No. 2 Baylor wins delayed home opener over SFA

WACO, Texas (AP) — Adam Flagler scored 11 of his 14 points before halftime when No. 2 Baylor took control on the way to an 83-52 win over Stephen F. Austin in the Bears' home opener Wednesday, a night later than scheduled and against a different opponent than planned.

Flagler led five players in double figures for the Bears (4-0), who played for the first time since an 82-69 win over then-No. 5 Illinois at the Jimmy V Classic in Indianapolis a week earlier.

They were also supposed to play No. 1 Gonzaga there Saturday, but that game was canceled about 90 minutes before tipoff after a Bulldogs player was among two positive COVID-19 tests in their traveling party.

Cameron Johnson had 11 points for Stephen F. Austin (3-1), the defending Southland Conference champion which had its 18-game winning streak snapped. Gavin Kensmil added 10 points.

Flagler's 3-pointer in the closing seconds of the first half was the Bears' third 3 in a row — LJ Crayer and Matthew Mayer had the others — as part of a half-ending 11-2 run that put them up 38-22.

The Lumberjacks had 35 turnovers that turned into 40 points for Baylor. That included 17 turnovers by halftime.

Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua, like Flagler a sophomore who redshirted with the Bears last season after transferring into the program, added 13 points. Preaseason Big 12 player of the year Jared Butler had 12 points, Davion Mitchell added 11 and Mayer scored 10.

After playing on the road the first two weeks, Baylor was supposed to play its home opener Tuesday night against Nicholls State, but the Colonels canceled Monday because of virus issues. Their Southland Conference foe then made the 160-mile drive from its campus in Nacogdoches.

The Lumberjacks, who went 28-3 last season, had won 15 games in a row before the 2019-20 campaign came to a sudden stop during conference tournament week and the NCAA Tournament was canceled because of the virus.

There was a drastically different feel in the 10,284-seat Ferrell Center when the preseason Big 12 favorites played their home opener. The announced attendance was 2,350, the maximum reduced capacity, though some of those tickets likely went unused.

Fans were socially distanced throughout the arena and there were only a handful of students — on-campus classes wrapped up by the Thanksgiving break. Most of those were in the pep band that sat in the upper rows and the cheerleaders in another seating section off the floor.

BIG PICTURE

Stephen F. Austin: With all the turnovers, the Lumberjacks were never going to be in position to pull off another upset in Waco as they did two years ago. SFA scored the game's final seven points in that game, winning 59-58 when former guard Shannon Bogues drove for a buzzer-beating layup.

Baylor: The Bears have played only one of the first six games as listed on their initial schedule, that win over Illinois. They won their home finale in overtime over Texas Tech last March, but lost three of their last five regular-season games after a Big 12-record 23-game winning streak.

UP NEXT

Stephen F. Austin: At Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday.

Baylor: Plays its Big 12 opener at home against No. 13 Texas.

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