Yessoufou Shines, but Baylor’s Veterans Struggle in 78–71 Loss to Memphis
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Baylor men’s basketball (6-2) dropped its first true road game of the season to the Memphis Tigers (4-4), losing 78-71 on Saturday afternoon at FedEx Forum.
Five-star freshman guard Tounde Yessoufou led the Bears with 22 points and five rebounds on 8-of-15 shooting. Redshirt sophomore wing Cameron Carr chipped in 10 rebounds and a season-low 13 points.
Meanwhile, Baylor’s veterans — Obi Agbim, Michael Rataj and Dan Skillings — struggled immensely, combining to score 21 points on 6-of-25 from the floor. The Bears were 17-of-25 from the free-throw line and 10-of-28 from deep in the defeat.
Memphis shot 41% (28-of-68) and 76% from the charity stripe (19-of-25) while turning the ball over just nine times; the Tigers outscored the Bears in the paint, 44-to-22. Senior forward Zach Davis led Memphis with 23 points and 13 rebounds.
The Tigers took control early, led for almost the entirety of the first half, and took a 37-34 lead into halftime.
The Bears started the second half strong and took their largest lead, 53-45, with 13 minutes remaining in the contest. Yessoufou and sophomore guard Isaac Williams IV, who finished with eight points and four assists, helped Baylor storm back into the game.
The Bears, however, struggled immensely down the stretch, scoring just two points in a four-minute span down the stretch. Baylor didn’t make a field goal from the 5:40 mark until 40 seconds left when Agbim hit a 3-pointer.
