MBB Finds First Loss Against No. 14 St. John’s, 96-81

Tuesday, November 25

Las Vegas, Nev.

3:30 pm

Baylor

4-1,0-0Big 12

St. John's

4-2,0-0Big East

Baylor

St. John's (NY)

MBB Finds First Loss Against No. 14 St. John’s, 96-81

11/25/2025 7:21:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Four Bears in double-figures for fifth straight game, Carr with 27

LAS VEGAS (AP) – Baylor men's basketball couldn't hold onto its perfect start to the season, falling to 14/15 St. John's 96-81 on Tuesday in the second round of the Players Era Championship in Michelob ULTRA Arena.

Using a dominant second half to open a 23-point lead, the Red Storm (4-2) bounced back from an 83-82 loss to No. 15 Iowa State in the opening round Monday.

St. John's shot a blistering 57.4% from the field, including 11 of 22 on 3-pointers. Baylor (4-1) shot a season-low 37.2%, hitting just 29 of 78 from the field. The Bears hadn't finished below 43.1% in any of their first four games.

Cameron Carr led all scorers with 27 points, and Michael Rataj had 12 points and 12 rebounds for Baylor. Tounde Yessoufou finished with 15 points and nine rebounds, and Isaac Williams IV scored 14 off the bench.

Surprisingly, the Bears dominated the boards in the first half, outrebounding St. John's 25-14, including a whopping 17-3 edge on the offensive glass.

But Baylor couldn't find its offensive rhythm, as the Red Storm held the Bears to 33.3% shooting in the first 20 minutes.

St. John's, on the other hand, shot a scorching 59.3% from the field, draining 16 of its 27 shots while building a lead as large as 15.

One day after setting his previous season high with 20 points, Sellers sparked the Johnnies by scoring 14 in the first half to help them to a 43-34 halftime lead.

THE RUNDOWN
The Red Storm started out on top, holding Baylor scoreless for the first two minutes of the game. At the first media timeout, St. John's had built a nine-point lead early, 13-4.

The Bears offense continued to struggle while the Red Storm started heating up, going on a 12-2 run while holding BU to one made basket of the last nine shots.

A steal by Obi Agbim led to an assist for a Cameron Carr to give the Bears some momentum at the under-12 mark, still trailing 23-11.

Another Carr three followed by a Caden Powell layup chipped away at the lead, making six of their last seven baskets in a four-minute span. During the four minutes of action between the media timeouts, Baylor held St. John's to six points, 27-18.

Yessoufou got on the board with a made bucket from beyond the arc and the Bears defecit was cut to five, 30-25. However, the Baylor defense was unable to hold strong, letting St. John's back up 36-25.

Carr nailed a three from the logo to hit double-figures for his fifth consecutive game in double-figures. St. John's went on to complete its six of last seven field goals to lead at the half 43-34, Baylor's first time this season trailing at the half.

St. John's continued to come out hot in the second half, putting up eight points before Baylor's first made basket by Isaac Williams IV.

Michael Rataj continued putting in crucial minutes for the Bears, hitting a double-double with 10 points on 11 rebounds at the 13-minute mark with the Bears at one of the largest deficit of the game of 17, 59-42.

Williams became Baylor's third player in double-figures while the Red Storm continued to battle over the Bears with the help of St. John's Hopkins, who was shooting nine-for-12 from the field. In the final eight minutes of the game, the Red Storm led 77-58.

St. John's continued to pour on. Yessoufou became Baylor's fourth double-digit player of the game, continuing BU's streak. The Benin, native, made BU's final basket of the game with the Bears falling 96-81.

WHAT'S NEXT
Baylor will continue play in the tournament Wednesday, with opponents and times to be determined.

- BaylorBears.com -