Spokesman-Review
National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Baylor 81, Florida Gulf Coast 72
When: 8:00 PM ET, Friday, November 18, 2016
Where: Ferrell Center, Waco, Texas
Officials: # Doug Sirmons, # Brooks Wells, # Kerby Sitton
Attendance: 5906

Junior guard Manu Lecomte paced a balanced Baylor attack in the Bears' 81-72 victory over Florida Gulf Coast on Friday night at Ferrell Center in Waco, Texas.

Lecomte had 19 points and four assists as Baylor backed up its impressive win over No. 4 Oregon with a hard-fought victory over Florida Gulf Coast.

Junior guard Al Freeman added 18 points, and Jo Lual-Acuil Jr and Johnathan Motley each finished with 12 points for Baylor.

Florida Gulf Coast junior guard Brandon Goodwin led all scorers with 22 points.

Baylor attempted 17 free throws in the first half, outscoring Florida Gulf Coast 14-4 from the line to take a 42-32 lead into intermission. The Bears shot 65 percent from the floor in the first half and got 12 points from Freeman, who connected on all four of his shots from the floor.

Baylor outscored Florida Gulf Coast 27-10 at the foul line for the game.

Despite the Bears' blistering first half, the Eagles were down only five after Johnson got behind the defense for a breakaway layup early in the second half.

Florida Gulf Coast (1-2) opened the second half with a 23-13 run and took a 58-55 lead with 10 minutes to play.

Baylor responded, with Ishmail Wright converting a three-point play on a putback and free throw. The Bears then used a late 7-0 run to fend off the Eagles, who return four starters from last season's NCAA Tournament squad.

Baylor heads to the Bahamas next week for the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament. The Bears will open tournament play against Virginia Commonwealth on Wednesday.

The schedule doesn't get any easier for Florida Gulf Coast, which travels to No. 13 Michigan State on Sunday.
Top Game Performances
 
Florida Gulf Coast   Baylor
Brandon Goodwin 22 Scoring Manu Lecomte 19
Zach Johnson 4 Assists Manu Lecomte 4
Kevin Mickle 6 Rebounds Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. 7
Brandon Goodwin 5 Free Throws Made Manu Lecomte 7
Christian Terrell 1 Steals Ishmail Wainright 3
Zach Johnson 2 Blocks Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. 5
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Florida Gulf Coast 72 47.3 10-19 10-11 17 19 4 1 12
Baylor 81 52.1 4-17 27-31 15 27 6 7 12