Pair of hoops wins over Aggies top week of Baylor athletic success
A near-sellout crowd saw the 24th-ranked Baylor men’s basketball team toppled No. 22 Texas A&M in Waco last night, 70-66, to extend an excellent week for Baylor athletics. The victory for head coach Scott Drew’s Bears moves the team into a tie for fourth in the Big 12 Conference with the Aggies and No. 21 Texas. With 21 wins this season, the Bears have already matched the program’s second-highest regular season wins total ever. Drew’s team has also reached the 20-win mark for the third straight season (and just the sixth time in program history).
Coach Kim Mulkey’s Lady Bears, too, are coming off a nationally televised win over the Aggies; 17th-ranked Baylor beat No. 12 Texas A&M 65-63 in College Station Monday night on ESPN2. Freshman Britney Griner led the Lady Bears with 22 points and 21 rebounds for her 12th double-double of the year.
Baylor baseball and softball each hosted tournaments over the weekend. Steve Smith’s Bears won three out of four against Duke and No. 22 Georgia to start the season off on the right foot. Senior Shawn Tolleson was named Big 12 Co-Pitcher of the Week after striking out 11 in 6 innings and earning a win over Duke Friday. Glenn Moore’s 25th-ranked Lady Bears also played well at home, winning four out of five at the QTI Getterman Classic. Men’s tennis (a pair of 7-0 shutouts), women’s tennis (6-1 victory over Pepperdine) and equestrian (10-8 defeat of No. 6 Kansas State) also added wins for Baylor over the weekend.
Up next? Another full weekend of action, including another big game for women’s basketball (hosting Kansas Sunday at 4 p.m. on ESPN2) and the Big 12 Indoor Track and Field Championships in Ames, Iowa. Also worth noting: Baylor seniors J.D. Walton and David Gettis are working out for NFL coaches and front office personnel at the 2010 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis this week.
Sic ’em, Baylor athletics!