National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Baylor 88, West Virginia 75
When: 1:30 PM ET, Saturday, February 22, 2014
Where: WVU Coliseum, Morgantown, West Virginia
Officials: # Paul Janssen, # Bryan Kersey, # Keith Kimble
Attendance: 11843

Baylor 88, West Virginia 75: Royce O'Neale rode a perfect shooting performance to a career high-tying 22 points as the visiting Bears pulled ahead late and held on to beat the Mountaineers.

O'Neale, who came into the game averaging just six points per contest, went 8-for-8 from the floor - including 4-of-4 from beyond the arc - and hit both his free-throw attempts as Baylor (18-9, 6-8 Big 12) atoned for a 66-64 home loss to West Virginia back on Jan. 28. Isaiah Austin added 19 points and seven blocked shots while Cory Jefferson chipped in with 15 points and 12 rebounds.

Eron Harris' 32 points led the way for the Mountaineers (15-12, 7-7), who fell for the third time in four games. Juwan Staten added 16 points, eight rebounds and six assists in defeat.

Staten's layup gave West Virginia an early 17-9 lead, but that was the largest edge either team enjoyed in an otherwise tightly contested opening half. The Bears rallied to tie it at 31 on O'Neale's 3-pointer with 4:28 remaining in the half, but Harris responded with five straight Mountaineers points and Nathan Adrian added a 3-pointer with 21 seconds left to send West Virginia into the break with a 42-36 advantage.

Harris reeled off six straight points early in the second half to keep the Mountaineers ahead, but Kenny Chery's layup gave Baylor a 56-54 lead and O'Neale followed with a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession. His fourth 3-pointer of the day quelled a West Virginia uprising with 6:16 remaining and Austin put the game away with back-to-back layups.

GAME NOTEBOOK: O'Neale previously had 22 points twice in a three-game span early last season. Saturday's output marked just his fifth double-digit scoring effort of the year. ... Austin has 21 blocks over his last three games. ... Both teams' benches combined to score just 17 points.
Top Game Performances
 
Baylor   West Virginia
Royce O'Neale 22 Scoring Eron Harris 32
Kenny Chery 7 Assists Juwan Staten 6
Cory Jefferson 12 Rebounds Devin Williams 9
Cory Jefferson 4 Free Throws Made Eron Harris 8
Royce O'Neale 1 Steals Gary Browne 2
Isaiah Austin 7 Blocks Kevin Noreen 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Baylor 88 54.2 9-20 15-21 15 31 10 1 4
West Virginia 75 40.0 11-21 20-25 9 30 2 3 4