Box Score 
THE RUNDOWN
WACO, Texas - Deng Deng scored 16 points and Lester Medford added 13 to lead Baylor in their debuts, and the Bears beat cold-shooting McNeese State 80-39 in the season opener for both teams Friday night.
Deng, a transfer from two-year Lee College in southeast Texas, was 8 of 9 from the field. Medford, a two-time junior college All-American, made three of five from 3-point range to offset a rough night from beyond the arc for the rest of the Bears.
Bruising forward Rico Gathers had nine points and a game-high 12 rebounds for Baylor, which was unranked in the preseason despite reaching the NCAA Sweet 16 last season.
Desharick Guidry scored 11 and was the only player in double figures for the Cowboys, who shot 21 percent.
The Bears are looking for new scoring options after losing three starters who averaged in double figures on a team that lost to Wisconsin in the Sweet 16 last season.
Medford might be the answer for Brady Heslip from long range. Without him, Baylor was just 4 of 17 from beyond the arc. That included a combined 1-of-9 showing from Kenny Chery and Royce O'Neale, the two returning starters.
Deng scored three consecutive baskets, including a thunderous dunk on an inbounds pass from Chery and another dunk after a steal near midcourt, during a 14-3 run that put Baylor ahead 58-25 with 11 minutes remaining.
McNeese shot 19 percent in the first half (6 of 31), including eight straight misses over the final 7 minutes when the only points for the Cowboys came on three free throws.
Starting senior guards Keelan Garrett and Kevin Hardy were a combined 1 of 18 from the field for McNeese. Guidry was 5 of 16 on field goals and led the Cowboys with six rebounds.
Chery had nine points, five assists and four rebounds for the Bears.
HIGHLIGHTS
? Baylor opened the game with a 16-4 run in first 6:09 of the game and never led by less than seven after that point.
? Baylor had 12 assists on 15 made field goals in the first half.
? Baylor had 23 assists on 30 made field goals in the game, while MSU had only 13 made field goals and eight assists.
? Baylor made five threes in the first half while MSU had just six total field goals.
? Senior Kenny Chery had a well-rounded game with nine points, five assists and four rebounds - he's had at least 4-4-4 in his stat line seven times in his career at Baylor.
? Junior Rico Gathers finished one point shy (nine points) of notching his fourth double-double in his fourth career start - he finished with 12 rebounds for his 15th career double-digit rebounding game.
? Junior transfer Lester Medford made his Baylor debut and led the team with 11 points in the first half. He finished with 13 on 5-for-7 shooting and had four assists.
? Redshirt freshman Johnathan Motley made his Baylor debut and had seven first-half points, finishing with 10 and four rebounds.
? Redshirt freshman Al Freeman made his Baylor debut and scored four first-half points, finishing with eight along with seven rebounds and three assists.
? Junior transfer Deng Deng made his Baylor debut and scored two first-half points with his first block and erupted for 14 points in the second half to finish with a team- and game-high 16 points with three rebounds, two blocks and an assist while shooting 8-for-9 from the field.
? Sophomore Ish Wainwright had five points in the first half - he had five or more points just three times in 32 games played last season - and finished with five points, five rebounds and five assists.
STAT OF THE GAME
42-14: Points in the paint advantage for Baylor.
TWEET OF THE GAME
WHAT'S NEXT
Baylor hits the road to face South Carolina Tuesday (Nov. 18) at 11 a.m. CT on ESPN.
