Baylor MBB Drops Neutral-Site Game Against No. 24 Louisville, 82-71

[Hutton, Josie]

BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – Feb. 14, 2026

Baylor MBB Drops Neutral-Site Game Against No. 24 Louisville, 82-71
Williams IV earns 20 points in Dickies Arena
For more information contact: Josie Hutton; 254-709-7720, josie_hutton at baylor.edu<mailto:josie_hutton at baylor.edu>



FORT WORTH, Texas – Baylor men’s basketball battled with No. 24 Louisville into a halftime tie but a cold-night from three-point range proved to play a factor as the Bears fell 82-71 on Saturday afternoon at Dickies Arena.



Baylor (13-12, 3-9 Big 12) struggled to find its rhythm from the perimeter, knocking down just two of 22 attempts from beyond the arc. The Bears stayed even through the first 20 minutes, heading into the locker room tied 34-34.



Louisville (19-6, 8-4 ACC) shot 65-perent from the field in the second half and outpaced Baylor 48-37 after the break to pull it away. The Cardinals built their largest lead to 15 points with 11:54 remaining and maintained control down the stretch.



Isaac Williams IV paced the Bears with 20 points, while Tounde Yessoufou added 16 and Michael Rataj contributed 11. BU was efficient at the free-throw line, converting 25 of 30 and scored 36 points in the paint.



A balanced attack in the first half with every Bear in rotation scoring at least four points and the highest scorer with only six points gave BU a lead as big as seven, but the Cardinals held BU scoreless for the final four minutes to go into the half tied up, 34-34. Out of the break, the first five minutes proved to be the definer where Louisville took its largest lead and maintained it throughout the matchup.



THE RUNDOWN

A driving layup by Williams IV followed by a slam dunk by Caden Powell got the Bears going in Dickies Arena. Louisville responded and took the lead, but the Bears remained in a one-possesion game, narrowly trailing 15-12. A made second-chance bucket by Yessoufou put BU down by just one point, 15-14, at the second media timeout of the day.



Both teams went into defensive battles and offensive lulls, but the Cardinals started picking up pace from behind the arc, sinking five in the first 12 minutes to lead 23-18. But the Bears got a run going, tying the game at 23-all.



James Nnaji earned a foul on an offensive rebound and sank both free throws to give Baylor the lead. Nnaji earned a quick five points to give the Bears a 13-2 run and take the lead at 32-25.



However, the Cardinals held the Bears to only one made basket of its last eight attempts of the half to tie it back up and head into halftime knotted up 34-34.



After only making one three-pointer in the first half, Yessoufou put the Bears on the board with a made three, his 13th consecutive game finding a bucket from behind the arc.



Louisville responded quickly with a 7-0 run of its own, going up 48-41 while holding BU to no field goals over a six-minute span. The Cardinals kept pushing with a 12-point lead, 57-44.



Coming out of the under-12 media timeout, Baylor forced two turnovers and put four quick points on the board from Michael Rataj and Williams.



At the under-eight, Baylor found some momentum and cut the double-digit deficit to nine by draining six of its last eight field goals. Yessoufou and Williams kept driving, combining for 20 of Baylor’s 23 points in the second half with seven minutes left to play.



The Bears kept battling with Rataj, Williams and Yessoufou finding their way to double-figures to keep BU in the game. But despite the efforts made by Baylor, Louisville kept pushing and extended its lead and took the win, 82-71.



WHAT’S NEXT

Baylor will travel to Manhattan, Kansas to face Kansas State on Tuesday night at 8 p.m. on ESPN2.



 - BaylorBears.com -





Josie Hutton | Associate Director of Athletics Communications (MBB, FB, MTEN)
Department of Athletics | Baylor University
C: (254) 709-7720
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