No. 5/6 MBB Routs Mississippi Valley State in Season Opener, 117-53

Monday, November 7

Waco, Texas

11 AM

Baylor

1-0,0-0Big 12

117

Mississippi Valley State

0-1,0-0SWAC

Mississippi Val.

Baylor

117

No. 5/6 MBB Routs Mississippi Valley State in Season Opener, 117-53

11/7/2022 1:45:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            LJ Cryer "got goosebumps" before Monday's matinee basketball game at the Ferrell Center, hearing 6,000 screaming elementary and middle school students bringing the decibel level of the arena up a few notches for the "Future Bears" game.
            But for Cryer and redshirt freshman guard Langston Love, this was a long time coming, returning to the court after missing substantial playing time last season with injuries. They were two of Baylor's six double-figure scorers, combining for 29 points in the fifth-ranked Bears' 117-53 rout of Mississippi Valley State before an opening-day crowd of 10,284.
            "We have guys that haven't played a game in a while," said Cryer, who missed the last eight games and 15 games total last season with a foot injury. "Langston Love, two years since he played a game. Me, I haven't played in a while. The kids made it jittery, we got goosebumps going into the arena. So, it was fun."
            While Love and freshmen Keyonte George and Josh Ojiawuna made their collegiate debuts, three other players saw their first game action in the green and gold, including Division I transfers Jalen Bridges from West Virginia and Caleb Lohner from BYU.
            "Playing the first game of the year, we wanted to start out the right way," said 20^th-year head coach Scott Drew. "I thought the 'Scream Game' was outstanding. Our players really wanted to play well for all the future Bears out there, hopefully. You score 117 points, I know people like scoring. A lot of positives, a lot of things to build on, great way to start the season."
            The newcomers combined for 55 points, including 13 apiece for Love, George and Bridges, but fifth-year senior guard Adam Flagler led the way with four 3-pointers, 21 points and eight assists.
            "There's no ceiling," Flagler said of Baylor's offensive potential. "We have so many guys that can do so many things on the court. But, we pride ourselves on defense. And that was the biggest thing, holding them to as little as possible and just compete at a high level having the same old boring habits."
            Even scoring their most points in almost five years, the Bears (1-0) actually got out to a slow start, hitting just five of their first 16 shots from the field and nursing a 16-10 lead midway through the first half.
            "When you shoot a lot of 3's, you can rack up points in a hurry," Drew said, "and then you can go through a dry spell, too. . . . That's why rebounding is so important, because you're not going to always make them. You have to do a good job on the glass. And if we continue to do that, good things will definitely happen for us."
            In the blink of an eye – less than four minutes – Baylor turned a six-point lead into a 30-point blowout. Flagler, Cryer and returning senior guard Dale Bonner each hit a pair of 3-pointers in a 24-0 run that put Baylor comfortably on top, 40-10.
            The highest-rated recruit in program history at No. 3 in the country, George scored only three first-half points, going 1-of-5 overall and missing all four of his shots from outside the 3-point arc. But, he showed his handles with seven assists, including three during the 24-0 run.
            "Keyonte is somebody that sees the floor really well and is becoming more and more consistent with it as well," Drew said. "His ability to get his teammates shots is tremendous. Seven assists and one turnover, that's outstanding."
            Bonner scored 10 of his 14 points in the first half, hitting 2-of-3 from 3-point range, helping Baylor go into the locker room with a 40-point cushion, 61-21.
            Hardly taking their foot off the gas, the Bears scored 56 second-half points and won by the third-largest margin in program history and the biggest since blowing out Hardin-Simmons, 107-38, on Jan. 19, 2013.
            Dominating in every phase of the game, Baylor forced 25 turnovers, outrebounded the Delta Devils, 53-29, and shot a sizzling 41% from outside the 3-point arc (14-of-34). While offensive rebounding was a concern coming into the game, the Bears had more offensive boards (22) than Mississippi Valley had on the defensive end (20).
            "That's what I'm most pleased about," Drew said. "We spent a week really trying to get better in that area, and we made great strides. Now, we've got to be consistent with it. But to me, if you had one stat for the game that you really wanted to look at, that was the one I was curious to see how (the hard work) translated."
            Flo Thamba and Ojianwuna combined for half of Baylor's 22 offensive rebounds, with Ojianwuna scoring nine points and grabbing seven rebounds in 14 minutes off the bench. Cryer chipped in with three 3-pointers and finished with 16 points.
            In the middle game of a three-game home stand, the Bears will face Norfolk State at 7 p.m. Friday in a rematch of a 2022 NCAA Tournament first-round game that Baylor won, 85-49.