WACO, Texas (AP) — LJ Cryer led five players in double figures with his 20 points, and fourth-ranked Baylor beat Arkansas-Pine Bluff 99-54 on Saturday night.
The Bears (8-0) led by 10 after a Kendall Brown layup with 14:14 left in the first half. The Golden Lions never got the margin back to single digits.
Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua added 14 points and 13 rebounds for the Bears, who dominated on the boards 49-24. Matthew Mayer had 14 points for Baylor, including with 4 3s.
Brandon Brown was 8 of 11 from the floor and led Arkansas-Pine Bluff (1-8) with 19 points. The Golden Lions shot 40% from the floor and didn’t attempt their first free throw until about four minutes left in the game.
BIG PICTURE
Arkansas-Pine Bluff: The team was locked down by Baylor’s defense and forced to fire up contested long-range shots as the shot clock expired. They didn’t try to get offensive rebounds on many possessions, with their guards backpedaling to try to keep the Bears out of transition.
Baylor: The Bears didn’t play their cleanest game offensively, especially with eight first-half turnovers, but cruised with their depth and defense. The Bears limited the Golden Lions to a 12% (3 for 25) from beyond the arc, and Baylor shot 62.5% in the second half.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Baylor could move into the top three after No. 1 Duke lost to unranked Ohio State on Tuesday.
UP NEXT
Arkansas-Pine Bluff: Hosts Arkansas State on Wednesday.
Baylor: Has a week off before hosting No. 6 Villanova on Dec. 12.
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