By Gio Gennero | Sports Writer, Video by Joe Pratt | Broadcast Reporter
No. 8 Baylor triumphed over University of Incarnate Word on banner night to begin their title defense with a 87-60 victory. Baylor has won 25-straight non-conference games and is 26-1 at home dating back to Feb. 2020.
The massive Ferrell Center crowd got on their feet and erupted as the 2020-2021 Baylor staff as well as former and current players received their championship rings and unveiled their national title banner. Former Baylor guard and current member of the Utah Jazz MaCio Teague was in attendance for the game and said it was great to be back in Waco and finally get his ring.
“It was incredible,” Teague said. “Just being around the guys, a family environment that I’ve been around for the past three years. I enjoy seeing the players who are here right now and my former coaches. It’s a blessing being back here.”
Senior forward Matthew Mayer led the team in scoring in his long-awaited first career start with 14 points on 6-for-10 shooting. Baylor had four other players score in double digits. Sophomore guard LJ Cryer and freshman guard Kendall Brown had 13 points apiece. Senior guard James Akinjo and freshman forward Jeremy Sochan each chipped in 10 points. Junior forward Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchou added six points and led the team in rebounds with 10.
“It was good for us,” head coach Scott Drew said. “We got better, you have to guard five shooters at a time out there. We were able to get a lot of guys minutes, which was great and most importantly, we got the win.”
Baylor’s offense struggled in the first half, but managed to finish the game shooting 49.3% from the field and 31.8% from behind the arc. Baylor’s suffocating defense set them apart as they scored 33 points off of 21 UIW turnovers, including 19 fast break points.
“We started doing a better job defensively, knowing what they were doing and staying locked in the entire time,” Drew said. “It’s tougher to guard five shooters out there, but I think we definitely wore them down a little bit. We got more disciplined, contested more shots, and then we were able to get a couple turnovers. We did a good job of spreading out and converting which once you get a lead it makes it harder for teams.”
The Baylor crowd was booming from the tip as fans exploded with cheer after freshman guard Kendall Brown scored the opening bucket for the first two points of his collegiate career. Mayer headed to the bench early on after picking up two quick fouls less than five minutes into the game. The Bears couldn’t connect from deep to start, missing their first seven attempts. The Cardinals capitalized on Baylor’s shooting woes and took the lead 12-6 after a 10-0 run.
Baylor’s feisty defense picked up the slack to keep UIW from increasing the deficit, as forced turnovers and blocks got the Bears and their crowd back into the game as they reclaimed the lead.
Cryer ignited Baylor’s offense scoring 11 of Baylor’s 13 points during a Bears scoring run. A steal and fast break slam from Mayer increased Baylor’s momentum and lead with four minutes left in the half. The Bears ended the half hitting their last six field goal attempts, including a 7-0 run to cap it off.
Going into halftime, the Bears led the Cardinals 40-28. Baylor shot just 4-13 from deep, but was able to maintain their grip on the game with their rugged defense. They forced 10 UIW turnovers including three steals to go along with two blocks. Cryer led with 11 points, Sochan followed with 10 points and five rebounds before the break.
Brown soared for a two-handed dunk to kick things off in the second half and increase Baylor’s lead. As play continued, the Bears began to separate themselves as a three from Mayer followed by a high-flying one handed alley-oop finish from Brown had the crowd in awe, forcing a UIW timeout with Baylor up 15.
The game turned into a dunk show for the Bears as they scored three-straight possessions off of dunks and alley-oops to the delight of the crowd. Two of the momentum-building dunks came from Brown, which led to Drew and Teague joking about how high he can jump.
“[Kendall’s] got MaCio’s ups,” Drew said. The two shared a laugh before Teague added, “He got a little more than that.”
Despite the big lead, Baylor’s defense never took their foot off the gas, holding the Cardinals without a field goal for six-straight minutes as the Bears cruised to a 87-60 win.
“We’ve only had two days where we’ve had everyone back in practice,” Drew said. “This first couple of weeks we’re figuring things out just like you guys because we haven’t had people all back … getting everybody back and to see who plays well together. We’ll just figure it out. Keep getting better, but the great thing is we have some depth and we have opportunities to put different people out there.”
The Bears get to stay at home for their next game against Nicholls State University at 11 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 15 in the Ferrell Center.
