Big first half helps No. 12 Baylor blast Tarleton State by 63 points

Jalen Celestine had 20 points and prized freshman VJ Edgecombe scored 17 as host No. 12 Baylor rode a dominant first half to a third straight victory, throttling Tarleton St. 104-41 on Sunday night in Waco, Texas.

Jeremy Roach hit four 3-pointers and had 14 points for the Bears (3-1), who went 9-of-13 from beyond the arc in the first half and scored 29 points off 17 Tarleton turnovers to lead 56-13 at the break. Robert Wright had 12 points and nine assists in the win.

Baylor, which has bounced back nicely from a rough 101-63 season-opening loss to then-No. 6 Gonzaga, went 15-of-32 from distance on the night after going 14-of-32 in Tuesday's 104-67 victory over Sam Houston.

Tarleton (1-4), coached by former Texas A&M and Kentucky boss Billy Gillispie, played without six players due to injury. The Texans attempted as many field goals and they committed turnovers before halftime and entered the break shooting 29.4 percent from the floor.

Joseph Martinez finished with 11 points for Tarleton, which conceded 46 points off of its 28 giveaways.

The visitors trailed 12-7 when Baylor took control with its first 17-0 run of the half. Celestine had five points during that surge, and Edgecombe scored the final five before Jordan Mizell hit a jumper for the Texans with 10:33 remaining in the half.

Those were the only Tarleton points over a 10:10 stretch of the opening period, which Baylor closed with another 17-0 flurry. A fastbreak alley-oop dunk by potential lottery-pick Edgecombe, from Roach, highlighted the onslaught and made it 48-13 with 2:32 left before halftime.

The run extended to 19-0 on Jayden Nunn's jumper to begin the second half. Nunn finished with 11 points and eclipsed 1,000 for his career.

Matt Krass ended the scoring drought for Tarleton less than a minute into the second half, but the good times continued for Baylor. Celestine's fourth 3-pointer pushed the lead to 67-25 and Edgecombe followed by igniting the home crowd with a breakaway, one-handed jam.

--Field Level Media