WACO, Texas (AP) — RayJ Dennis had 17 points and seven assists, true freshman Ja’Kobe Walter scored 15 points with four 3-pointers and sixth-ranked Baylor remained undefeated with a 78-60 victory over Seton Hall in a Big East-Big 12 Battle game Tuesday night.
Dennis and Walter hit consecutive 3s for the Bears (9-0) after Seton Hall got within three points after halftime.
Kadary Richmond had 18 points for Seton Hall (5-3) while Dre Davis scored 12 and Jaden Bediako 10.
The Pirates, down by as many as 14 points before halftime, were within 50-47 on two free throws by Elijah Hutchins-Everett with 13:15 left. That capped an 11-3 run Davis started with a jumper, and he added a 3-pointer on a pass from Richmond, who had two baskets in that spurt. Seton Hall never got closer.
Dennis then hit a 3-pointer and assisted on Walter’s 3, set up by Josh Ojianwuna’s steal.
Along with all the made 3s — the Bears finished with 10 — they had a couple of highlight dunks from their big men.
Ojianwuna moved through the lane from the key for an emphatic slam, right after the back-to-back 3s by Dennis and Walter, to push Baylor’s lead back to 58-47 with just over 11 minutes left.
In the first half, Dennis made a nifty lob pass from outside the 3-point line to leaping 7-foot freshman Yves Missi, who had an impressive two-handed slam over 6-7 forward David Tubek for a 28-15 lead. Missi finished with 13 points and eight rebounds.
Walter had three 3-pointers in the game’s first 5 1/2 minutes as Baylor went ahead 15-9. Walter then miss five shots in a row and didn’t score again until making three free throws after being fouled on another long-range shot early in the second half.
BIG PICTURE
The Big 12 won all three games it played against Big East teams on Tuesday to clinch the conference challenge 7-3 with one game left to play — No. 12 Texas plays at eight-ranked Marquette on Wednesday night. It was the first true road game this season for Seton Hall, and the Pirates hit their first three shots as the lead changed three times in the first 2 1/2 minutes before Walter’s second 3 made it 8-6 and put Baylor ahead to stay. The Bears got their 400th win in the Ferrell Center, the arena they have played in since 1988 and where they have only one more game before moving into a new arena on Jan. 2
UP NEXT
Seton Hall is back home in New Jersey for their annual game against instate rival Rutgers on Saturday night.
Baylor doesn’t play again until Dec. 16 with final exams getting started this week. The Bears return to action then against Michigan State in Detroit, and play 22nd-ranked Duke in Madison Square Garden four days after that.
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