Nunn scores game-high 23 to lead #18 MBB to 91-60 win over New Orleans

Wednesday, November 27

Waco, Texas

1 PM

Baylor

5-2,0-0Big 12

New Orleans

2-5,0-0Southland

New Orleans

Baylor

Nunn scores game-high 23 to lead #18 MBB to 91-60 win over New Orleans

11/27/2024 3:24:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Game Book (PDF)

Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider

WACO, Texas – Far from a wide-eyed, impressionable freshman, Rob Wright wasn't the least bit surprised when he watched senior teammate Jayden Nunn drain six of his first seven 3-point attempts and score 20 first-half points in the 18^th-ranked Bears' 91-60 rout of the New Orleans Privateers Wednesday afternoon at the Foster Pavilion.

"I see him do it in practice every day," Wright said, "so it doesn't even surprise me."

Nunn only made one shot in the second half, but the senior guard set the Foster Pavilion record with seven made 3-pointers and scored a season-high 23 points to go with four assists, no turnovers, three rebounds and two steals.

"I'm just grateful, man," said Nunn, who was honored before the game for eclipsing the 1,000-point mark in the Nov. 17 game against Tarleton. "Grateful to my teammates, too."

Coming off a split in the Bahamas, when they had slow starts in a 99-98 double-overtime win over 22^nd-ranked St. John's and a 77-62 loss to No. 11 Tennessee, the Bears (5-2) jumped out to a 6-0 lead on a pair of Nunn 3-pointers in the first 68 seconds and went on a 16-5 run to double up the Privateers, 30-15, en route to a 50-23 halftime lead.

"I liked how we executed in the beginning," Baylor coach Scott Drew said, "and then we got to a faster pace when we started pressing. When we went to our switching defense, that sped them up and allowed us to get separation, allowed us to get out and go, and then came back and worked a little more on our half-court man."

Miami transfer Norchad Omier posted his third-straight and fifth double-double of the year with 12 points and a season-high 13 rebounds, while the backcourt duo of Wright and Jeremy Roach had 18 and 17 points, respectively.

Baylor held New Orleans to just 25% shooting and 23 points in the first half and led by as many as 41 in the second half, but the Privateers closed the game on an extended 22-12 run over the last nine minutes.

"I thought the first 32 minutes, we did a really good job in a lot of areas," Drew said. "And then, the last eight minutes – and I probably should have called the timeout sooner and subbed sooner. But we didn't play very well (down the stretch), so that leaves a little sour taste in your mouth."

Junior guard Dae Dae Hunter hit three 3-pointers in each half and finished as the only double-figure scorer for New Orleans with 18 points. The Privateers were coming off a historic overtime win over Tulane.

"We emphasized guarding the ball and guarding our yard and being in our gaps," Nunn said. "Our detail and our defensive principles and just taking it seriously, we're trying to get our defensive keys."

Freshman VJ Edgecombe, who came in averaging 12.5 points per game, scored a season-low two points and sat out the second half "as a precaution" with a tight hamstring, Drew said.

Seeing his most playing time of the season, guard Langston Love scored seven points and grabbed four rebounds in 27 minutes off the bench. After a substitution timeout with 1:49 left, Division III transfer Davidson Hubbard and 6-10 freshman Marion Dubravic scored buckets to help the Bears end a 3 ½-minute scoring drought.

Baylor will go back on the road to face second-ranked and two-time defending national champion UConn (4-2) at 5:30 p.m. CT next Wednesday, Dec. 4, in Storrs. The Huskies had a 17-game winning streak dating back to February snapped in back-to-back losses to Memphis and Colorado in the Maui Invitational in Hawaii.

"I know we're all a little tired," Drew said. "Whenever you come back from the Bahamas and a trip like that, the first game, you can be playing in mud. And I think the guys did a pretty good job, for the most part. And we had good practices the last two days. I think we improved, but I know they were tired. So, get refreshed tomorrow, eat a lot, have fun. We'll get after it Friday and Saturday and take Sunday off and then get ready for UConn."