WACO — Baylor played like the No. 12 team in the country for the final minutes of the first and the beginning of the second halves to pull away from Sam Houston for a 104-67 victory at Foster Pavilion on Tuesday night.
The Bearkats (1-2) could not slow the Bears’ offensive attack as Baylor shot 60 percent from the floor. Sam Houston shot the ball well from behind the arc as Lamar Wilkerson drilled five 3-pointers to finish with a team-high 19 points, Josiah Hammons drained two for six of his 14 points and Dorian Finister had a pair to go along with his 13 points.
Injuries forced the Bearkats to go with a smaller starting lineup with four guards and a forward due to injuries, however. Senior Cameron Huefner took a hard knock in the win at Tarleton on Saturday that caused him to miss Tuesday’s game, and senior Damon Nicholas Jr. has missed action as well with an injury.
The Bears (2-1) used the size to their advantage. They outscored Sam Houston 50-24 in the paint, 22-6 in the first half that allowed them to build a double-digit lead.
The Bearkats countered with Wilkerson’s hot hand from behind the arc in the first 20 minutes. He scored 17 points, including going 5 for 11 from 3-point range to keep Sam Houston close.
Kian Scroggins, who finished with eight points, and Wilkerson sparked a 5-0 run after the Kats fell behind 41-24 with seven minutes to go in the game. Wilkerson hit two more 3 pointers in consecutive possessions as Sam Houston pulled within 46-35 only to see Baylor close the half on an 8-2 run to take a 54-37 lead into the break.
The Bears opened the second half with an 11-3 to break open the game as the Kats were unable to keep pace.
Sam Houston will play its fourth straight road game to open the season when the Bearkats travel to Beaumont to face former Southland and WAC rival Lamar at the Neches Arena. The game is set to be streamed on ESPN+ at 4 p.m.
