Baylor Baptizes Abilene Christian 88-57

Impact Players

VJ Edgecombe (14 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals, 1 block) was a menace in his return from a hamstring injury. His offense was the usual smooth scoring he gets in the flow of the game. His defense was more assertive. His 4 steals and 1 block lead the game. He was a major disruptor, particularly in a stretch where ACU was 1 for 10 from the floor and had scored more free throws (7) than field goals (6).

Jayden Nunn (18 pts, 4 rebs, 4 asst) was also a big part of Baylor’s big night. With Jeremy Roach out (concussion), Nunn was the steadying force offensively. Whenever things got bogged down, he took the ball into the paint or managed to hit the late-clock three.

Oh My Moment

Social media let me down, but when I tell you the Edgecombe blocked a three near the top of the arc, then ran down the floor to pick up the ball and yam it, I’m confident you can imagine what that was like.

Oh, and a guy made a half court shot in one of the timeout promotional contests!

When Was the Game Over?

Baylor’s 46-22 lead at halftime was just half a point under the -22.5 point spread for the entire game. The real offensive torrent came with 10:30 in the first half when the Bears scored on 7 of its next 10 possessions to balloon a 24-13 lead into 36-16. That was when Edgecombe was at his most disruptive and Langston Love (10 points, 4-9 FG), who looks better and better each game, hit a pair of threes.

Hitting the first 10 shots of the game is a pretty good way to start, too.

Quote of the Night

Brice Cherry: “Josh, I noticed in the game notes that you actually lead the team in dunks, just a little bit over VJ. Is that a little competition between y’all over the course of the year?”

Josh Ojianwuna: “It’s not a competition for me…VJ’s a great dunker. On the fast break, every time I’m celebrating for him, because that’s what the fans come to see.”

Notables

• I love quirky lineups. With 1:34 left in the first half, Drew put out Wright-Nunn-Edgecombe-Love-Omier. That lineup scored 2 of 3 offensive possessions, had 2 stops (one was a forced turnover), and closed +4. Not a bad time to try out a small lineup where Love gets some minutes at the four.

• The first play of the game, Robert Wright (8 pts, 2 rebs, 4 asts) lobbed for Norchad Omier (15 pts, 6 rebs, 7-7 FG), creating out of the high pick and roll. That kind of shot creation is exactly why the freshman (who has a top 100 assist rate of 32%) got the start in place of Roach and will be a keystone in the rotation.

• Jalen Celestine (8 pts, 5 rebs, 3-4 FG) had Baylor’s first put back basket, shocking given the presence of Omier and Ojianwuna on the team. Baylor had had just 1 offensive rebound to that point in the game. Related, the Bears had shot 77% from the floor to that point (18 minutes of play!).

• Love had some throw back bully ball drives where he, quite simply, drove through his defender for a layup. Nice to see that again.

• Josh Ojianwuna (13 pts, 8 rebs) is offensively limited, but one way he makes a meaningful impact is when he seals his defender in the paint to make a driving lane for others, as he did for a huge Edgecombe two-handed slam.