Teague scores 21, No. 24 Baylor beats Coastal Carolina

MaCio Teague scored 21 points and No. 24 Baylor pulled away to beat Coastal Carolina 77-65 in a Myrtle Beach Invitational semifinal

MaCio Teague scored 21 points and No. 24 Baylor pulled away to beat Coastal Carolina 77-65 on Friday night in a Myrtle Beach Invitational semifinal.

Davion Mitchell added 15 points and Jared Butler finished with 12 to help the Bears (4-1) earn a matchup with No. 17 Villanova on Sunday in the championship game.

Baylor trailed for the first 9 minutes of the second half before taking control with a 30-8 run and holding the Chanticleers (3-3) without a field goal for the final 8 minutes.

Keishawn Brewton had 17 points for Coastal Carolina, which lost leading scorer Ebrina Dibba to an apparent knee injury early in the second half.

The Chanticleers were looking for a second straight victory over a Power Five opponent after routing Utah 79-57 in the quarterfinals, but they had 22 turnovers that Baylor turned into 19 points.

Coastal Carolina led 54-47 on Gumbs-Frater’s layup with 14½ minutes to play. Mitchell started the decisive run with a free throw and a 3-pointer, and scored nine points during the burst while Teague added eight.

BIG PICTURE

Baylor: This was a character-building victory for the Bears, who rallied late to beat a feisty mid-major on its home floor. Baylor, which has four wins over the four mid-majors on its early-season schedule, now has a chance to make a statement for itself and for the Big 12 against the Wildcats.

Coastal Carolina: Another upset of a high-major program was within the Chanticleers’ grasp before that untimely cold spell. Of more pressing concern to them is the health of Dibba, a 12-point scorer who hurt his left leg while going up for a layup 4 minutes into the second half and was seen later on the bench with a brace on his knee. Dibba scored 19 points in the victory over Utah.

UP NEXT

Baylor: Faces No. 17 Villanova on Sunday in the championship game.

Coastal Carolina: Plays Mississippi State on Sunday in the third-place game.

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