By Marquis Cooley | Sports Editor and Michael Haag | Sports Writer
While it seemed like every Baylor fan imaginable was at the Ferrell Center on Saturday to see the basketball double-header against the University of Kansas, many other Baylor Athletics programs competed on the road, so here’s everything in case you missed it.
Track & Field takes home conference medals
Baylor track and field traveled to Ames, Iowa for the Big 12 Indoor Championships and had seven finishes in the top-three.
On Friday, fifth-year senior jumper Alex Madlock secured a bronze medal in the long jump with a new personal best 20-9 ¼. Madlock achieved another third place finish on Saturday in the triple jump, recording a 43-3.
In the open 400 meters run, fifth-year senior sprinter Howard (Trey) Fields III notched a personal best 46.16 seconds to become the defending indoor and outdoor Big 12 champion. In his first conference meet, freshman hurdler Nathaniel Ezekiel won a silver medal in the 600-yard race with a personal best 1:07.60, also good enough for second best in program history. A 7.91-second race in the 60-meter hurdles for sophomore sprinter Ackera Nugent made way for her first indoor Big 12 championship while also setting a facility record at the Lied Recreation Center.
Also on Saturday, the women’s 4×400 relay team won gold, running a season best 3:32.77, the fourth fastest relay time in school history. The men’s 4×400 relay team tallied the seventh fastest time in program history at 3:04.60 to finish in second place.
Next up for the Bears, is the NCAA Indoor Championships on March 11-12 in Birmingham, Ala.
No. 3 MBB finds redemption with victory over No. 6 Kansas
Brittany Tankersley | Photo Editor
No. 3 Baylor men’s basketball avenged their blowout loss to No. 5 University of Kansas with an 80-70 victory Saturday night in the Ferrell Center in front of a program attendance record 10,628 people.
Senior forward Flo Thamba set a new career-high in points with 18, he also piled in 9 rebounds. Closely behind Thamba was freshman Jeremy Sochan with 17 points, matching his career-best, while also bringing down five boards.
The Bears had a quick turnaround, as they headed to Austin to face off with No. 21 University of Texas Monday night in the Frank C. Erwin, Jr. Special Events Center, coming away with a 68-61 victory.
Smith drops career-high as No. 5 WBB holds off Kansas
Brittany Tankersley | Photo Editor
It was a successful outing for No. 5 Baylor women’s basketball as they defeated the University of Kansas 85-77 Saturday afternoon in the Ferrell Center. Senior forward NaLyssa Smith played every minute of the contest on her way to a career-high 33 points. Smith’s 16 rebounds gave her 1,000 for her career, becoming one of only six Bears in program history to record 1,800+ career points and 1,000+ career rebounds. Graduate student Jordan Lewis also had a historic night, playing in her NCAA Division I record 158th career game.
With the win, the Bears set themselves up for what was essentially a Big 12 Championship game against No. 9 Iowa State University Monday night at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa. The Bears clinched their 12-straight Big 12 Championship, throttling the Cyclones 87-62.
No. 1 A&T remain undefeated, beat No. 3 Oregon
No. 1 Baylor acrobatics and tumbling improved to 3-0 on the season after defeating No. 3 University of Oregon 281.505-275.495 on Sunday in the Ferrell Center in what was a rematch of the 2021 NCATA Semifinals.
Baylor took control from the start, taking a 98.10-94.80 first-half lead, before widening the gap in the tumbling and final team events for the victory. The Bears, who were 0-11 versus Oregon before head coach Felecia Mulkey’s arrival, is now 18-2 against the Ducks over the last eight seasons and a perfect 10-0 at home.
Up next, Baylor faces off against Saint Leo University at 6 p.m. on March 8. traveling to Saint Leo, Fla.
BSB clinches series over No. 23 Duke
Baylor baseball won their weekend series against No. 23 Duke University 2-1 at Baylor Ballpark. On Friday, Baylor won the series opener 4-2 with the help of fifth-year senior left-handed pitcher Tyler Thomas, who threw six shutout innings and allowed only one hit and two walks, while also throwing five punchouts. Thomas (1-1) extended his scoreless inning streak to 11 in his first win of the season.
After weather caused Saturday’s matchup to be postponed to Sunday, the Bears split Sunday’s double-header, winning the morning contest 12-3 before losing the series finale 4-2.
Baylor will travel to Houston for a midweek battle against Rice University, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday at Reckling Park. The contest comes before the Bears will participate in the 2022 Shriners Children’s College Contest for the second time in the last three years.
Softball finishes 2-2 in Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic
Photo Courtesy of Baylor Athletics
Baylor softball blew an early 5-0 lead in their 7-13 loss to Oregon State University on Friday, but bounced back on Saturday with a 7-4 win against Loyola Marymount University. The Bears then suffered a 4-7 loss to No. 6 University of California, Los Angeles in the second match of their double-header. Baylor (8-5) combined for 20 hits in the 1-1 Saturday split. To close out the event, the squad defeated the University of San Diego 10-4 in an offensive onslaught on Sunday, as four Bears recorded a multi-hit game.
The group returns home to play Prairie View A&M University in another double-header, the first game set to start at 4 p.m. Tuesday at Getterman Stadium. The second contest is estimated to have first pitch at 6:30 p.m., following the first game, and both events can be watched via Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
No. 4 MT outlasts No. 20 Oklahoma
No. 4 Baylor men’s tennis secured its 14th win of the season in a tight 4-3 battle against No. 20 University of Oklahoma Sunday afternoon in Norman. The Bears (14-1) lost the doubles point but picked up key wins in singles play to narrowly beat the Sooners. It was a milestone day for fifth-year senior Sveh Lah, who joined the 200 club of combined wins from singles and doubles in his career. Lah is only the seventh Bear to accompany this elite feat.
The Bears head to Urbana-Champaign, Ill. to continue their road slate when they will compete against the University of Illinois on Friday, March 4. The match is set to start at 6 p.m. CT from the Atkins Tennis Center.
Photo courtesy of Baylor Athletics.
No. 17 Baylor women’s tennis (6-4) lost their first match since Feb. 2, falling to No. 39 University of Central Florida 4-0 Sunday afternoon at the USTA National Campus. For the first time this spring, No. 1 Mel Krywoj and Alicia Herrero Linana dropped their doubles match.
Baylor will be back on the road with a match against Rice University at 1 p.m. Wednesday at the George R. Brown Tennis Center in Houston before hosting a double-header on Sunday against North Texas University and Abilene Cristian University at the Hurd Tennis Center.
