Paradise Island, Bahamas – LJ Cryer had 15 points and sixth-placed Baylor beat the state of Arizona 75-63 on Wednesday night to finish the game in the first round in Battle 4 Atlantis.
The state of Arizona will face Syracuse, who lost to VCU on Wednesday, in the consolation round on Thursday.
Matthew Mayer added 14 for national champions Bears (5-0), who led 45:31 until half-time and increased that lead to 22 in the middle of the second half. Baylor again showed offensive balance with five double-digit goalscorers while keeping Arizona State on 36% of the shooting, a combination that led the Bears to an eleventh straight win from their title run in the Indianapolis bubble last spring.
DJ Horne had 20 points ahead of the Sun Devils (2-3), including a jumper and a pair of 3 points in the first 2 1/2 minutes. Arizona State started at six and tied in the half by 8 1/2 minutes only to see Baylor put together a 19-4 burst – highlighted by 3s from James Akinjo, Adam Flagler and freshman Kendall Brown – um to take a 42-inch -27 lead.
The Sun Devils never hit the single digits again.
While putting down shots against Baylor’s defense was challenging, Arizona State didn’t help itself with 15 losses that resulted in 16 points and 15 more shots for the Bears, who had eight losses.
It’s been a bumpy start for the Sun Devils, with two early losses by three points. They lost a three-quarter field game to UC Riverside on November 11, followed by a loss to San Diego State on Saturday. And the second Marcus Bagley (10.0 points) did not travel to the Bahamas due to an ongoing knee problem.
The state of Arizona attempted its first win against a ranked non-conference opponent since defeating leaders Kansas in December 2018.
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