Splashing Debuts Highlight Baylor MBB’s Preseason-Opening Win

Fri Oct 10 19:30:02 CDT 2025

BAYLOR ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS – Oct. 10, 2025

Splashing Debuts Highlight Baylor MBB’s Preseason-Opening Win
Bears get double-digit outbursts from Carr, Skillings, Yessoufou
For more information contact: Josie Hutton; 254-709-7720, josie_hutton at baylor.edu<mailto:josie_hutton at baylor.edu>
Media Folder: https://baylorbears.com/MBBMedia

WACO, Texas -- Cameron Carr, Dan Skillings Jr., and Tounde Yessoufou each charted double-figure scoring games to highlight Baylor men’s basketball in its first exhibition of the 2025-26 season, taking down Grand Canyon, 79-72 at Foster Pavilion.

The scrimmage marked a matchup of brothers Scott and Bryce Drew, with Scott in his 23rd season leading the Baylor program, and Bryce in his sixth season directing the Lopes.

In a tight game that saw Grand Canyon lead by seven five minutes into the game, the Bears were able to reach a double-digit margin midway through the second half and held on for the win in the first two preseason exhibition games.

Carr, a native of Eden Prairie Minn., and a transfer from Tennessee, had 20 points on 6-of-11 shooting with three rebounds in 26 minutes.

Skillings, a 6-6 senior guard from Blackwood, N.J., exploded for a team-best 15 points in the first half, adding eight rebounds, and finished with a double-double, collecting 17 points and 11 rebounds in 33 minutes. He joined the Bears after totaling 917 points over three seasons at Cincinnati.

A five-star recruit out of St. Joseph [Calif.] High School, Yessoufou had a team-leading 21 points, including five 3-pointers, with four rebounds in 33 minutes.

The Bears shot 44 percent in the win, including a 12-of-24 mark from 3-point range and a 13-of-14 showing from the free-throw line. BU held a 32-30 margin in rebounds, had assists on 15 of 27 shots and held GCU to a 46% shooting clip from the field, including a 4-of-18 mark behind the arc.

GCU’s Jaden Henley had a game-best 28 points, including sinking 11-of-12 from the free-throw line.

Baylor will continue a two-game preseason on Oct. 26, traveling to face Indiana in Indianapolis, Ind. The first official game of the season comes on Nov. 3 vs. UTRGV at the Foster Pavilion.

THE RUNDOWN

The Bears opened with the starting lineup of Skillings Jr., Yessoufou, Carr, Obi Agbim and Michael Rataj, Issac Williams IV and JJ White were the first Bears off the bench.

The Lopes opened up the game with nine of the first 13 points, with the Bears getting a pair of buckets from Skillings at the first media break.

After GCU opened up a 13-6 lead, the Bears rallied with six straight, including a triples from Carr and Yessoufou, narrowing the lead to 13-12 with 11:54 left in the first.

GCU scored 10 of the next 15 points to stretch its lead to 23-18. A tough bucket in the paint from Yessoufou, one at the line from Agbim and a furious flush from Caden Powell brought the Bears to within a basket with just over five minutes left in the first half. After a made 3-pointer from Dusty Stromer, Baylor used another Powell paint basket and a Skillings trey to even the game at 28 with 3:43 left.

The run grew to 8-0 after a Skillings and-one for a 31-28 lead. Skillings drilled a corner trey and rolled a driving layup in off the fingertips to give BU a 39-35 lead at the half. He led the Bears with 15 points on 6-of-7 from the field, with eight boards. Yessoufou had 10 points in 16 minutes as the Bears shot 47% in the first stanza, including 5-of-9 from behind the arc and owned a 16-11 margin in rebounds.

The teams largely split the opening 27 points of the second half, with the Bears sinking four 3-pointers to take its lead to 53-48 with 13 minutes left.

Carr hit a pair at the line to give the Bears their largest lead of the game, 55-48 and Carr’s and-1 slam gave the Bears a 58-49 lead with 11:28 left in regulation. Mayo Soyoye’s two-handed slam gave the Bears their first double-digit margin of the game at 63-52.

A 7-0 run for the Lopes narrowed the lead to 65-61 with six minutes left in regulation was thwarted by a Yessoufou corner triple to regain a seven-point advantage.

The Lopes cut the lead to 68-65, before Yessoufou answered with a third triple of the game to take the lead to 71-65 at the last media timeout.

Stromer sank a corner 3-pointer with two minutes left to narrow the lead to 73-70 but buckets from Agbim sandwiched that triple and Skillings hit two at the line to push the margin to 77-70 with 1:05 remaining.

The two teams played an additional 10-minute period following the regulation 40 minutes. Baylor won that final period 22-19.

- BaylorBears.com -

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