Jojo Doria

Albuquerque, NM

Brady Heslip's role as the Bears' lights out 3-point threat took centerstage as he unloaded career highs of nine triples and 27 points, as Baylor toppled the Colorado Buffaloes 80-63 in the third round of the NCAA Tournament at University Arena.

Heslip's sharpshooting -- 9-of -13 from the floor and 9-of-12 from long range helped the Bears (29-7) take over the game.

Heslip, who drained 5-of-10 from the 3-point arc to help Baylor against the gritty South Dakota State Thursday, made six from behind the arc in the first half to keep his cold-shooting teammates close against Colorado.

It helped Baylor take a 37-35 lead at the break.

Heslip, who missed only three shots from long range, was two shy of the Pitt record, set by the late Bobby Phills in 1990 while playing for Southern. The Bears' 21-year-old sophomore guard's feat was also only two shy of the NCAA tournament mark set by Loyola Marymount's Jeff Fryer against Michigan in 1990.

Heslip's sterling effort matched the number recorded by Purdue's Courtney Moses in a women's tournament game held a few hours earlier.

Baylor, which made 11-of-20 from 3-point range (55 percent) and 28-of-64 from the floor (43.8 percent) received 15 points and 10 boards from Pierre Jackson.

Baylor's sophomore sensation Perry Jones III, who entered the tilt with team-high averages of 13.6 points and 7.8 rebounds per game, ended with seven markers and four boards.

The Bears, seeded third which matched the highest seed in program history, will clash with 10th-seeded Xavier in Friday's South Regional semifinal in Atlanta.

The 11th-seeded Buffaloes (24-12), who advanced to the third round following an upset of UNLV Thursday, were paced by reserve guard Askia Booker's 15 points. Austin Dufault had 14 points, while Andre Roberson finished with 13 and eight rebounds in defeat.

 

Heslip Hits Nine Triples, Baylor Routs Colorado