Baylor’s first night out went about as well as the Bears could have hoped, and now they get a chance to keep that early rhythm rolling when Arkansas-Pine Bluff comes to Waco on Friday.
The Bears opened the season with an 87-65 home win over Northwestern State on Monday, and the new faces were front and center. Brett Decker Jr. and Kayden Mingo each scored 17 points as Baylor controlled the game from the start, never trailing and stretching the margin to 24 in the first half before taking an 18-point lead into the break. Northwestern State never got within 15 the rest of the way.
Decker, who played at Liberty last season, said the Bears had chances to score even more cleanly if they sharpened up their ball security.
"We were getting the shots we want sometimes," said Decker, who played at Liberty last season. "We just got to take care of the ball better. Just get in the paint and make the right reads and be strong with the ball."
Baylor’s freshman Dylan Mingo also made a strong first impression, finishing with 14 points, while Elijah Williams added 11. Still, Dylan Mingo said the Bears let their foot off the gas a bit late in the first half and again after the break.
"In the second half, even at the end of the first half, we just let up," said Dylan Mingo, who joined older brother Kayden, a Penn State transfer, on the Baylor roster. "We kind of got complacent."
He also had plenty of praise for Decker, who knocked down 5 of 9 shots from 3-point range.
Dylan Mingo lauded Decker's shooting, saying that the guard is the "best I've played with."
"It's kind of fun because that's how you just rack up assists -- if you want to get assists, pass the ball to Brett Decker," Dylan Mingo said. "It's fun playing with him and it's fun building a connection with him."
Arkansas-Pine Bluff arrives after a rough start of its own, having been beaten 106-61 at No. 12 Arkansas on Tuesday. Jalen Tatum led the Golden Lions with 16 points, Creed Williamson scored 13 before fouling out, and Harrison Pickett and Jeremy Nyakundi each finished with 10.
The opening minutes gave Arkansas-Pine Bluff a brief spark when Williamson, the son of former Arkansas and NBA standout Corliss Williamson, scored on a layup 36 seconds into the game. But Arkansas answered with the next 25 points, and the Golden Lions never recovered.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff shot 38.9% from the field and turned it over 24 times in the loss.
Friday’s matchup is the second of 11 straight road games for Arkansas-Pine Bluff through Dec. 12.
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