Saturday, January 3
Fort Worth, Texas
1 pm
Baylor
10-3,0-1Big 12
63
at
69
TCU
11-3,1-0Big 12
1
2
F
Baylor
23
40
63
TCU
29
40
69
MBB Falls in Conference Opener at TCU, 69-63
1/3/2026 4:20:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BU narrowly misses a final-minute comeback on the road
FORT WORTH, Texas – Baylor men's basketball erased much of a second-half deficit but came up short in a 69-63 loss at TCU on Saturday afternoon at Schollmaier Arena to open its conference season.
Five of the last six meetings between Baylor and TCU entering the day had been decided by five points or fewer, and Saturday's result followed the familiar script as the Bears (10-3, 0-1 Big 12) stayed within striking distance throughout but could not complete the comeback.
Baylor shot 37.3-percent from the field, while TCU (10-3, 1-0 Big 12) led for more than 37 minutes and opened conference play with a home win. Cameron Carr led Baylor with 17 points, adding three rebounds and a pair of steals, while Tounde Yessoufou finished with 10 points, five rebounds and three steals.
The Bears trailed 29-23 at halftime but matched TCU with 40 points in the second half, leaning on improved free-throw shooting and second-chance opportunities to stay within reach.
Baylor cut the deficit to single digits several times down the stretch, including a late surge sparked by Carr and Obi Agbim, but could not overcome a rebounding disadvantage and TCU's transition scoring.
THE RUNDOWN
After a scoreless first three minutes, TCU made the first bucket of the day, going three-for-four from beyond the arc. Dan Skillings Jr. made two quick layups to get BU on the board, trailing 9-4 after the first five minutes of action.
Baylor continued to struggle to connect the ball to the basket, but a Carr layup followed by a James Nnaji dunk to begin his collegiate debut kept the Bears at bay, trailing 18-14 with eight minutes left in the half.
Yessoufou connected from the arc to put BU behind just one point, and a defensive stop followed by a Yessoufou jumper gave the Bears their first lead of the day, 19-18.
However, the Horned Frogs' defense held the Bears in a scoring drought for over four minutes and capitalised, taking back the lead 26-19. Carr snapped the negative streak with a steal turned into a made layup, and the Bears went into the half trailing only for the third time this season, 29-23.
Michael Rataj's three-point play from a fouled basket gave the Bears its first points of the second half, but TCU kept driving in the half, going up by 12 points. Yessoufou and Carr found themselves in double figures, a mutual habit between the pair.
The Bears kept chipping, but TCU maintained its 10-point lead heading into the final 10 minutes of the matchup, 49-39.
Baylor's defense began to activate midway through the second half, holding the Horned Frogs scoreless for three minutes, but TCU responded quickly with two made threes.
With five minutes left of the contest, TCU held its largest lead of 14 points. However, Baylor dug deep, going on an 8-0 run.
Obi Agbim connected a three to put BU back in single digits in the final three minutes. The Eden Prairie, Minnesota, native of Carr found a clutch and-one to keep digging for BU.
With just one minute remaining, it was a two-possession game. Agbim was fouled behind the arc and sank all three of his free throws, but it wasn't enough to close it out for the Bears, falling 69-63 in Fort Worth.
WHAT'S NEXT
Baylor hosts No. 3 Iowa State on Wednesday, Jan. 7, at 7 p.m. at Foster Pavilion.
Five of the last six meetings between Baylor and TCU entering the day had been decided by five points or fewer, and Saturday's result followed the familiar script as the Bears (10-3, 0-1 Big 12) stayed within striking distance throughout but could not complete the comeback.
Baylor shot 37.3-percent from the field, while TCU (10-3, 1-0 Big 12) led for more than 37 minutes and opened conference play with a home win. Cameron Carr led Baylor with 17 points, adding three rebounds and a pair of steals, while Tounde Yessoufou finished with 10 points, five rebounds and three steals.
The Bears trailed 29-23 at halftime but matched TCU with 40 points in the second half, leaning on improved free-throw shooting and second-chance opportunities to stay within reach.
Baylor cut the deficit to single digits several times down the stretch, including a late surge sparked by Carr and Obi Agbim, but could not overcome a rebounding disadvantage and TCU's transition scoring.
THE RUNDOWN
After a scoreless first three minutes, TCU made the first bucket of the day, going three-for-four from beyond the arc. Dan Skillings Jr. made two quick layups to get BU on the board, trailing 9-4 after the first five minutes of action.
Baylor continued to struggle to connect the ball to the basket, but a Carr layup followed by a James Nnaji dunk to begin his collegiate debut kept the Bears at bay, trailing 18-14 with eight minutes left in the half.
Yessoufou connected from the arc to put BU behind just one point, and a defensive stop followed by a Yessoufou jumper gave the Bears their first lead of the day, 19-18.
However, the Horned Frogs' defense held the Bears in a scoring drought for over four minutes and capitalised, taking back the lead 26-19. Carr snapped the negative streak with a steal turned into a made layup, and the Bears went into the half trailing only for the third time this season, 29-23.
Michael Rataj's three-point play from a fouled basket gave the Bears its first points of the second half, but TCU kept driving in the half, going up by 12 points. Yessoufou and Carr found themselves in double figures, a mutual habit between the pair.
The Bears kept chipping, but TCU maintained its 10-point lead heading into the final 10 minutes of the matchup, 49-39.
Baylor's defense began to activate midway through the second half, holding the Horned Frogs scoreless for three minutes, but TCU responded quickly with two made threes.
With five minutes left of the contest, TCU held its largest lead of 14 points. However, Baylor dug deep, going on an 8-0 run.
Obi Agbim connected a three to put BU back in single digits in the final three minutes. The Eden Prairie, Minnesota, native of Carr found a clutch and-one to keep digging for BU.
With just one minute remaining, it was a two-possession game. Agbim was fouled behind the arc and sank all three of his free throws, but it wasn't enough to close it out for the Bears, falling 69-63 in Fort Worth.
WHAT'S NEXT
Baylor hosts No. 3 Iowa State on Wednesday, Jan. 7, at 7 p.m. at Foster Pavilion.
Team Stats
Baylor
TCU
FG%
.373
.383
3FG%
.238
.400
FT%
.778
.652
RB
34
43
TO
11
11
STL
8
6
Game Leaders
Pts
17
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
13
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
C
/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballBaylor Basketball (M): Postgame vs. TCU | January 3, 2026
Sunday, January 04
Baylor Basketball (M): Tounde Yessoufou Highlights (10 PTS) at TCU | January 3, 2026
Saturday, January 03
Baylor Basketball (M): Cameron Carr Highlights (17 PTS) at TCU | January 3, 2026
Saturday, January 03
Baylor Basketball (M): Dan Skillings Highlights (13 PTS) at TCU | January 3, 2026
Saturday, January 03
