FORT WORTH, TX – The No. 1 seed Baylor Bears opened up play in Dickie’s Arena in Fort Worth on Thursday afternoon to kickoff March Madness here in West Texas against No. 16 Norfolk State Spartans.
Baylor took control of this game as projected being the No. 1 seed out of the East. Baylor was questioned before the season if they were able to bounce back after loosing so many players after winning the big dance last year. They answered with taking the Big 12 this season and they showed no remorse in this first game of the tournament.
The Bears had a 16 point lead going into the half and this lead was grabbed early on and it stayed that way for the first 20 minutes of the game.
Baylor’s offense was stellar the entire first half. They shot 55 percent from beyond the arc and made seven three-pointers shooting 43 percent.
Matthew Mayer led the Bears with 10 points in the first half. What makes this Baylor team so powerful is their ability to have all players provide on offense. They don’t rely heavily on one person to make all the plays. They play as a team and have great ball movement.
Baylor took a 43-27 lead into the locker room.
The second half got underway and Baylor climbed to a 20-point lead with 15 minutes remaining in regulation.
Baylor played some solid defense in the second allowing the Spartans to only score 12 points in the first 15 minutes of the second half.
Norfolk State went on a 8-0 run with 4:20 left in regulation but the Bears already had a 29-point lead and the game was too far gone.
Baylor scored 11 three-pointers in the afternoon, out rebounded 38-29 and had kept Norfolk State to just 22 points in the second half to lead them to a 36-point win over the Spartans. The Bears shot 57 percent from the field and 40 percent from beyond the arc, shooting 11-of-27.
Baylor was led tonight by Matthew Mayer, he finished with 22 points and six rebounds.
Norfolk struggled from the floor shooting 32 percent from the floor and 22 percent from beyond the arc.
Joe Bryant Jr. led for the Spartans with 15 points and five rebounds.
Baylor will advance to the second round of the NCAA tournament. That game will be played in Fort Worth TX at Dickies Arena on Saturday. Times are TBD.
