No. 5 Baylor Men's Basketball Dismantles Mississippi Valley State in Season Opener
WACO, Texas — No. 5 Baylor men’s basketball (1-0) dominated Mississippi Valley State (0-1) in the college basketball season opener, 117-53, thanks to 21 points from Adam Flagler.
Well, it was the best of times, it was the best of times.
Baylor played well against Mississippi Valley State. That's the headline, and that will shock no one in the college basketball world. When one of the best teams in America faces kenpom.com's third worst team in America, 117-53 happens.
In case it was not soul-stripping enough for the Delta Devils, it was kids' day. You lose the game AND your eardrums.
the screams. the terrible screams.
— drake c. toll, party animal. (@drakectoll) November 7, 2022
no game will be louder this season. my eardrums left at halftime. pic.twitter.com/Y17bRKQmeI
Recapping the first half, Baylor actually started slow. The Bears missed their first seven three-point attempts, and a Delta Devils' three with 10:29 remaining in the opening period cut Baylor's lead to 16-10.
Cue the Scott Drew run of death. Drew's squad scored the next 24 points. The Bears went on a 45-11 run to close out the first half. Mississippi Valley State had just four made field goals in the opening 20 minutes.
Recapping the first half of Baylor vs. Mississippi Valley State:
— Baylor Barry (@baylorbarry69) November 7, 2022
- Baylor went on a 45-11 run in the last 9:30 of the half
- Delta Devils made four (4) field goals
- Baylor is shooting 7-16 from three after an 0-7 start
- Bears lead the turnover battle 14-4
61-21, Bears.
Flagler, Jalen Bridges and Dale Bonner each had double digits, and Baylor led the points off of turnovers battle 23-3. The score was a whopping 61-21 at the break.
As for the second half, you guessed it: nothing changed. Baylor rolled, and the dominance displayed was a nod to how deep this season's team is.
Unlike years past, the Bears don't have three walk-ons at the end of the bench to play the last 12 minutes. Similar to Weezer's 2001 Green Album, there is not a miss on this basketball roster.
Josh Ojianwuna threw it DOWN‼️ @BaylorMBB pic.twitter.com/54EBwM44Uy
— ESPN+ (@ESPNPlus) November 7, 2022
Let's hit some superlatives, while we have the available word space. Flager led the team in points with his 21, and his eight assists popped off the page.
Cryer added 16, Bridges notched 13 and Keyonte George had 13. Honing in on Dale Bonner, though, the wily guard had 14 points, six assists, four rebounds and three steals.
Baylor plays at home again on Friday against Norfolk State at 7 p.m.
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