No. 5 MBB Routs Northern Colorado, 95-62

Monday, November 14

Waco, Texas

7 PM

Baylor

3-0,0-0Big 12

Northern Colorado

1-2,0-0Big Sky

Northern Colo.

Baylor

No. 5 MBB Routs Northern Colorado, 95-62

11/14/2022 9:20:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            Doused in the locker room in a celebration of his 400^th win at Baylor, Scott Drew said he was ready for a good hot shower after the fifth-ranked Bears defeated Northern Colorado, 95-62, Monday night before a crowd of 8,548 at the Ferrell Center.
            Reigning Big 12 Player of the Week Adam Flagler recorded his second-career double-double with 13 points and 10 assists, one of five Baylor players who scored in double digits, and also assisted in Drew's cold-water shower.
            "It was amazing," said Flagler, who has now scored in double figures 25 times in his last 27 games. "I'm a little wet right now because we were having a little water shower with him. He was trying to run. But it's just amazing to be a part of something so special, how he glorifies God in everything he does. I'm just glad to be part of it, to be honest."
            Drew credited the players, coaches and administrators that have been a part of his 400 wins and the fans who have been there over the last 19-plus seasons. He has a record of 400-222 at Baylor and a career record of 420-233, which includes one year at Valparaiso.
            "God has given us great players, great coaches, great administrators, great fans," Drew said. "When they say 400, that's a team award, a team honor. . . . I really wasn't thinking about 400 wins (when I got here in 2003). We were just trying to get a full team of scholarship guys and compete.
"That's what makes Waco and the Baylor family so special. People come here, and they're treated so kindly and warm. It's a tough place to leave because of the people and the family atmosphere in Waco."
Flagler and LJ Cryer hit bookend 3-pointers in an early 13-0 run that pushed Baylor's lead to double digits, 15-5. After hitting just 2-of-13 shots in Friday's 87-70 win over Norfolk State, Cryer bounced back to shoot 50% overall (8-of-16) and an efficient 4-for-9 from 3-point range to score a game-high 20 points.
"We see it every day in practice." Drew said of Cryer. "When he misses it, you're like, 'Really?' Excited for him because he works so hard."
Northern Colorado did pull within 17-10 on a 3-pointer by Daylen Kountz, who led the visiting Braves with 19 points. But, BU answered with 13-straight points to go up 28-10 and took a 44-26 lead into halftime.
"Coach B (Alvin Brooks III) always tells me to impact the ball," said Dale Bonner, who had 12 points, six steals, four boards and four assists in 23 minutes off the bench. "I'm just trying to smother the defenders and make them uncomfortable. We always talk about trying to stay one step ahead of the ballhandler and playing into the passing lanes."
Putting any doubts to bed, the Bears had a 21-1 run over a stretch of seven minutes that stretched it out to a 32-point margin, 74-39, when Flo Thamba scored off a dish by Flagler with 8:13 left in the game.
            Freshman Keyonte George struggled with his shot, but had a solid all-around game with 12 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Jalen Bridges and Bonner gave the Bears two other double-digit scorers with 15 and 12, respectively, while BYU transfer Caleb Lohner had six points, 10 rebounds and two steals off the bench.
            "Dale is somebody that last year we thought would be a year that he would spend developing, and he was able to help us win last year," Drew said of Bonner, who became just the fifth player in program history to record 6+ steals in multiple games. "And he's taken another step forward. Dale is a tremendous player and helps you win in so many different ways."
            Drew's 400^th Baylor victory came almost 19 years to the day of his first, when the Bears beat Texas Southern, 72-59, on Nov. 22, 2003.
            "It was a lot closer than this game," Drew said. "I was really proud of those guys for that win. I think a couple of guys probably played 38, 39 minutes. And between cramping, they were excited to get the win. Different times, full roster, we don't have to have three or four IVs after every game now."
            In their first real tests of the season, the Bears will play in the Continental Tire Main Event in Las Vegas, opening with 16^th-ranked Virginia (2-0) at 2 p.m. CST Friday at the T-Mobile Arena. They will face either No. 8 UCLA (3-0) or No. 19 Illinois (3-0) at either 2 or 4:30 p.m. Sunday.
            "Another opportunity to win on a big stage, and we're just ready for it," Flagler said. "We're definitely ready for it. We're excited to go to Las Vegas."