Baylor
Houston Superstars (exhib.)
Men's Hoops Erupts for 118-76 Victory
11/13/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 13, 2001
WACO, Texas - Lawrence Roberts scored 23 points and pulled down 16 rebounds to lead Baylor's men's basketball team to a 118-76 thrashing of the Houston Superstars here Tuesday night in exhibition action. With the victory, the Bears conclude their two-game exhibition season at 1-1, erasing the sting of a three-point loss to the Texas Bluechips last Saturday.
Roberts had 11 points and six boards in just nine minutes of play in the first half and never relented. On the night, the Houston, Texas, freshman was 8-of-16 from the field with three assists, three blocks and one steal in 25 minutes of action.
However, Roberts was not the only Bear to enjoy PlayStation-like numbers. R.T. Guinn had 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds. Logan Kosmalski came off the bench for 18 points and 10 rebounds, starters John Lucas and Chad Elsey had 15 points and 12 points, respectively. Rod Nealy gave Baylor a sixth scorer in double figures, netting 10 points in the final six minutes of the game.
Lucas, who started and played 30 minutes, dished out four assists with no turnovers. In all, Baylor had 33 assists, led by Matt Sayman's seven, with only 11 turnovers. Six Bears had an assist-to-turnover ratio of at least three-to-one.
"We played much better tonight than the other night," third-year Baylor head coach Dave Bliss said. "John Lucas established the way we were going to play tonight because he has the energy to bring it up the court. Plus, the post game was really going tonight."
It was not all fun and games for the Bears early, though, as Baylor struggled to find its offensive rhythm in the first five minutes of the game. But trailing 12-9 with 15:31 remaining in the first half, the Bears came to life. Back-to-back jumpers from Guinn and John Lucas, respectively, sparked a 39-10 Baylor run through the gut of the opening period that gave the Bears a commanding 48-22 with just under four minutes before the half. Baylor enjoyed a 56-31 advantage at the break.
The Superstars cut the Baylor lead to 18 points early in the second half, opening the period on a 6-1 run. However, that was as close as they would get. The Bears quickly pushed their lead back over 20 points and led by as many as 43 points late in the game.
Baylor dominated the Superstars in virtually every aspect of the game, shooting 52.9 percent (45-of-85) while holding the Superstars to 35.6 percent (26-of-73). The Bears out-rebounded the Superstars 55-38 and forced them to commit 21 turnovers with only eight assists.
Perhaps the lone dark spot on the evening for Baylor was Wendell Greenleaf's 0-for-4 shooting from the field. However, the junior was 4-for-4 from the line, dished out six assists and snagged two steals.
Next on the docket for Baylor will be the 2001-2002 season-opener Saturday against Hardin-Simmons at 7 p.m. in the Ferrell Center. The Bears opened the 2000-2001 season with 12 consecutive victories, one shy of the best start in school history and Baylor's best start in 93 seasons.
