No. 12 Baylor puts new look up against Sam Houston State
No. 12 Baylor hosts Sam Houston State in a game that pits a pair of teams with conference championship aspirations on Tuesday night in Waco, Texas.
Sam Houston State (1-1) beat Tarleton 91-62 on Saturday behind 15 points apiece from Dorian Finister and Lamar Wilkerson. Kian Scroggins scored 14 points and had eight rebounds. The Bearkats won the Conference USA regular-season crown last year.
Baylor (1-1) bounced back from its season-opening, 101-63 loss to No. 6 Gonzaga with a 72-67 win on Saturday against No. 16 Arkansas. Jayden Nunn scored 16 points and Norchad Omier had a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds.
Baylor dropped four spots in Associated Press Top 25 poll released Monday.
The Bears had five players score in double figures against Arkansas, which is the kind of balanced approach coach Scott Drew wants as Baylor newcomers get acquainted with the returnees. There are nine new players on the Bears' roster and Drew knows it'll take time before the team jells.
Not only did Baylor open the season against a pair of ranked teams, the nonconference schedule still features St. John's, Tennessee or Virginia in the Bahamas and a trip to play UConn, the two-time defending national champions.
"Here's the thing with new players: They are out there learning what you want and how to run stuff," Drew said. "They are out there thinking and if you are thinking you are not playing. Returning players already know what you want them to do, so they are able to play. That's why these guys will all play better, shoot it better and perform better as the season goes on."
While nothing seemed to go right against Gonzaga on Monday, by the time Saturday rolled around, the Bears executed a game plan that valued possessions and handled Arkansas' pressure defense.
The game was tied twice, but Arkansas never held a lead. Drew credited the Bears with taking care of the basketball on offense. Baylor only had eight turnovers and were able to get more defensive stops, which allowed them to play in transition.
"We took care of the ball and shared it a lot more," Drew said. "We took much better shots and defended a lot better. It was a typical Baylor game."
The Bearkats hope a rugged nonconference schedule prepares them for meaningful games in February and March. They were 21-12 overall last season and 13-3 in Conference USA play. As the No. 1 seed in the Conference USA tournament, they were eliminated with a semifinal loss to UTEP.
It's the kind of success that made nonconference games hard to come by, with potential opponents reticent to face the Bearkats after they put themselves on the map last season.
"This is a really tough nonconference schedule," Sam Houston State coach Chris Mudge said. "I thought last year was tough in the nonconference and then we anted up on this one. It's difficult to get games when you have a good year. People don't want to play you."
--Field Level Media
Copyright 2024 STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.
Time | Team | Play | Score | |
---|---|---|---|---|
15:35 | Â | TV timeout | Â | |
15:35 | Â | Bearkats 30 second timeout | Â | |
15:39 | +3 | Jeremy Roach makes three point jump shot (Robert O. Wright III assists) | 5-15 | |
15:46 | Â | Norchad Omier defensive rebound | Â | |
15:48 | Â | Norchad Omier blocks Dorian Finister's two point jump shot | Â | |
16:05 | Â | Dorian Finister offensive rebound | Â | |
16:07 | Â | Kian Scroggins misses two point jump shot | Â | |
16:18 | +1 | Josh Ojianwuna makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 5-12 | |
16:18 | Â | Josh Ojianwuna misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | Â | |
16:18 | Â | Dorian Finister shooting foul (Josh Ojianwuna draws the foul) | Â | |
16:27 | Â | VJ Edgecombe offensive rebound | Â | |
16:29 | Â | Jeremy Roach misses three point jump shot | Â | |
16:43 | Â | VJ Edgecombe defensive rebound | Â | |
16:45 | Â | Lamar Wilkerson misses three point jump shot | Â | |
17:05 | +3 | VJ Edgecombe makes three point jump shot (Jeremy Roach assists) | 5-11 | |
17:14 | Â | Josh Ojianwuna defensive rebound | Â | |
17:16 | Â | Josiah Hammons misses two point jump shot | Â | |
17:39 | +2 | Norchad Omier makes two point layup (VJ Edgecombe assists) | 5-8 | |
17:55 | +2 | Josiah Hammons makes two point jump shot (Marcus Boykin assists) | 5-6 | |
18:15 | +2 | Norchad Omier makes two point layup (VJ Edgecombe assists) | 3-6 | |
18:30 | +3 | Lamar Wilkerson makes three point jump shot (Josiah Hammons assists) | 3-4 | |
18:39 | Â | Kalifa Sakho defensive rebound | Â | |
18:41 | Â | Norchad Omier misses three point jump shot | Â | |
18:49 | Â | VJ Edgecombe defensive rebound | Â | |
18:51 | Â | Lamar Wilkerson misses three point jump shot | Â | |
19:11 | +2 | Norchad Omier makes two point layup (VJ Edgecombe assists) | 0-4 | |
19:25 | Â | Jeremy Roach defensive rebound | Â | |
19:27 | Â | Josiah Hammons misses three point jump shot | Â | |
19:50 | +2 | Josh Ojianwuna makes two point dunk (Jeremy Roach assists) | 0-2 | |
20:00 | Â | (Bears gains possession) | Â |
Min. Per Game | ||
Pts. Per Game | ||
Ast. Per Game | ||
Reb. Per Game | ||
Field Goal % | ||
Three Point % | ||
Free Throw % |
 | Bearkats 30 second timeout | 15:35 |
+ 3 | Jeremy Roach makes three point jump shot (Robert O. Wright III assists) | 15:39 |
 | Norchad Omier defensive rebound | 15:46 |
 | Norchad Omier blocks Dorian Finister's two point jump shot | 15:48 |
 | Dorian Finister offensive rebound | 16:05 |
 | Kian Scroggins misses two point jump shot | 16:07 |
+ 1 | Josh Ojianwuna makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 16:18 |
 | Josh Ojianwuna misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | 16:18 |
 | Dorian Finister shooting foul (Josh Ojianwuna draws the foul) | 16:18 |
 | VJ Edgecombe offensive rebound | 16:27 |
 | Jeremy Roach misses three point jump shot | 16:29 |
Team Stats | ||
---|---|---|
Points | 5 | 15 |
Field Goals | 2-8 (25.0%) | 6-8 (75.0%) |
3-Pointers | 1-4 (25.0%) | 2-4 (50.0%) |
Free Throws | 0-0 (0.0%) | 1-2 (50.0%) |
Total Rebounds | 2 | 6 |
Offensive | 1 | 1 |
Defensive | 1 | 5 |
Team | 0 | 0 |
Assists | 2 | 6 |
Steals | 0 | 0 |
Blocks | 0 | 1 |
Turnovers | 0 | 0 |
Fouls | 1 | 0 |
Technicals | 0 | 0 |
|
Team Stats | |||
---|---|---|---|
Sam Houston 1-1 | 83.0 PPG | 41.0 RPG | 17.5 APG |
12 Baylor 1-1 | 67.5 PPG | 32.5 RPG | 11.5 APG |
Key Players | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
00
|
. Wilkerson G | 13.0 PPG | 1.5 RPG | 2.0 APG | 36.0 FG% |
00
|
. Omier F | 15.0 PPG | 10.5 RPG | 0.5 APG | 54.5 FG% |
Top Scorers | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
L. Wilkerson G | 3 PTS | 0 REB | 0 AST | ||
N. Omier F | 6 PTS | 1 REB | 0 AST |
On Court | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB |
L. Wilkerson | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1/3 | 1/3 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
J. Hammons | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1/3 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
K. Scroggins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
D. Finister | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
M. Boykin | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
On Court | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB |
L. Wilkerson | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1/3 | 1/3 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
J. Hammons | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1/3 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
K. Scroggins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
D. Finister | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
M. Boykin | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
On Bench | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB |
D. Nicholas Jr. | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
C. Huefner | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
C. Beaumont | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
B. Burns | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
C. Ndiaye | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
E. Taylor | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
J. Ford | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
J. Rogers | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
W. Neyland | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Total | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2/8 | 1/4 | 0/0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
On Court | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB |
N. Omier | 6 | 1 | 0 | 3/4 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
J. Roach | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1/2 | 1/2 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
J. Nunn | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
R. Wright III | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
J. Celestine | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
On Court | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB |
N. Omier | 6 | 1 | 0 | 3/4 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
J. Roach | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1/2 | 1/2 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
J. Nunn | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
R. Wright III | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
J. Celestine | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
On Bench | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB |
O. Adegbola | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
K. Jackson | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
J. Asemota | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
M. Dubravcic | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
D. Hubbard | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Total | 15 | 6 | 6 | 6/8 | 2/4 | 1/2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 |