A day after dropping out of the Top 25 rankings, Baylor responded with an impressive 68-48 home victory over Cincinnati on Tuesday night in Waco, Texas.
Freshman VJ Edgecombe led the Bears with 18 points. Norchad Omier also scored 18 points and added 10 rebounds and two steals. Josh Ojianwuna chipped in 10 points and seven rebounds.
Baylor (10-4, 2-1 Big 12) dominated despite missing Langston Love (recurring ankle soreness) and Jalen Celestine (ankle) for a second straight game.
Cincinnati (10-4, 0-3 Big 12), which also fell out of the rankings, posted a season low in points in losing its third straight game. Dan Skillings Jr. led the Bearcats with 18 points, and Aziz Bandaogo chipped in 11 points.
The opening three minutes saw four lead changes before Baylor took control, with Edgecombe delivering throughout.
Edgecombe had an impressive play with just over nine minutes left in the first half, hauling in a long rebound, making a spin move and then going the distance for a fast-break layup. Edgecombe was fouled on the play and converted the free throw to give the Bears a 22-15 edge at the 9:08 mark.
Minutes later, Edgecombe knocked down a 3-pointer to start what became a 13-2 run to close the half. Baylor had a 35-20 lead at the break on 50 percent shooting from the field compared to Cincinnati’s 23.1 percent. The Bearcats didn’t make a field goal in the final eight minutes of the first half.
Baylor didn’t let up in the second half. Edgecombe converted another three-point play with a nice jumper through contact to make it 50-33 with 11:36 left. On the next possession, Edgecombe shined yet again with a fast-break dunk.
Baylor finished the night with a 40-16 advantage in points in the paint.
Baylor travels to Arizona State for its next game on Saturday. Cincinnati hosts No. 11 Kansas that day.
–Field Level Media
