Norchad Omier, Baylor too strong for Norfolk State

Field Level Media|published: Wed 11th December, 14:22 2024

NCAA Basketball: Abilene Christian at Baylor

Dec 9, 2024; Waco, Texas, USA; Baylor Bears head coach Scott Drew calls a play against the Abilene Christian Wildcats during the first half at Paul and Alejandra Foster Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images

Norchad Omier poured in 19 points and Robert Wright III had 16 points and 13 assists for his first career double-double, lifting Baylor to a 94-69 win over Norfolk State on Wednesday in Waco, Texas.

Baylor (7-3) trailed by three points late in the first half before rallying to take a six-point lead at halftime. The Bears blew open the game early in the second half, outscoring Norfolk State by a dozen points over the first five minutes.

Baylor led by 22 points after a jumper by Omier with 9:04 to play as the Bears held the visitors scoreless for more than three minutes. From there it was just a matter of how large the winning margin would be as Baylor captured its second straight game.

V.J. Edgecombe and Josh Ojianwuna added 16 points each for Baylor, which shot 55.4 percent from the floor and recorded 16 steals.

Christian Ings scored 12 points and Brian Moore Jr. and Jaylani Darden each added 11 points for the Spartans (6-5).

The Spartans went toe-to toe with Baylor over the first 11 minutes, never trailing by more than four points before taking a 20-18 lead on a 3-pointer at the 8:58 mark of the first half. The lead changed hands four times before Norfolk State took its biggest advantage of the half, at 26-23, when Chris Fields Jr. canned a pair of free throws with 6:22 to play.

The Bears responded with a 6-0 run capped by a layup by Wright that gave them a 29-26 edge with 4:36 remaining before halftime.

Baylor kept its foot on the gas, expanding its advantage to nine points on Langston Love's jumper with 53 seconds left before the Bears settled for 39-33 lead at the break.

Love led all players with eight points at halftime while Moore's seven points paced the Spartans. Norfolk State shot 52 percent from the floor while hitting six of its 10 3-point attempts over the first 20 minutes of play.

The Bears used their defense to take control of the game over the first four minutes of the second half, boosting their lead to 56-40 after Ojianwuna's dunk with 15:59 to play.

--Field Level Media