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Friday, December 21, 2001
FIU drops 65-61 San Juan
winners' bracket game to Baylor
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a battle featuring two of the nation's top freshmen talents,
Baylor used first and second half runs to subdue FIU, 65-61,
in a second-round winners'-bracket men's basketball game at the
San Juan Shootout in Carolina, Puerto Rico.
Freshman forward Lawrence Roberts led Baylor with 15
points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots in helping the
Big 12 Conference Bears to an impressive 9-1 early-season record.
Not to be outdone, FIU (5-5) got just as impressive a showing
from its talented freshman Taurance
Johnson who led all scorers with a career high-tying
20 points to go along with eight rebounds and three blocks. Rodrigo Viegas
was the only other Golden Panther in double figures with 12 points.
In an exhausting up-and-down first half, the game was tied
at 18 with about nine minutes remaining when Baylor went on a
10-2 run over the next five minutes for an eight-point 28-20
advantaged.
FIU broke its scoring drought on a three-point basket by Viegas
with 3:26 to play, but Baylor led at the intermission, 33-27.
It was Viegas and Johnson who carried the bulk of the offensive
load for FIU in the half, combining for 23 points.
The Golden Panthers came out and scored the first eight points
of the second half and, with a Johnson monster dunk, grabbed
a 35-33 lead, two minutes in. Baylor got the lead back at 42-40
with 15:15 to play, then went on another run, this time 15-3
over the next eight minutes giving the Bears what seemed to be
a comfortable 57-43 advantage with 7:44 to play.
FIU fought its way back into the contest, however, thanks
to a 13-4 run of its own and closed to within 61-56 on a pair
of Carlos
Morban free throws with 1:40 left.
But Baylor, who had been averaging better than 90 points scored
per game on the year and had yet to score below 70 points, kept
its poise, converted its free throw opportunities down the stretch
and preserved its fourth-straight victory.
"That says a lot about this Baylor team," said FIU
head coach Donnie
Marsh. "They didn't have their typical high-scoring
game tonight but they still pulled out the win.
"I was pleased with the efforts our kids gave. This was
the kind of game we wanted. We didn't want an 80-85 point game.
We wanted to keep the score down."
No. 1-seeded Baylor goes on to the San Juan Shootout finals
Saturday against Texas-Pan American (9-3). FIU goes for third
place when it takes on Oral Roberts (4-8) Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
(ET). |