Author: Baylor Lariat
By Cody Soto Sports Writer Men’s No. 6 Baylor men’s tennis qualified for the National Indoor Championships with two dominating 4-0 wins over No. 61 Tulane and No. 40 Drake at the Hurd Tennis Center on Saturday and Sunday. The Bears (2-1) bounced back after a tough 4-3 loss to No. 11 Illinois to start the season last Wednesday to sweep their next two opponents. The wins over the weekend were a part of the ITA Kick-Off Weekend that qualified one of four teams for the National Indoor Championships. With the new Intercollegiate Tennis Association rules on the duration of…
Books for Bears is seeking new volunteers for the spring semester. Books for Bears is a group for students dedicated to providing books and play areas for every child in the McLennan County area. Members help arrange book donations and book drives, deliver books to clinics and create play areas in each clinic. Members are also guaranteed volunteer positions at their respective clinics. For additional information or an application, contact Rachael_Helpenstell@baylor.edu.
By Cody Soto Sports Writer Baylor men’s basketball junior forward Rico Gathers was named the Co-Big 12 Player of the Week, announced by the Big 12 conference Monday morning. Gathers had a stellar week and helped lead the Bears to an 81-61 win over NAIA opponent Huston-Tillotson and a 69-58 win over Big 12 foe Oklahoma at the Ferrell Center. Gathers currently leads all Division I players with 5.72 offensive rebounds per game and ranks second in total rebounds per game with 12.2. “He plays with a lot of heart and emotion. There’s not a lot of finesse in his…
By Cody Soto Sports Writer No. 6 Baylor men’s tennis fought off gusty wind conditions and tough singles matchups to defeat No. 40 Drake 4-0 on Sunday afternoon. “I am happy that we were able to come through with it and get on out the door,” head coach Matt Knoll said. “It was a great experience for us. It’s not the condition for perfect tennis, but that’s sports. You can’t always play in perfect conditions.” With the win, the Bears (2-1) advance to the National Indoor Championships on Feb. 13-16 in Chicago, Ill. Baylor defeated both Tulane and Drake this…
By Cody Soto Sports Writer No. 9 Baylor women’s tennis downed a top-five opponent for the second time this season as the Lady Bears defeated No. 5-ranked Virginia 6-1 Saturday night at the Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center. The Lady Bears (2-0) experienced an unusual situation as they entered the match with a 2-0 advantage because two of Virginia’s players sat out due to illness. Both senior Ema Burgic and head coach Joey Scrivano agreed that it was an advantage and added pressure to the team’s performance. “They’re one of the best teams in the country; it was a unique situation…
By Cody Soto Sports Writer Saturday’s matchup between No. 21 Baylor men’s basketball and No. 19 Oklahoma was the third straight Associated Press Top 25 game at the Ferrell Center, and the Bears went on a big run late in the second half to defeat the Sooners 69-58. “I am really proud of how the guys executed down the stretch,” head coach Scott Drew said. “We were 8-for-8 from the free throw line, shot 50 percent. [Oklahoma] is a great team and we had to work hard in order to get a win like this.” Baylor (15-4, 3-3 Big 12)…
By Cody Soto Sports Writer No. 6 Baylor men’s tennis bounced back after its loss on Wednesday to roll over No. 61 Tulane 4-0 at the Hurd Tennis Center on Saturday afternoon. The Bears are coming off a tough 4-3 loss to No. 11 Illinois after Baylor went up 3-1 in the match before dropping the final three singles matches. “Tulane competed hard. They’re a well-coached team and really came at us,” head coach Matt Knoll said. “Nothing was easy, but I thought we came through pretty well. With the shorter format [of non-conference matches], our guys have really embraced…
By Cody Soto Sports Writer The Big 12 is arguably the deepest and most competitive basketball conference this season. With six teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25, the conference title will be down to the wire at the end of the season. Conference play is underway and provides key matchups each weekend. This Saturday, the Big 12 features another competitive day of college basketball. OKLAHOMA STATE AT KANSAS STATE Records: Oklahoma State 13-5, 3-3 Big 12; Kansas State 11-8, 4-2 When: 11 a.m. Saturday Where: Bramlage Coliseum, Manhattan, Kan. TV: ESPN2 Oklahoma State travels to Manhattan, Kan. on Saturday…
By Cody Soto Sports Writer No. 6 Baylor men’s tennis started out the 2015 spring season with a disappointing 4-3 loss to No. 11 Illinois at the Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center on Wednesday afternoon. The Bears dropped their final three singles matches after posting a 3-1 lead early in the meet. “I thought our guys fought hard, it just didn’t go our way,” head coach Matt Knoll said. “We are preparing for the future. You play to win, but this will help us and make a better team. We were up 3-1 and had our opportunities.” Baylor started out hot…
By Cody Soto Sports Writer It wasn’t pretty, and it was a lot more entertaining than the teams’ records showed on paper, but No. 21 Baylor men’s basketball used a record-breaking performance from junior forward Rico Gathers to roll over Huston-Tillotson 81-61 Wednesday night at the Ferrell Center. The 275-pound player posted a career-high 28 rebounds and 25 points for his 12th double-double of the season. Gathers surpassed the Big 12 record and program record for rebounds in a game; the previous milestones were 24 and 27 respectively. Junior forward Taurean Prince posted 13 points and six rebounds for the…
The Baylor Lariat sports desk evaluates Baylor’s 2014 football season, reviewed Baylor volleyball’s new coaching hire and looked to the season ahead for Baylor basketball teams. Follow us on Twitter @BULariatSports @ShehanJeyarajah @JeffreySwindoll @BUCodySoto
President Barack Obama declared Tuesday night that the “shadow of crisis” has passed America and urged Congress to build on economic gains by raising taxes on the nation’s wealthiest to pay for reductions for the middle class — an agenda more likely to antagonize the new Republican majority than win its approval.
By Jeffrey Swindoll Sports Writer The No. 3 Lady Bears ran away with a thrilling 75-58 victory over longtime rivals No. 8 Texas on Sunday at the Ferrell Center. Baylor (17-1, 6-0) keeps rolling as the only undefeated team left in the Big 12 nearly halfway through the season. Baylor head coach Kim Mulkey knew her team would be at a height disadvantage against the Longhorns’ towering frontcourt. Mulkey said after the game that she challenged her team to eliminate Texas’ control of the glass. Texas (14-3, 3-3) had yet to be out-rebounded all season before its game against the…
By Jeffrey Swindoll Sports Writer Sophomore forward Nina Davis scored 24 points and totaled 14 rebounds to hold off the feisty Kansas Jayhawks 71-63 for No. 3 Baylor’s 15th-straight win (16-1, 5-0). The Lady Bears remain undefeated in the Big 12 Conference and currently sit in first place ahead of their clash with conference powerhouse No. 5 Texas on Monday. Baylor’s conference winning streak was snapped last season in Lawrence, Kans. It was a season low-point for the Lady Bears and head coach Kim Mulkey and her squad were making every effort to redeem their poor display against the Jayhawks…
By Cody Soto Sports Writer No. 22 Baylor men’s basketball couldn’t overcome a poor second half performance to drop a 63-61 loss to Kansas State in Manhattan, Kan., on Saturday afternoon. Senior guard Kenny Chery led the Bears 8-for-14 from the field for 21 points and three steals. Junior forward Taurean Prince added 20 points, but no other player had more than six points in the loss. Junior forwards Rico Gathers and Royce O’Neale had six rebounds apiece; freshman forward Johnathan Motley and Prince had five. The Bears had 15 turnovers and were 8-for-23 from the three-point line. Baylor was…
By Cody Soto Sports Writer No. 22 Baylor men’s basketball may have led for a little over 37 minutes on Wednesday night, but the Bears had to make every second count and held off the No. 11-ranked Iowa State Cyclones for a slim 74-73 win at the Ferrell Center. Senior forward Royce O’Neale led the team with 15 points, six rebounds and three assists. Junior forward Rico Gathers had a double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds, and freshman forward Johnathan Motley had 14 points. Senior guard Kenny Chery scored 13 points and added three assists in the win. The…
By Jeffrey Swindoll Sports Writer The No. 3 Baylor Lady Bears stayed hot with a forceful 79-47 victory over the Iowa State Cyclones Tuesday night at the Ferrell Center. Baylor remains undefeated (4-0), atop the Big 12 Conference standings. It was a bit of a slow start for the Lady Bears’ star sophomore Nina Davis totaling just six points in the first half. Baylor head coach Kim Mulkey showed her discontent with Davis between timeouts, urging her to be more involved in rebounding and finding ways to the basket. Davis heard Mulkey loud and clear and broke loose in the…
By Cody Soto Sports Writer Senior quarterback Bryce Petty was named the 2014 Seminole Tribe of Florida Bobby Bowden Award winner Sunday morning by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. The Bobby Bowden award is presented to one football player who best optimizes the role of a student-athlete both on and off the field during the 2014 season. Petty displayed good sportsmanship and poise after Baylor’s 42-41 loss to No. 8 Michigan State in the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 1. He also maintained a faithful spirit during his time as a starter for the Bears. “This is meaningful for me for…
By Shehan Jeyarajah Sports Editor Junior forward Rico Gathers notched 17 points and 18 rebounds as No. 21 Baylor (12-3, 1-2 Big 12) escaped Fort Worth with a 66-59 overtime win over TCU (13-3, 0-3). The Bears shot only 29.8 percent from the floor in the game, but grabbed 22 offensive rebounds and shot 46 free throws to stay ahead down the stretch. Junior forward Taurean Prince added 17 points and 10 rebounds of his own to pace the Bears, but shot only 1-for-6 from three. Senior guard Kenny Chery played one of the toughest games of his career, finishing…
By Cody Soto Sports Writer ARLINGTON – Senior quarterback Bryce Petty has been through a lot in his past five years as a Baylor Bear, and he will tell you that it’s all worth it. Petty is a believer. The Midlothian native sat the bench during his first few years on campus, but that didn’t discourage him. For any athlete signing a Divison 1 scholarship to a university, it’s difficult to step down from significant playing time on their high school team to possibly redshirting their first year. Petty did it twice, a greyshirt and redshirt year in his first…
By Cody Soto Sports Writer No. 22 Baylor men’s basketball couldn’t overcome a four point deficit at halftime to drop a 73-63 decision to No. 18 Oklahoma Saturday afternoon in Norman, Okla. The Big 12 conference opener was filled with 11 turnovers for Baylor, and the Bears shot 37.3 percent from the field. Redshirt freshman forward Johnathan Motley scored 24 points for the Bears and had an efficient 9-for-12 shooting percentage in the loss. Junior forward Taurean Prince came in off the bench to score 17 points and was 50 percent on the court. Junior forward Rico Gathers had 12…
By Jeffrey Swindoll Sports Writer No. 6 Baylor Lady Bears opened conference play with a 61-45 comeback win over No. 18 Oklahoma State at the Ferrell Center on Saturday, extending their undefeated run to 11 regular season games. OSU led for most of the game, and held a 35-27 lead at halftime. The Lady Bears stormed back right from the opening play of the second half though, cutting the OSU lead to 39-37. OSU sat in the lead, but the Cowgirls would eventually crumble to the Lady Bears’ unrelenting effort. Baylor blew out OSU 34-12 in the second half. Sophomore…
