The Baylor Bears played an up-and-down game, battling with a resilient West Virginia squad in a pre-Christmas Eve matchup. The Bears took a seven-point lead into the half, pushed it to 10 in the second, but needed overtime to put away the Mountaineers and stay perfect on the season with an 83-81 win.

Down by 10 at one point in the second half, West Virginia rallied all the way back to eventually take a 76-73 lead. A.J. Walton fouled Darryl Bryant on a three with just under three minutes to go, and Bryant made all three to give the Mountaineers a three-point advantage. For the next two and a half minutes, both teams traded empty possessions as Baylor hung around after blowing its lead.

Pierre Jackson came off a high screen just beyond halfcourt, pulling up just beyond the three-point line for a wide-open shot with just under 20 seconds to go. Down three at the time, Jackson calmly buried the pull-up jumper from beyond the arc, knotting the game at 76.

West Virginia's next possession resulted in a missed jumper, giving Baylor one more chance. The Bears used a 3/4 court inbounds pass to find Quincy Acy at the free throw line, but his turnaround jumper rattled in and out at the buzzer, sending the game into overtime.

Overtime was a bit less dramatic, with Baylor opening up a five-point lead and hanging onto it for much of the extra frame. West Virginia was able to close the gap to two on a Jabarie Hinds three, but it was as close as the Mountaineers would get. Hines was able to get the last shot after the 'Eers made a defensive stop, but his pull-up from the free throw line missed everything as the Bears hung on for an 83-81 win.

For more on this game, head over to our West Virginia blog, Smoking Musket, and our Baylor blog, Our Daily Bears.