MEMPHIS -- Jalen Bridges scored 23 points, Ja'Kobe Walter added 19 and third-seeded Baylor coasted past 14th-seeded Colgate 92-67 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday.
Jayden Nunn added 15 points, going 4 of 5 from three-point range, and RayJ Davis finished with 10 points and nine assists for Coach Scott Drew's Bears (24-10), who have won their past six first-round games in March Madness.
Baylor, which shot 38.8% from 3-point range during the season, finished at 53.3% (16 of 30) on Friday while setting a program record for scoring in an NCAA Tournament game. The Bears advance in the West Region to play No. 6 seed Clemson on Sunday.
"Hopefully, we saved a couple of made threes for the next game because 16 for 30 is pretty efficient," Drew said.
Keegan Records led Colgate with 14 points. Sam Thomson had 11 and Braeden Smith scored 10.
Colgate (25-10), which dominated the Patriot League in the regular season and won the conference tournament, fell to 0-7 in the NCAA Tournament. The Raiders had lost only once in their previous 18 games.
"Clearly, we had no chance of stopping them, the way they shot the ball," Colgate Coach Matt Langel said. "They put us in a number of dilemmas. Tip your cap to Baylor for their effort, getting the lead they did and managing the game the rest of the way."
Both teams shot well early, but Colgate only found success closer to the basket. The Bears switched to a zone defense that left the Raiders struggling from outside the arc. Colgate finished 5 of 18 on three-pointers.
"We have a lot of guys who are good shooters on our team," Records said. "We just couldn't get them to fall."
Baylor's three-point shooting helped the Bears build an early 22-point lead. Colgate made one of its first nine shots from deep.
Walter, the Big 12 freshman of the year, already had 15 points at the break as the Bears led 54-34.
"I really wanted to come out aggressive, set the tone early," Walter said. "My teammates, they were finding me. They were encouraging me. When we got things going, it was pretty hard to stop us."
Colgate made a slight dent in the deficit to open the second half, but it was not enough to threaten Baylor, which shot 57.9% overall.
"I feel like we let up a little bit defensively," Bridges said of Colgate's second-half start. "And that's something that we cannot do going forward, or we're going to be heading on a flight home."
CLEMSON 77, NEW MEXICO 56
MEMPHIS -- Chase Hunter scored 21 points and sixth-seeded Clemson ended No. 11 seed New Mexico's hopes of repeating the Mountain West's run in the NCAA Tournament, beating the Lobos.
The Lobos (26-10) came in as the Mountain West Tournament champs, a popular pick to be this tournament's version of San Diego State a year ago and favored by 2 1/2 points in this game, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. New Mexico won its league tournament, beating a trio of teams that also earned March Madness berths including SDSU -- last year's national runner-up.
Clemson (22-11) dominated on both ends, leading by 19 points in the first half and 23 in the second. The Tigers also held New Mexico to its worst shooting performance this season -- 29.7% from the floor and 13% (3 of 23) from three-point range.
ALABAMA 109,
CHARLESTON 96
SPOKANE, Wash. -- Mark Sears led the highest-scoring offense in the country with 30 points, and fourth-seeded Alabama had no problem making shots, racing past No. 13 seed Charleston.
After two other teams from the state of Alabama, UAB and Auburn, got bounced earlier Friday in Spokane, the Crimson Tide avoided boarding another charter plane for a long flight home.
Sears was the catalyst, turning a close game into a blowout with a pair of surges late in the first half and to begin the second. The second-team AP All-American hit the 30-point mark for the fourth time this season and helped get others involved. Sears made 9 of 13 shots, was 9 of 11 at the foul line and was equally troublesome for Charleston whether spotting up from deep or driving to the rim.
Sears posted his 23rd 20-point game of the season, tying the school record set by Reggie King in 1978-79.
Sears also drew the primary task of trying to slow down Charleston's leading scorer, Reyne Smith. He and his teammates succeeded as Smith finished with 13 points on 4-of-11 shooting.
Latrell Wrightsell Jr. had 17 points for Alabama (22-11) despite missing a chunk of the first half after his nose got smashed colliding with the back of the head of a Charleston player. Aaron Estrada scored 13.
Alabama came in averaging 90.8 points per game this season and topped 100 for the 10th time while setting a school record for scoring in the NCAA Tournament.
Ben Burnham led Charleston (27-8) with 19 points and Frankie Policelli scored 15. Kobe Rodgers added 14 points for the Cougars but had to be helped off the court with 4:07 left after appearing to suffer a left leg injury.
Baylor forward Jalen Bridges (11) celebrates a three-point basket during the second half of a first-round college basketball game against the Colgate in the NCAA Tournament, Friday, March 22, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. Baylor won 92-67. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Baylor guard RayJ Dennis (10) dunks the ball during the second half of a first-round college basketball game against the Colgate in the NCAA Tournament, Friday, March 22, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill)
Baylor guard Ja'Kobe Walter (4) celebrates with teammates during the second half of a first-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Friday, March 22, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. Baylor won 92-67. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill)
Baylor head coach Scott Drew yells to his players during the first half of a first-round college basketball game against the Colgate in the NCAA Tournament, Friday, March 22, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Colgate forward Ryan Moffatt (4) dribbles the ball past Baylor forward Jalen Bridges (11) during the first half of a first-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Friday, March 22, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Baylor guard Ja'Kobe Walter (4) dribbles the ball past Colgate guard Brady Cummins (1) during the first half of a first-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Friday, March 22, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill)
Baylor guard Jayden Nunn, left, and Colgate guard Brady Cummins, right, battle for a loose ball during the first half of a first-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Friday, March 22, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Colgate forward Ryan Moffatt, right, shoots past Baylor guard RayJ Dennis (10) during the first half of a first-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Friday, March 22, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill)
Baylor guard Jayden Nunn, right, is fouled by Colgate guard Braeden Smith, left, during the first half of a first-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Friday, March 22, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)