By Bennett Parker | Sports Writer
The fashion of Baylor men’s basketball’s dominant showing over Yale was a welcome sight for fans. The depth that the team lacked last season proved itself Tuesday night. Four Bears etched 15 or more point nights, while nine Bears played more than 15 minutes.
Even when the shooting floundered, head coach Scott Drew was able to draw from the bench and rely on an energetic, suffocating defense that forced another 17 turnovers after a dominant display on Friday.
Baylor (3-0) got its first taste of postseason-level competition against Yale (1-2) and blasted them by 29 points. While the margin of victory was impressive, the clear depth of the roster was the highlight of the evening.
“We have a really deep team,” freshman guard Dylan Mingo said. “It is our strength this year. … It could be anybody’s night.”
The Bears came out flat while Yale forward Daniel Ogunyemi was slashing through the Baylor frontcourt early on, coming up with three easy buckets and helping the Bulldogs to an 18-15 lead eight minutes into the first half.
Yale looked like a step ahead of the Bears, grabbing five early offensive rebounds to Baylor’s one. It was an ugly start for the Bears, compounded by turnovers and inefficient 3-point shooting.
Drew attributed the slow start to Baylor’s issues preparing for multiple Yale lineups.
“We knew that [the Bulldogs] weren’t going to go away,” Drew said. “We knew it was going to be a close game, and we knew we needed to be on point. … When they had other lineups in, it’s just something we haven’t spent as much time practicing. Early in the year, you are going to be better at what you practice.
The Bears found a comfortable lead with a minute to play in the first half, generating a 14-3 scoring run and pulling ahead 37-27. Eight Bears scored in the first half; the Mingo brothers led the charge with 21 combined points on 81.8% shooting in the field, helping Baylor to an 11-point lead into the break.
“Everybody has their strength, so anybody can be a catalyst on any given night,” Kayden Mingo said. “It was me and Dylan today, so it was great to take on that challenge and help our team win.”
Four 3-pointers from junior guard Brett Decker Jr. got the deep ball on track for the Bears in the second half, who were shooting just 15% from beyond the arc beforehand. The electric shooting from Decker got Baylor a cushy 18-point lead after a slow start to the second half.
“It’s always fun to go on runs,” Decker said. “To bring the energy and see the fans, it’s so crazy. It’s always fun. I played that little run; it got us going and it paid off for us.”
Baylor cruised through the rest of the second period, outscoring Yale by 18, only allowing it to score from deep. The Bulldogs mustered just four points in the paint in the half.
The victory was extra sweet for junior forward Isaac Celiscar after starting all 31 games for the Bulldogs last season. He averaged 13.1 for Yale and hung 15 on them in the new threads.
“One thing we talked about in the locker room was always having our brothers’ back,” Kayden Mingo said. “[Celiscar] did some great things there, and it has been a blessing for him to play here at Baylor. It was a great opportunity, and I feel like we held it down.”
The Bears competition continues to ramp up, facing the No. 7 Texas at 2 p.m. Sunday in the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio.
