No. 4 Bears throttle Sooners in Big 12 opener

NORMAN, Okla. — Three of Baylor’s first four makes from the field came from deep in a Big 12 conference opener against Oklahoma on Friday evening and the No. 4-ranked Bears never trailed in their 76-50 victory.

Scratched from the lineup minutes before opening tip, Oklahoma played their second game in a row without leading scorer and point guard Jordan Woodard. With the absence of the senior, the Bears took every advantage of a team made up primarily of underclassmen and an undersized front court.

While big men Johnathan Motley and Jo Lual-Acuil dominated with their size and length in the front court, point guard Manu Lecomte had his way in the back court against an inexperienced group of guards.

Motley put up the most notable performance of the night for the Bears, totaling 19 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks. Lual-Acuil chipped in 12 and eight rebounds, but was unable to collect a block against the Sooners, his first game of the year without a block.

Lecomte was hot from deep throughout the game, connecting on 4-of-5 money balls on his way to 14 points. The junior tied for the lead with three assist with Ish Wainright.

Defensively the Bears held the Sooners to 33.3-percent shooting from the field while collecting seven steals and four blocks as a unit

Baylor will return to Waco for their second Big 12 game of the season against Iowa State on Wednesday evening at 7 p.m. CT.