Arizona 81-70 Baylor (January 14, 2025) Game Summary

On By Littum

TUCSON, Ariz. — – Henri Veesaar scored 19 points and Arizona extended its winning streak to seven games with an 81-70 win over No. 25 Baylor on Tuesday night.

The Wildcats (11-5, 5-0 Big 12) beat UCF 88-80 on Saturday, but coach Tommy Lloyd wasn’t thrilled after they blew most of a 17-point lead.

Arizona responded with an early intensity the Bears (11-5, 3-2) couldn’t match, building a 27-point lead early in the second half behind a suffocating defense.

Baylor bounced back with a terrific second half, hitting eight straight shots to trim Arizona’s lead to 71-62 with 2 1/2 minutes left before running out of steam.

Robert Wright III had 16 points and VJ Edgecome added 14 for the Bears, who shot 20 of 29 from the floor in the second half.

Arizona’s Jaden Bradley had 13 points, six assists and five rebounds. The Wildcats shot 54% overall and 7 of 14 from 3-point range.

Takeaways

Baylor: The Bears moved back to AP Top 25 this week despite blowing a 15-point lead a 72-66 overtime victory against Arizona State on Saturday, but will likely bounce back after their dismal first half against Arizona.

Arizona: The Wildcats have found their groove after some early season struggles, opening the new year with wins over then-No. 16 Cincinnati, then no. 21 West Virginia and Baylor.

Key moment

Arizona jumped on Baylor from the opening tip, but broke the game open with a 15-2 run midway through the first half.

Key state

Baylor’s 19 first-half points were the fewest Arizona has allowed against a ranked opponent since holding Arizona State to 18 in 2009.

Next

Baylor hosts TCU on Sunday. Arizona plays at Texas Tech on Saturday.

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