Norchad Omier scored 22 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lift Baylor to a 76-61 road victory over Utah in Salt Lake City on Saturday afternoon.
VJ Edgecombe added 21 points with six boards and Robert Wright III chipped in with 14 points as the Bears (13-6, 5-3 Big 12) won their second straight game.
Ezra Ausar led the Utes (11-8, 3-5) with 19 points and seven rebounds in their second straight league loss. Miro Little totaled 12 points, eight rebounds and seven assists off the bench.
Baylor seized control for good after a Gabe Madsen dunk helped the Utes pull within 61-53 with 5:43 remaining.
Omier scored seven points during a 9-2 run over the next three minutes to rebuild the lead to 15. He finished shooting 6-for-9 from the field and 8-of-10 from the free-throw line while adding two assists, two steals and a block.
The Utes struggled offensively, shooting just 40 percent overall and hitting 5 of 23 3-pointers (21.7 percent). Baylor shot 43.9 percent from the field and 37.5 percent beyond the arc, including a 4-for-6 outing from distance by Edgecombe.
Utah started strong, taking a 9-2 lead after a 3 by Madsen and three inside baskets by Ausar.
The Bears responded with a 24-5 run – holding the Utes scoreless for nearly five minutes during one stretch – to seize the lead for good.
Edgecombe scored five straight points later in the first half to put Baylor up 34-18.
Utah pulled within seven at the half but couldn’t get any closer than six in the second half before the Bears rebuilt their double-digit lead.
Madsen, who averages 15.3 points, had another quiet game, making only 2 of 10 shots for five points. He’s scored just 21 points over his last three games.
Baylor helped itself at the free-throw line, making 17 of 20 foul shots. The Utes went 12-for-20 from the charity stripe.
The Bears also outrebounded the Utes 39-33.
–Field Level Media
