Baylor wins rematch with national champion Kentucky

The Baylor men’s basketball team finished what was left undone during the NCAA tournament last year.

In last year’s tournament, the Bears were ousted by the Kentucky Wildcats in the Elite Eight. The Wildcats eventually went on to become the national champions.

The Bears traveled to No. 8 Kentucky today, and showed the Wildcats they had not forgotten about last year’s pivotal game as they made their way to a 64-55 victory today. With the win, Baylor snapped Kentucky’s 54-game home winning streak.

It was an effective day for the Bears with five Baylor players scoring in double digits. Guard Pierre Jackson led the way with 17 points followed by freshman center Isaiah Austin and guard A.J. Walton who each added 11. Forward Cory Jefferson had 10 points for the Bears and guard Brady Heslip matched those points as he returned to the starting lineup after recovering from an appendectomy.

The Bears trailed for the first 15 minutes of the game, but took the 20-19 lead on a three-pointer from Jackson. The Bears kept the game close and ended the half with a 12-2 run to enter halftime with a 34-29 win.

Baylor only shot 41 percent during the game, but the zone defense of the Bears stepped in and held Kentucky to 21-of-71 from the floor and forced Kentucky into 16 turnovers.

The Bears return home to host Northwestern on Dec. 4 at 8:00 p.m. CT in the Ferrell center where they hope to improve to 6-2. -- Savannah Pullin