Baylor makes light work of UC Santa Barbara… and will play the winner of NC State and Creighton

Caleb Lohner scored a season-best 13 points in just 18 minutes, and No. 3 seed Baylor beat UC Santa Barbara 74-56 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday.

Adam Flagler led the Bears with 18 points, and LJ Cryer scored 11 of his 15 points in the second half.

Baylor (23-10) overcame a one-point halftime deficit to advance to play the Creighton-North Carolina State winner on Sunday in the South Region.

Lohner’s only other double-digit performance since transferring from BYU to Baylor for this season came back in November when he scored 11 against Virginia.

The Gauchos (27-8) looked like easy pickings for the Bears in the opening minutes before they used a 13-1 run to take a 26-22 lead.

Caleb Lohner put on a show – scoring 13 points in just 18 minutes in what was a season-high

Baylor (23-10) overcame a one-point halftime deficit to advance with relative ease Friday

The Gauchos led the Mountain West Conference with a .493 shooting percentage and that sharpshooting carried over to Ball Arena, where they shot 61.5% in the first half to take a 36-35 lead into the locker room.

That all went away after halftime, however. The Gauchos were held to 30.4% shooting in the second half and the Bears pulled away.

Miles Norris led the Gauchos with 15 points. Ajay Mitchell added 13.

The Bears, who won it all two years ago, are looking to reach the Sweet Sixteen for the sixth time in the program’s history.

Last year, Baylor fell to eighth-seeded North Carolina 93-86 in overtime in the second round as a No. 1 seed. 

The Bears will play the winner of North Carolina State-Creighton in the second round Sunday