No. 25 BYU tops 11th-ranked Baylor 78-71 behind strong game from Khalifa

PROVO, Utah (AP) — Aly Khalifa had 14 points, seven assists, and seven rebounds to lead No. 25 BYU to a 78-71 victory over No. 11 Baylor on Tuesday night.

Jaxson Robinson scored 16 points and Trevin Knell added 13 for the Cougars (19-7, 7-6 Big 12), who earned their third home victory over a Top 25 opponent this season.

Jalen Bridges finished with 15 points and eight rebounds to lead the Bears. Ja’Kobe Walter and Yves Missi tallied 13 points apiece for Baylor (19-7, 8-5), which lost for just the second time in seven games.

BYU outscored Baylor 20-4 in second chance points after collecting 16 offensive rebounds and held the Bears to 5-of-20 shooting from 3-point range.

Robinson knocked down a pair of 3-pointers to break a 54-54 tie and fuel a 14-6 run. Fousseyni Traore and Noah Waterman made back-to-back dunks to cap the run and put BYU up 68-60 with 5:43 left.

Baylor never drew closer than four points the rest of the way. Robinson sealed the win with a 3-pointer and four free throws in the final two minutes.

Baylor started 9-of-11 from the field and built a 22-13 lead midway through the first half following back-to-back baskets from Miro Little and Walter.

BYU went on an 8-0 run to get back into the game and trimmed the deficit to one a 3-pointer from Spencer Johnson. Bridges banked in a 3-pointer to quell the run. Baylor couldn’t keep the Cougars from eventually erasing the deficit.

Dallin Hall knocked down a go-ahead transition 3-pointer off a steal to punctuate a second 8-0 run that put BYU up 29-27. Khalifa hit a pair of 3-pointers late in the half to extend the Cougars’ lead to 40-33.

BIG PICTURE

Baylor’s inability to score from the perimeter put the Bears in a tough spot. They made just one 3-pointer over the final 14 minutes of the first half and did not make an outside basket for the first 14 minutes after halftime.

BYU aggressively crashed the offensive glass and it helped the Cougars overcome a slow start on offense. The Cougars outscored Baylor 13-0 in second chance points before halftime while collecting nine offensive rebounds.