Washington State upsets No. 15 Baylor 77-71
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Klay Thompson scored 20 points, including two key 3-pointers down the stretch, and Washington State held on to upset No. 15 Baylor 77-71 in the semifinals of the Diamond Head Classic on Thursday.
The Cougars (10-1), who nearly squandered a 20-point second-half lead, withstood a furious rally by the Bears for their fifth straight win. Five players reached double figures for Washington State, which advanced to Saturday's championship game against the winner of the Butler-Florida State semifinal.
Thompson, the son of former No. 1 NBA draft pick Mychal Thompson, made a 3 to give Washington State a 66-64 lead with 4:29 left. He hit another 3 with 1:10 to go and made two free throws with 32 seconds left.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}LaceDarius Dunn scored 29 points, all but four in the second half, for the Bears (8-2), while Quincy Acy had 16 points and 12 rebounds.
Down by 20 points, the Bears went on a 29-6 run capped by Dunn's off-balance jumper with 6:49 left to give Baylor a 62-61 lead. It was the first time the Bears led since they had an 8-7 advantage in the opening minutes.
Dunn added two free throws giving Baylor a 64-61 lead. That's when the Cougars, behind Thompson's sweet stroke, took over. Thompson was 5 of 8 from the field, and 5 of 6 from beyond the arc.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Faisal Aden scored 13 points for the Cougars, including a 15-foot baseline jumper that gave them the 20-point lead with 14:29 left. Reggie Moore, Brock Motum and DeAngelo Casto all added 12 points.
Baylor missed its first 16 shots from 3-point range. Dunn missed his first 11 before hitting his first 3 with 10:31 left. His 3-pointer drew Baylor to 68-67 with 1:41 left, but the Bears couldn't get any closer.
While the Bears had trouble penetrating Washington State's zone defense, the Cougars patiently picked apart Baylor with sharp outside shooting and inside passing.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Washington State shot 57.1 percent from the field while Baylor shot 36.7 percent, including 4 of 22 from 3-point range.
Freshman Perry Jones III picked up three fouls and sat out the last 7:48 of the first half. He had two points at halftime and finished with 11 points and seven rebounds.