds |
Terry Maston 8 |
|
Romone Saunders 5 |
Free Throws Made |
Manu Lecomte 3 |
|
Elijah Davis 2 |
Steals |
Jake Lindsey 3 |
|
AJ Sumbry 1 |
Blocks |
Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. 3 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| Wagner
|
59 |
29.6 |
6-30 |
11-15 |
10 |
31 |
1 |
7 |
13 |
| Baylor
|
80 |
52.6 |
10-20 |
10-18 |
21 |
31 |
6 |
6 |
19 |
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