The top-seeded Baylor Bears defeated the Houston Cougars 78-59 in the semifinals of the NCAA March Madness Tournament to advance to the championship for the first time since 1948.
Baylor broke out its first Final Four appearance since 1950 and will face the championship battle where the Bears tackle the winner of the Gonzaga UCLA semifinal.
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The Bears dominated the first half of the game and went 45-28 at halftime as the Cougars struggled to get their defense.
Houston shot 55.8 points and 39% through four tournament games, while a team could not score more than 61 points, but they did not stand a chance against Baylor’s elite guards and his wealth of three point shooters.
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The Bears shot down 53% and made 11 of 24 three-pointers, with Jared Butler leading the attack, despite failing to make it into the second half.
The only highlight for Houston was Marcus Sasser’s attacking performance for the second time in the first half, with 17 of his 20 points, while the rest of the team collectively scored 1 of 15 from the field.
It was a cruel end to the journey for a team that reached the first Final Four program since 1984.
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The Bears move on to the championship game where they will face Gonzaga, the overall number 1 series, or UCLA on Monday night for their first national championship.
“It was one of my goals to leave a legacy at Baylor,” Butler said after the game. “And you have to win national championships. You have to win. You have to be a great program, go about amazing things, and that’s what we do.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.