By Foster Nicholas | Sports Writer
The transition to stardom at the next level didn’t take long for five-star freshman guard Ja’Kobe Walter.
Walter scored 28 points and led No. 20 Baylor men’s basketball to an 88-82 comeback victory over Auburn Tuesday night at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D.
The 28 points were the most by a freshman in his debut in program history and the fourth most in a collegiate debut in Big 12 history.
The Bears (1-0) had five different players hit double figures in the season opener, three of whom made their first appearance in the green and gold. Head coach Scott Drew saw his team draw 32 fouls and hand Tigers’ (0-1) head coach Bruce Pearl his first loss ever in a season opener.
“The game is a game of momentum,” Drew said. “In the first half, we had 11 turnovers, but we finished the game with just four in the second half, and that’s Baylor basketball.
“This is a win that helps you come March. It’s a great first game because you get exposed quick — a lot of the heart we had, maybe our Culture of Joy. … Not everybody played their best game, but they all stuck together and found a way.”
ICYMI, or you just want to relive it, here's all 16 points from Baylor's 16-5 close in the final 3:38 to beat Auburn tonight in Sioux Falls, as the Bears go 75% from the field and 82% from the free throw line to close out the Tigers and start the season 1-0. pic.twitter.com/aLLDMuomIv
— Eric Kelly (@EricKellyTV) November 8, 2023
Walter paced the offense with his offensive explosion, and the freshman was 10 for 10 from the free-throw line and 7 of 13 from the floor, knocking down four shots from behind the arc. He said he couldn’t have imagined a better collegiate debut.
“I leaned on my teammates,” Walter said. “They just encouraged me, and the coaching staff, they just encouraged me to keep going.”
Senior guard RayJ Dennis and freshman center Yves Missi were the other two new Bears who scored double figures.
Dennis made his only 3-point attempt and went 6 for 10 from the floor to wind up with 15 points, marking the 50th-straight game in which he has tallied double figures, dating back to 2022.
Missi totaled 10 points on 3 of 5 shooting while also making his presence known on defense. The 7-foot freshman came away with two steals and a pair of blocks in his college debut.
Returning senior forward Jalen Bridges and redshirt sophomore guard Langston Love also chipped in with 10+ points. Bridges led the team with eight rebounds and added 13 points to the box score. Meanwhile, Love entered halftime scoreless and 0 of 6 from the floor, but he came back in the second half and scored 10 points on a perfect 3 for 3 from the field.
Baylor found the first points of the game, but the Tigers rallied back quickly and took a 43-34 into the half after 20 minutes of play. Each team racked up 12 personal fouls, and Auburn scored 14 points off the Bears’ 11 turnovers in the opening half.
Both teams entered the foul bonus five minutes into the second half. Down the stretch, Dennis, Missi and sophomore forward Josh Ojianwuna were playing with four fouls.
After playing tight for most of the half, the Bears closed the game on a 16-5 run, taking the lead back with 2:44 left in the second half. They hadn’t led since since the 7:58 mark in the first half.
The rally started when Dennis strapped a right-wing 3-pointer to tie the game at 77-77, forcing an Auburn timeout. On the inbound out of the break, Missi stole the ball and went coast-to-coast, unleashing a furious transition and one-dunk through contact to take the 79-77 lead.
YVES MISSI THREW IT DOWN FOR BAYLOR 🔨@BaylorMBB pic.twitter.com/BZ2N6I1jtx
— ESPN (@espn) November 8, 2023
“Yves is a freak,” Walter said. “It’s not crazy to us. Since summer, he’s been doing that. Him doing that, we just expect that every game out of him. That was a very big play. That’s what we needed to get us going — just a big-time play by Yves. [He] showed up when we needed him to.”
Despite only tallying 10 assists as a team, Baylor held on down the stretch and ended the game with its largest lead of the night: the final score of 88-82. The fight down the stretch showed Drew everything he needed to know about his squad.
“They are who I thought they were,” Drew said. “I enjoy coaching them. Practice, we know what they’re capable of, and now the challenge is just blending everybody and getting them to get better, because it’s a race to the end of the season. It’s not how you start. It’s how you finish.”
The Bears will be back in action Thursday for their home opener against John Brown. Tipoff is scheduled for 11 a.m. for the final home opener at the Ferrell Center.
