Waco, TX – The seventh-ranked Baylor Bears have an conference foe Prairie View A&M in Waco tonight.
Prairie View opened the season with back-to-back victories but has since dropped five consecutive decisions, all away from home. On Saturday, the Panthers simply didn't play well enough offensively in a 56-49 setback to Wofford. They are members of the Southwestern Athletic Conference and will begin SWAC play on January 3.
As for Baylor, it has won each of its five games thus far by double figures, and the most recent triumph came on Wednesday by a 75-65 decision over UT- Arlington. The Bears are playing the last of what will be six straight home games to open the season. The remaining non-conference schedule is certainly favorable, through Baylor will have to take on Mississippi State and West Virginia in succession before Big 12 Conference play begins.
The Bears have won all 11 of their previous meetings with Prairie View, the most recent of which came by a 90-45 final last season.
Against Wofford on Saturday, Prairie View hit just five shots from the floor in the first half and shot 37.5 percent from the field in the contest, including a 1-of-11 effort from three-point range. The Panthers had a mere seven assists against 18 turnovers and hit just 56.3 percent of their foul shots as well. The only player to reach double figures in scoring for Prairie View was Jourdan Demuynck, although his 10-point showing wasn't overly impressive. Through seven outings, Demuynck has led his team in scoring in each of the last three games and is averaging 11.6 ppg overall. Unfortunately, no other player on the roster is generating more than 7.9 ppg for the Panthers, who are actually outscoring opponents (61.3 ppg to 61.0 ppg) despite the losing record.
Baylor is generating 78.2 ppg while limiting opponents to 59.6 ppg on 34.5 percent shooting from the floor. The Bears are outrebounding foes by nearly seven boards per contest and are forcing nearly 20 turnovers per outing. Quincy Miller paces the club with 15.2 ppg, and Anthony Jones checks in with 12.4 ppg. Quincy Acy provides 11.4 ppg and 7.4 rpg, while Brady Heslip (10.6 ppg) and Pierre Jackson (10.0 ppg) bring balance to the lineup. In the 10- point win over UT-Arlington last time out, Miller spearheaded a balanced attack with 17 points, 11 rebounds and six assists, proof of his versatility. The Bears also got 16 points from Jackson in a game in which they earned a 49-33 rebounding advantage and limited the opposition to 35.4 percent field goal efficiency.
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