By W.G. RAMIREZ
LAS VEGAS — Bryce Hopkins scored 26 points, Oziyah Sellers added 22 and No. 14 St. John’s beat Baylor 96-81 on Tuesday in the second round of the Players Era Championship.
Using a dominant second half to open a 23-point lead, the Red Storm (4-2) bounced back from an 83-82 loss to No. 15 Iowa State in the opening round Monday.
St. John’s shot a blistering 57.4% from the field, including 11 of 22 on 3-pointers. Sellers went 5 for 7 from beyond the arc, and Hopkins was 9 of 12 from the floor while adding five rebounds and five assists.
Dillon Mitchell had 18 points off the bench to go with six rebounds and six assists. Reserve guard Ian Jackson scored 14.
Baylor (4-1) shot a season-low 37.2%, hitting just 29 of 78 from the field. The Bears hadn’t finished below 43.1% in any of their first four games.
Cameron Carr led all scorers with 27 points, and Michael Rataj had 12 points and 12 rebounds for Baylor. Tounde Yessoufou finished with 15 points and nine rebounds, and Isaac Williams IV scored 14 off the bench.
Surprisingly, the Bears dominated the boards in the first half, outrebounding St. John’s 25-14, including a whopping 17-3 edge on the offensive glass.
But Baylor couldn’t find its offensive rhythm, as the Red Storm held the Bears to 33.3% shooting in the first 20 minutes.
St. John’s, on the other hand, shot a scorching 59.3% from the field, draining 16 of its 27 shots while building a lead as large as 15.
One day after setting his previous season high with 20 points, Sellers sparked the Johnnies by scoring 14 in the first half to help them to a 43-34 halftime lead.
UP NEXT
Both teams continue play in this event Wednesday, with opponents and times to be determined.
