Bears happy to run with KU

By Benton Smith     Feb 10, 2008

Fast was what the Bears wanted, and fast is what they got.

Baylor coach Scott Drew never intended to slow down the game against Kansas University on Saturday.

Trouble was, once the Jayhawks got running, the Bears couldn’t stop them, and Baylor fell to No. 4 KU, 100-90, at Allen Fieldhouse.

“We love to run, they love to run – it’s the two highest-scoring teams in the conference,” Drew said. “I was just hoping we’d have the 100 and they’d have the 90.”

KU scored 20 fast-break points and had 21 points off turnovers. Baylor (17-5 overall, 5-3 Big 12 Conference) lamented its lack of transition defense, citing it as the main culprit in the loss.

“We lost the game because of transition defense,” Drew said, reiterating that BU knew the Jayhawks (23-1, 8-1) loved to run. “Our team knew it. We knew it. Somehow there was a big breakdown, so we’re going to have to find out what it was. Hopefully if we play them again in the Big 12 tournament we can correct it. That was the difference in the game.”

Drew wasn’t the only Bear already thinking about the possibilities of a rematch with KU, which would have to come in the Big 12 tournament next month or later down the road in March Madness.

Junior guard Curtis Jerrells, who scored a game-high 30 points, said his team’s performance Saturday would give the Bears confidence if the two squads battled again.

“They had a difficult time scoring on us in the half-court,” Jerrells said. “Our 7-footers (starting center Josh Lomers and reserve Mamadou Diene) did a good job of blocking shots and rebounding early on.”

Freshman guard LaceDarius Dunn, who scored 23 and drained five threes, said he was eager to dissect game film and find his team’s flaws.

“I think if we get a rematch, we can pull it off,” Dunn said.

Coach Drew wanted to give the game tape a look as well.

“That’s the beauty of film, you can find out what went wrong. But the bad thing is it doesn’t help the situation now,” the fifth-year coach said.

The Bears took some pride in their ability to play with KU for most of the contest.

With 10:03 to go in the first half, Baylor jumped to a 20-13 lead on a Jerrells three, his first of three treys in the half. The Bears trailed by just three at the half and tied the game at 50 with 13:13 remaining when Dunn converted a rare four-point play by drawing a Brandon Rush foul on a converted three-pointer.

“I think for the first time, they had to step up their game in the second half,” said Drew, 0-5 against the Jayhawks. “When it was tied, I thought we saw them take it to another level, and credit the KU players for that and coach (Bill) Self. But we haven’t made them go to that extra gear before. The good thing is we’re getting closer. The bad thing is, we came to win.”

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