No. 9 Baylor rallies after George injury to beat No. 8 Texas

Updated Feb. 25, 2023 4:55 p.m. ET

Associated Press

WACO, Texas (AP) — Jalen Bridges had 17 points for ninth-ranked Baylor, which overcame a huge deficit with an impressive run right after freshman standout Keyonte George left injured early, and went on to beat Big 12 co-leader and No. 8 Texas 81-72 on Saturday.

Adam Flagler had 14 points for the Bears (21-8, 10-6 Big 12). Dale Bonner added 13 points, including seven in an quick spurt after halftime while Flo Thamba had 12 points and 12 rebounds.

Dylan Disu had a season-high 24 points for Texas (22-7, 11-5), which twice got even early in the second half but never could regain the lead. The Longhorns led by 14 points almost midway through the first half right after George appeared to turn his right ankle and hopped off the court without waiting for a timeout.

Texas went into Saturday tied for the Big 12 lead with reigning national champion and third-ranked Kansas, which played at home later in the day against West Virginia. With two regular-season games left, Baylor avoided being eliminated from a still-slim chance to share in its third consecutive Big 12 title.

George, who entered the game averaging 16.9 points to rank third among Division I freshmen, got hurt when he took an awkward step when dribbling just past midcourt. After taking another step, George lost the ball and left the court, bypassing the Baylor bench and disappearing into the tunnel that leads to the locker room.

Sir’Jabari Rice, who had a foul against George just before that segment, was fouled on a drive as play continued, and hit both free throws to put the Longhorns up 18-4 with 11:32 left in the first half.

Baylor then scored 25 of the next 30 points, including 18 in a row — with Bridges, Thamba and Flagler scoring five points in that last part.

Bonner, part of a double-technical foul late in the first half when things got a bit testy, put Baylor ahead by double figures for the first time with a 3-pointer that made it 50-40 with 14:15 left. Bonner had two steals in a 40-second span soon after that, turning both into layups.

Tyrese Hunter had 13 points for the Longhorns, while Rice and Timmy Allen each had 12. Marcus Carr scored 11.

BIG PICTURE

Texas: The Longhorns, who beat Baylor at home 76-71 on Jan. 30, missed out on their first regular-season sweep of the Bears since 2013-14. Texas was in control early, with a 16-0 run for its biggest lead. That spurt included Disu failing to convert a breakaway dunk attempt, but followed with a pair of 3-pointers in 38 seconds.

Baylor: The Bears have won the last six games of the series played in Waco, and 13 of 15 overall. ... The Bears are 27-11 against Top 25 teams the last four seasons, the best mark nationally.

UP NEXT

Texas plays Wednesday night at No. 24 TCU, which the Longhorns beat 79-75 on Jan. 11.

Baylor goes to Oklahoma State on Monday night after beating the Cowboys 74-58 earlier this season.

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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll