Brady Heslip sure looked like he was enjoying himself Saturday night at The Pit. The Ontario native, who started his career at Boston College before transferring without playing a game, was on fire for third-seeded Baylor, helping the Bears secure a spot in the Sweet 16.
Heslip made 9 of 12 three-point attempts and finished with a career-high 27 points as Baylor eliminated former Big 12 foe Colorado, 80-63, in a South Region game in Albuquerque, that was much closer than the final score indicates.
Baylor, despite its day-glow yellow uniforms, advanced to play 10th-seeded Xavier or 15th-seeded Lehigh in the region semifinals on Friday in Atlanta.
For a time, it appeared the Bears (29-7) might be in trouble. Colorado freshman guard Askia Booker converted a three-point play then made a step-back three-pointer from the right wing to tie it 49-49 with 13 1 / 2 minutes left. Carlon Brown’s acrobatic putback one minute later gave the Buffaloes a 53-51 lead, their first advantage since 7-6 in the early going.
All of a sudden, Colorado, which moved to the Pacific-12 for this school year and was picked before the season to finish next-to-last in its new league, looked like it might pull the upset.
Heslip had made six three-pointers in the first half, but missed his only attempt in the first eight minutes of the second half.
However, the moppy-haired Canadian soon regained his shooting touch, his first long-range shot tying the score at 54-54. Booker answered with a long three-pointer, but Baylor then went on a 21-3 run that included two more three-pointers from Heslip.
Guard Pierre Jackson added 15 points for Baylor, while Booker led Colorado (24-12) with 15 points.
Box score: Baylor 80, Colorado 63
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