NEW YORK (AP) — Ja’Kobe Walter scored 24 points and 7-foot freshman Yves Missi posted his first career double-double Wednesday night as No. 13 Baylor beat Oregon State 88-72 in the opening game of the NIT Season Tip-Off at Barclays Center.
Baylor (5-0) led the entire way and will face the winner of the Florida-Pittsburgh nightcap in the championship game Friday evening.
Missi had 14 points and 14 rebounds. Jalen Bridges added 14 points for the Bears.
Dexter Akanno scored 16 for the Beavers (3-2). Jordan Pope had 13, DaJohn Craig added 12 and KC Ibekwe 10.
The Bears began taking control early in the first half with an 8-0 run that extended their lead to 15-4. Oregon State got within nine three times, the last at 25-16, but endured five straight empty trips during a 6-0 surge by Baylor.
The Beavers closed to 37-26 on a 3-pointer by Craig with 1:48 left, but Walter ended the half on a 7-0 run that he capped by converting a four-point play with 42 seconds left to give Baylor its biggest lead of the first.
Akanno scored six points as Oregon State began the second period with a 12-6 run, but Baylor coach Scott Drew called a timeout with 17:04 left and the Bears scored the next seven points. The Beavers got no closer than 13 the rest of the way.
BIG PICTURE
Baylor: Continued to thrive inside the 3-point line by shooting 57.8% (26 of 45) on 2-point field goal attempts.
Oregon State: Squandered chances to establish some momentum by turning the ball over on its first possession following each of the first four timeouts in the first half. The Beavers finished with 14 turnovers, leading to 25 points for Baylor.
UP NEXT
Baylor: Looks to win its seventh regular-season tournament under Drew. Four have come since 2016.
Oregon State: Will play the Florida-Pittsburgh loser in the third-place game Friday afternoon.
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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball