National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Baylor 76, Oral Roberts 61
When: 7:00 PM ET, Friday, November 11, 2016
Where: Ferrell Center, Waco, Texas
Officials: # Don Daily, # Terry Davis, # Mike Stuart
Attendance: 10284

Al Freeman scored 16 points and Baylor pulled away in the second half to earn a 76-61 victory over Oral Roberts in the season opener for both teams.

The Bears, picked fifth in the Big 12 preseason poll, never trailed but never quite put the visitors away either. Baylor led by seven at halftime, and was up by double digits most of the way, but turnovers and missed free throws helped keep the starters in most of the way. It did most of its damage from beyond the arc with 10 three-pointers. Freeman, the leading returning scorer on the Bears, made three of his four three-point attempts.

Point guard Manu Lecomte, the preseason pick as Big 12 Newcomer of the Year after transferring in from Miami (Fla.), just missed a double-double with 15 points and nine assists. He scored Baylor's first five points to give the team a lead it would never relinquish.

Forward Ishmmail Wainwright, the only senior on Baylor's roster, added 11 points and five rebounds.

Forward Emmanuel Nzekwesi had 15 points to lead ORU. Leading returning scorer Albert Owens was held to eight.

The game marked a reunion of sorts for Owens and Baylor forward Terry Maston, who played on the same team in junior high school.

Baylor has now won its last 11 season openers. The last time it dropped its first game was in the 2005-06 season, when it had no nonconference games because of NCAA sanctions and opened the season at Texas Tech.

Baylor led by as many as 14 points in the first half and took a 38-31 lead into the break.
Top Game Performances
 
Oral Roberts   Baylor
Emmanuel Nzekwesi 15 Scoring Al Freeman 16
Jalen Bradley 6 Assists Manu Lecomte 11
Aaron Anderson 7 Rebounds Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. 9
Aaron Anderson 5 Free Throws Made Ishmail Wainright 6
Jalen Bradley 2 Steals Manu Lecomte 3
N/A Blocks Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. 4
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Oral Roberts 61 41.4 3-13 10-14 13 30 0 3 14
Baylor 76 44.4 10-26 18-26 18 35 5 9 11