Bears Get Rocked 96-70 by Marquette

Nov 30, 2022 - 3:46 AM

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A defensive collapse in Fiserv Forum resulted in the 96-70 romping of the No. 6 Baylor Bears (5-2, 0-0) by the Marquette Golden Eagles (6-2, 0-0). The Bears coughed up 20 turnovers as four Marquette players scored in double figures, led by Oliver-Maxence Prosper’s 24 and 5 rebounds.

It was Baylor’s worst loss since 2007.

The game was decided early, when Baylor yielded a 7-6 to a 35-7 run by Marquette. That run was fueled by Marquette’s defensive intensity that turned Baylor over 13 times in the first half. Those led to easy shots in transition. Still, even when Baylor kept the Eagles out of transition, they couldn’t stop them from scoring. At one point, Marquette was 16 of 17 from the floor.

Baylor’s defensive troubles centered around an inability to keep Marquette out of the paint. Twice Prosper was able to face up against Flo Thamba (1 pt, 3 rebs) and beat him off the dribble. Most of the game, though, Marquette was able to empty out one side and use a side pick-and-roll to get a guard — usually Tyler Kolek (6 pts, 11 asts, 4 stls) or Kam Jones (20 pts, 2 stl, 1 blk) — in the paint with his pick of kicking out to the open shooter, going to the rim, or dropping off to the rolling big. It happened over and over and over, and Baylor’s guards were unable to disrupt and the big unable to come up to the ball to contain the ball handler.

Adam Flagler (16 pts, 6 rebs, 5 asts) was the lone Bear who had a positive assist-to-turnover ratio. Every other guard had either as many or more turnovers than assists.

Keyonte George and LJ Cryer contributed 12 and 19 apiece but combined for 7 turnovers to just 3 assists. George himself had no assists tonight, a first in his young college career. Cryer’s final 6 points or so came in the final few minutes of garbage time.

The worry headed into the season focused on Baylor’s relative lack of size and uncertainty about who could take control of the game when the Bears needed it. Tonight, those worries came in full force. Scott Drew struggled to find a rotation that would work in the first half. Jalen Bridges (8 pts, 5 rebs) got 2 early fouls, and so Drew tried to go with 4 guards. That didn’t work. When freshman big Josh Ojianwuna failed to give anything on the defensive end, Drew tried playing with Bridges and Caleb Lohner (2 pts, 5 rebs) at the 4 and 5. That didn’t work.

It’s good to have this sort of game early and in the non-conference rather than in league play, but the Bears now have on tape a number of significant weaknesses between this and the Virginia loss. If Baylor can’t figure things out on the defensive end, this may be a disappointing season in Waco.