No. 7 Baylor Beats Northwestern 69-41
EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) -- Northwestern knew it would be more difficult against Baylor. It was tougher than the Wildcats imagined.
Quincy Acy and Pierre Jackson both scored 16 points and No. 7 Baylor remained unbeaten with a 69-41 victory on Sunday.
"That's an elite team, that's who we want to play," Northwestern guard Drew Crawford said. "We just have to compete better."
Baylor and Northwestern both came in undefeated for the first-ever meeting between the schools but once the game tipped off, that seemed to be about the only thing they had in common.
Acy had six blocks to lead a dominant performance in the paint on both ends of the court. Baylor (7-0) outscored Northwestern 46-12 in the lane and hit 25 of 30 shots from inside the 3-point line.
"You clearly have to get something inside," Northwestern coach Bill Carmody said. "We got nothing tonight.
"They smacked us pretty good," Carmody said. "I think they're pretty good, they have some good guys and they play together."
Crawford had 15 points to lead Northwestern (7-1).
"We didn't play too good," Crawford said. "Everyone was excited for game. We just came out flat and that's something we can't do."
Four players scored in double figures for the Bears (7-0), who cruised after an early game run. Jackson scored 14 points in the first half, while Perry Jones III added 12 and Brady Haslip 11.
"I've really been impressed with the unselfishness of the players," Baylor coach Scott Drew said. "We just really have good kids and I think they buy into (the) team (concept)."
Acy had six blocks to lead a dominant performance in the paint on both ends of the court. Baylor outscored Northwestern 46-12 in the lane and hit 25 of 30 shots from inside the 3-point line.
"We have a lot more depth this year we have a lot a guys than can do special things," Acy said. "We take it personally in practice guarding each other. Last year, (defense) is what really hurt us."
Drew Crawford had 15 points to lead Northwestern (7-1).
"That's an elite team, that's who we want to play," Crawford said. "We just have to compete better."
Baylor was the highest-ranked nonconference opponent the Wildcats have played at Welsh-Ryan Arena since Dec. 2, 1989, a 103-77 loss to No. 7 Duke.
It would have been a signature win for Northwestern, which is seeking to make the NCAA tournament for the first time.
"They're definitely the most athletic team we've seen yet this season, but we just didn't come out ready to play," Northwestern's David Sobolewski said.
Baylor led by 17 points at halftime and by as many as 32 points in the game.
Baylor, playing its first road game of the season, has started 7-0 for the second straight year, something never before accomplished in school history.
"We still have a long way to go as far as not getting comfortable with leads," Acy said.
In the first half, Jackson's layup after a steal with 4:31 left gave Baylor an 11-point lead. Jackson hit all six of his shots from the field in the first half.
"I just try to get in the game and be aggressive," Jackson said.
Northwestern entered the game averaging just 8.8 turnovers, second-lowest in the nation. But Baylor pressured the Wildcats into 12 turnovers leading to 23 points.
The mismatch extended to shooting. Northwestern tied a school record by hitting 20 3-pointers in a rout of Mississippi Valley State on Friday, but had trouble finding open shots against the smothering Baylor zone.
The Wildcats shot just 2 of 13 from deep and 29 percent overall before halftime. It didn't get much better in the second half as Northwestern shot 25 percent for the game.
"The most bothersome thing is we just weren't making shots," Crawford said. "We were getting some good looks. They just weren't falling like they usually do."
Northwestern's John Shurna, who entered the game with a Big 10-leading 20.0 scoring average, hit just 4 of 18 from the field and missed all six of his 3-point attempts. He finished with 11 points.
"(Shurna) is a great player," Acy said. "Coach made it known that we had to pay attention to him."
After Luka Mirkovic scored the first basket of the game for the Wildcats, Baylor went on a 10-point run, capped by Jackson's layup.
Drew's father Homer, the former head coach at nearby Valparaiso, watched from behind the Baylor bench.
Also watching was Drew's brother Bryce, the current coach of the Crusaders.
"They had a big win at Butler (on Saturday), so he's excited," Scott Drew said. "It was a big weekend for the Drews."
Jones was playing in just his second game for the Bears after missing five because of a suspension. Quincy Miller returned to the starting lineup after missing Tuesday's game with a sprained ankle, so Sunday was the first time this season Drew has his full arsenal of talent.
That makes Baylor's perfect start all the more impressive.
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