By Dylan Fink | Sports Writer
Thirteen turnovers and an 18-point deficit in the paint highlighted Baylor’s first road loss of the season Saturday, a 78-71 defeat at the hands of Memphis.
After a scoreless first three minutes for both teams, redshirt sophomore guard Cameron Carr got the scoring going with an and-1 reverse layup from the low block.
The Bears struggled to get going early on against a lengthy Memphis team, handing the Tigers six turnovers in as many minutes of play. Memphis head coach and former NBA All-Star Penny Hardaway had his team fired up with an aggressive approach early in the Saturday-afternoon battle. The Tigers pressured the Bears with a physical style of play, holding them without a field goal for over six minutes of play in the first half.
Junior center Caden Powell and Memphis center Aaron Bradshaw found their way into a battle of giants in the post. Powell’s extended paw found its way to three blocks in the first half, including two against Bradshaw. Bradshaw quickly adjusted to score 11 points over the Waco native through a repeated left hook six feet out from the cup.
The first half for the Bears was almost solely Carr and sophomore guard Isaac Williams IV. With five minutes remaining in the first half, the two guards were the only Bears with a field goal scored.
The half closed with the Bears trailing 37-34. Shooting only 32% from the field and with three fouls on senior wing Dan Skillings Jr., the No. 9 offense in the country faced a mountain to climb in the second half.
While the Bears struggled with ball control, totaling eight turnovers to as many assists in the first half, the defense was some of their best this year. Baylor held the Tigers to 37% shooting and 18% from the 3-point line.
Five minutes into the second half, the Bears grabbed their first lead since 3-0 with a Powell putback, making the score 46-45.
Freshman guard Tounde Yessoufou found his rhythm from the get-go in the second half. The ESPN Top 100 player scored eight straight buckets to get head coach Scott Drew’s offense back in stride.
A 7-0 run put the Bears up 53-45 but was not quite enough to put Memphis away, as the Tigers quickly tied it back up at 56.
The final 10 minutes of the game saw six lead changes as the two teams became interlocked in an aggressively physical back-and-forth style of play. Hands soared, bodies fell and whistles blew throughout the final push as the Bears exhausted whatever fight they had left.
The Tigers took back control of their home arena as with under a minute left as Hardaway’s squad led the Bears 72-65 looking to close out the win.
Despite a late-game three from fifth-year guard Obi Agbim, the Bears’ seven-man rotation could not overcome 13 turnovers and a 34% field goal percentage. Exhaustion, size and lack of ball control exposed the Bears’ weaknesses as Baylor chalked in its second loss of the season.
Yessoufou was the lone bright spot for the Bears on Saturday. The freshman collected 22 points on 8-15 shooting, marking his second game in a row with over 20 points.
Baylor will look to bounce back against Norfolk State at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Foster Pavilion. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
