By Jackson Posey | Sports Editor
Baylor survived an early scare Monday night to take down UTRGV in a season-opening win, 96-81.
The Bears (1-0) trailed 26-12 through nine minutes but rallied to down the Vaqueros (0-1) at Foster Pavilion. Redshirt sophomore guard Cameron Carr (28 points, 5 rebounds) and five-star freshman guard Tounde Yessoufou (24 points, 7 rebounds) led the way in the victory.
“To start the game, I feel like it was very nerve-wracking,” Carr said. “Everybody was excited. It’s the first time in the bright lights, this game actually meant something; add to our record. I think we can take a lot from it … we started to settle in, as y’all could tell. But from the jump, I think we’ve got to do better starting the first half and the second half.”
Baylor fell behind 9-0 early as shots refused to fall for the Bears. Yessoufou pulled up for a 3-pointer on the game’s opening possession and hit back iron; one possession later, Carr pinned a skyward dunk attempt between the rim and the backboard.
“That was different, for sure,” Carr said of the near-dunk. “That was a great pass too, I’ll be honest. That was a really good pass by Obi. It’s kind of on me; I should’ve grabbed it with two hands. But yeah, no, that was definitely a first for me today.”
Then, shut out in front of a sellout student section, Obi Agbim turned the faucet on.
The fifth-year guard sank a transition three from the right wing, assisted Carr on a fast-break three from the same spot, then returned to the same well to sink another and complete the trilogy. Senior forward Michael Rataj followed it up with a pair of free throws, and all of a sudden, it was 11-9.
“Obi was a lot more aggressive than he was in the first two scrimmages, which was great to see,” head coach Scott Drew said. “He’s adjusting, too, because he’s never really had a season at this level being a point guard … so just adjusting to when to be aggressive, when to get the offense going — and it’s new for everybody.”
Still, the water ran out quickly. UTRGV scored 17 of the next 18 points to take a 26-12 lead, forcing Baylor to take a timeout. The Bears’ offense struggled to find any semblance of room in the halfcourt, as the new-look roster struggled to find space against a cohesive Vaquero defense.
Outside of an 11-point run that took roughly a minute and a half, Baylor scored just one point in the first nine minutes of the season against a UTRGV team that finished ninth in the Southland Conference last season.
“Everybody’s new, so it takes time,” Drew said. “The good news is … they one, like each other; two, they’re really coachable and they want to get better. So that gives you a chance to improve each and every day.”
The Bears returned zero players from last year’s roster. The novelty was evident Monday, as they struggled to consistently create separation early in the half. But piece by piece, they built back a commanding lead, buoyed by length and aggressiveness in the open court.
Baylor ended the half on a 34-11 run after trailing 26-12, pivoting on an efficacious timeout call. The Bears headed into the break with a 46-37 lead.
“Right after that, everybody locked in and picked up what we were doing,” Drew said. “Coaching staff did a good job adjusting our ball-screen coverage too, and that probably helped.”
The Bears held a comfortable lead throughout the second half, led by 23 second-half free-throw attempts (16 makes) as Carr and Yessoufou combined for 27 points in the frame. A flurry of late-game scoring from both teams closed the book at 96-81, Baylor.
“It feels great, honestly,” Yessoufou said. “I started a little shocked and I was a little nervous my first day. But thank God, thank my teammates and my coaches, to give me the confidence to go out there and rebound and play hard as much as I can. So, super grateful to be in this position, and I’m excited for the next ones.”
The Bears will face Washington, their first Power-Conference opponent, Sunday at the Foster Pavilion. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. on ESPN.
