Yessoufou Drops 27 as Bears Stampede Past Buffs for First Big 12 Home Win, 86-67
WACO, Texas — The Baylor Men’s Basketball (13-9, 3-7 Big 12) trounced the visiting Colorado Buffaloes (13-10, 3-7 Big 12) by a score of 86-67 thanks to great nights from the Bears’ emerging “Big Three” of Cameron Carr, Tounde Yessoufou and Obi Agbim.
Yessoufou led all scorers this time with 27 points while also grabbing seven rebounds. Colorado head coach Tad Boyle called Yessoufou “a man among boys” after the game.
Meanwhile, Cameron Carr and Obi Agbim both registered 19 points and six assists. Carr also collected eight rebounds, and Obi Agbim made a notable chase-down block in the first half.
The Bears did their best to blitz the Buffs, opening the game on a 13-4 run and extending the lead to 23-9 not long after. By halftime, the Bears’ three-pronged attack were all in double figures, and the team held a 45-21 advantage.
Much of this was made possible by the Bears' superb shooting from downtown. Baylor hit seven of their 15 first-half three-point attempts. Baylor finished 10-24 from deep and shot 53% from the field overall.
When asked about how good it has been to have each of Agbim, Carr and Yessoufou clicking over the last couple of games, Scott Drew said, “If you’ve got three that are going, it is really hard to stop a team… those three especially because they can put up big numbers.”
The first half team defense should also be noted. Colorado scored a dismal 0.636 points per possession and shot just 32% overall.
For a team coming off a blowout win against TCU, the Buffs could not re-create the success that the Frogs had twice against Baylor this season.
Now, the Bears and Buffs own identical 3-7 Big 12 records, and the Bears have a chance to make it three wins on the trot if they can find some way to counteract “Hilton Magic” when they venture up to Ames, Iowa, on Saturday. That game is scheduled for a 1 p.m. tip-off on ESPN. Iowa State is currently ranked No. 7 in the national polls and sits at fourth in the Big 12 behind Arizona, Houston and Kansas.
