LAS VEGAS — Baylor Men’s Basketball (4-1) dropped its first game of the year, losing to the No. 14 St. John’s Red Storm (4-2) 96-81 in the second game of the Players Era Championship on Tuesday afternoon.
Cameron Carr once again led all players in scoring with 27, but he and his teammates struggled to generate easy buckets against a great St. John’s defense. Meanwhile, Bryce Hopkins put up 26 points on 9-12 shooting for the Johnnies to lead his teammates.
Rick Pitino’s team jumped on the Bears early with a 13-4 start before the first media timeout. Perhaps things would not have gotten so out of hand if Baylor had made more than two of its first 14 shots, including a host of close-range attempts, but it was not to be.
Isaac Williams flashed for the Bears at times, scoring 14 points and helping spark the 12-2 first-half run that saw Baylor get within five points at 23-18. This being Williams’ first year in Waco, fans should be excited by what he can develop into by the end of his senior season in 2027-28.
Meanwhile, one of the newcomers with the most hype on the Bears roster had a tough day at the office. Tounde Yessoufou scored 15 points and grabbed nine rebounds, but struggled all day with the physicality of the Red Storm. This was highlighted by three straight turnover-worthy plays late in the first half that killed any momentum that the Bears had. He also shot 5-17 from the field.
The 43-34 halftime lead that the Johnnies built would grow as large as 23 points in the second half. Scott Drew’s team, weakened by a foot injury that will keep guard JJ White out of the rest of this tournament, also dealt with foul trouble. Dan Skillings picked up his fourth foul just over a minute and a half into the second half, while Caden Powell also dealt with four fouls.
Michael Rataj tried to be a steadying force for Baylor, registering 12 points and 12 rebounds, but he could not turn the tide single-handedly against such an athletic opponent.
Much of the Bears' problems in the game stemmed from the offensive struggles against a very good defense in St. John’s. Baylor shot 37% from the field and went 8-25 from three. But more than that, there were sparingly few easy and open looks. Every shot was hard-earned, and the majority of shots did not go in.
Despite that, the Bears fought hard on the boards, out-rebounding St. John’s 48-34, including 26-9 in offensive rebounds. The paint points battle, where St. John’s won 46-36, does undercut those rebounding stats importance though.
The Johnnies also punished the Bears in transition, outscoring Baylor 24-11 in fast break points.
Now the Bears get to sit back and prepare for an as-of-yet undecided opponent in their third game at the Players Era Championship.
