New Orleans, LA (Sports Network) - LaceDarius Dunn had 26 points and six rebounds as third-seeded Baylor took down 11th-seeded Old Dominion, 76-68, in the second round of the South Region of the NCAA Tournament.
Josh Lomers had 14 points, eight rebounds, four steals and three blocks while Tweety Carter added 12 points and eight assists for the Bears (27-7), who will play No. 10 seed Saint Mary's in the next round as the Gaels shocked second- seeded Villanova earlier on Saturday. Baylor has never advanced past the Sweet 16 and is into the third round for the first time since 1950 when the event featured just eight schools.
Frank Hassell had 15 points and eight rebounds, Gerald Lee added 15 points, while Kent Bazemore donated 13 points and seven assists for the Monarchs (27-9), who defeated Notre Dame in the opening round of the tournament.
Old Dominion trailed by 10 points to start the second half, but scored the first nine of the frame with Hassell's slam making it a one-point game just under three minutes in.
A Dunn three-ball gave Baylor a 45-39 lead a few minutes later, but Ben Finney hit consecutive three-pointers to tie the game with 13 1/2 minutes to play.
The next several minutes saw neither team take more than a two-point lead until Dunn hit a layup and, following a Bazemore turnover, Lomers put in a layup for a 62-58 Baylor advantage with less than five minutes left.
Darius James countered with a three-ball from long range, but Lomers' layup went in as he was fouled and he drained the extra make to get the four-point advantage back.
Finney made 1-of-2 at the other end, but Dunn hit a three-ball and a Lee turnover was turned into a Carter layup for a 70-62 lead with 2:42 to play.
From there, Baylor hit its free throws to cruise into the next round.
Old Dominion got the first point of the game on a Hassell free throw, but Baylor scored the next 10 points with Dunn's slam making it a 10-1 game just over two minutes in.
The Bears built their lead to 14 points several times in the first half, but the Monarchs hung tough and cut into the deficit as Lee made a pair of free throws with 21.8 seconds to play to make it an eight-point game. Carter put in a layup as time expired and the Bears took a 38-28 lead into the break.
This was just the second-ever meeting between the two schools. In 1973, the Monarchs took an 87-79 decision over Baylor...It's just the fifth overall win for Baylor in the NCAA Tournament...Finney finished the game with 10 points and six rebounds.