Celestine leads 6 players in double figures for No. 12 Baylor in 104-41 win over Tarleton State

WACO, Texas (AP) — Cal transfer Jalen Celestine had 20 points and four 3-pointers off the bench to lead six Baylor players scoring in double figures as the 12th-ranked Bears cruised past Tarleton 104-41 on Sunday night.

The Bears (3-1) got 17 points from VJ Edgecombe while Duke transfer Jeremy Roach had 14 points and freshman Robert Wright had 12 points and nine assists. Jayden Nunn scored 11 and Josh Ojianwuna 10.

Baylor hasn’t trailed in its three games since a 38-point loss in a season-opening top-10 matchup at Gonzaga.

The Texans (1-4) were led by Joseph Martinez with 11 points. He got into double figures with a 3-pointer in the final minute.

Takeaways

Tarleton State: The Texans struggled to break Baylor’s full-court press and find ways to score as they mesh a new roster that returns less than 5% of its scoring and field goals made from last season. They played the second of three power conference opponents in a four-game span on Sunday night. Baylor: The Bears had an efficient scoring night as they connected on 47% of their 3-pointers (15 of 32) and assisted on 22 of 31 made shots.

Key moment

Edgecombe had a two-handed slam dunk off a Roach lob late in the first half. The alley-oop was part of a 44-6 run for Baylor over the final 16 minutes of the first half. Edgecombe, a former five-star recruit, also had a highlight-reel tomahawk dunk in the second half.

Key stat

Baylor scored 46 points off 28 Tarleton turnovers and held the Texans to 13 first-half points. The Bears also went on three separate 17-0 runs.

Up next

Baylor faces No. 22 St John’s in a tournament in the Bahamas on Thursday. The Texas play that night at Michigan.

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