Taurean Prince leads Baylor to victory over West Virginia
No. 19 Baylor defeated No. 20 West Virginia 78-66 on Saturday in Waco for their fourth consecutive win.
Taurean Prince racked up 20 points and Royce O'Neale and Rico Gathers put up 18 and 17 points respectively to hand West Virginia their fourth loss of February.
The Mountaineers' leading scorer, Juwan Staten, was forced to miss the matchup with an injury to his left knee, and his absence showed as West Virginia struggled to put up points.
After Baylor put up its first points thanks to a dunk by Gathers, the Bears went on an unstoppable run. Despite a late layup and 3-point jumper by West Virginia's Jevon Carter, Baylor closed the first half with a 16-point lead.
The second half had the game within reach for West Virginia. Carter put the team on his back, finishing with 25 points and five rebounds, and brought them within 11 points of Baylor at one point, but the Mountaineers finished shooting 39.7 percent from the field.
A 22-7 West Virginia squad will face eighth-ranked Kansas on March 3, while Baylor, which has the same record, will take on Texas on March 2.