Langston Love made all four of his free throwing attempts in overtime to meet their 12-AV-12-effort from the line when Baylor edged West Virginia 74-71 on Saturday in Waco, Texas.
Love ended with 17 points to share the team with Norchad Omier, who also took 10 returns before he fouling out in the last seconds of overtime. Robert Wright III got 16 points and Jalen Celestine added 10 points for Baylor (16-9, 8-6 Big 12) who has shared her last six matches.
Javon Small had a game high 22 points and six assists, while Toban Okani added 19 points and seven returns for WVU (15-10, 6-8) in his second straight loss.
Love first did overtime on a couple of free throw to give Baylor a lead of 67-65. Wright made two more to push the bears forward with four with 1:36 left during the extra period.
After Amani Hansberry’s Jumper gave the rock climbers his first overtime points with 1:15, love beat two more free throw by 52.7 seconds to go to drive Baylor’s lead to 71-67.
Small responded with a driving arrangement and WVU was down 71-69. His free throw pulled the rock climbers within 73-71 with 14 seconds left.
WVU was down three when Celestine missed her second free throw in the last seconds, but Omier’s offensive recovery helped Bears secure the victory.
Separation was difficult to get for any of the law. The game contained 11 bands and 10 lead changes. Wright missed a layout in the closing seconds of regulation and Jonathan Powell’s half -court for WVU clinged from the edge.
The bears went up 65-63 at Wright’s choral scheme with 1:34 to play. But Hansberry made a couple of free throw for WVU to bind the game at 65.
A deep 3-pointer from Small bound game at 21 with 5:10 left during the first half, but it was the last points that the rock climbers would score for over four minutes. Late in the first half, Baylor went on a 9-0 driving highlighted by a left-wing arrangement of Omier, who sealed his defender for a lead of 28-21 with 2:08 left in the first half.
Small’s two-handed sludge and foul-line floater snapped Bears’ rally when the rock climbers beat 30-25 at half time.
-Field level media
