Behind 51-percent shooting and eight points each from guards Pierre Jackson and Quincy Acy, the No. 3-seeded Baylor Bears lead No. 10 Xavier Musketeers, 36-29, at halftime of a NCAA Tournament, Sweet 16 contest in Atlanta, Ga. The winner moves on to the South Region finals and will play either No. 1 Kentucky Wildcats or No. 4 Indiana Hoosiers on Saturday.
Sophomore guard Brady Heslip netted all his seven points during a 22-4 game-opening run for Baylor, which game just 7 minutes, 29 seconds in.
However, the Musketeers didn't back down from the early thumping, and rallied to close the gap to within four points, 33-29, with 40 seconds remaining in the half. A 3-pointer by Jackson extended Baylor's lead to seven points heading into the locker room.
Overall, Xavier is paced by center Kenny Frease who has scored 12 points. The Musketeers are shooting 40-percent from the field, but have missed all six of their 3-point attempts.
