Daily Bears Report 10/24

Today’s Events

• Women's Tennis, vs USTA/ITA Texas Regional Championships, 9:00 AM
• Men's Golf, vs Royal Oaks Intercollegiate, All Day
• Women's Golf, vs Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown, All Day

Basketball

• Baylor men’s basketball coach Scott Drew celebrated his 46th birthday with a family reunion and a scrimmage. The full story by WacoTrib’s John Werner can be found at BearsExtra.

On Sunday, the Bears faced Vanderbilt in a closed scrimmage in Nashville, Tenn.

The Commodores are coached by Drew’s younger brother, Bryce Drew, who took over the program this season after five seasons as Valparaiso’s head coach.

“I got to see my family,” Scott Drew said. “My mother, father and sister and her family were there, and it was my birthday, too. It was great for our players to go against a high major team.”

Baylor and Vanderbilt had originally scheduled a regular season game on Dec. 3 this season that was canceled after Bryce Drew accepted the Vanderbilt job.

Bryce Drew told the Nashville Tennessean in June: “I just think (a game) would be really hard on our families for the most part.”

The Bears beat Vanderbilt, 69-67, last December at the Ferrell Center.

• The 2016 Big 12 Conference Men's Basketball Media Day will be held Tuesday (October 25) at Kansas City's Sprint Center, site of the 2017 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Championship. From Baylor Bears dot com.

Live coverage of men's basketball media day will begin Tuesday at 9 a.m. CT at Big12Sports.com. Head coach Scott Drew's press conference is scheduled for 10:45 a.m.

Joining Drew at Big 12 Men's Basketball Media Day will be senior Ishmail Wainright along with juniors Al Freeman and Johnathan Motley.

Baylor players will take over the @BaylorMBB Twitter feed at various times, so stay tuned throughout the day to hear from each of the three players participating in Big 12 Media Day. Fans can submit questions to the players on Twitter using #AskAl, #AskIsh, and #AskMot. Also stay tuned to Baylor Athletics Facebook Live, as the players will have a live Q&A. Be sure to follow @BaylorMBB on Snapchat for behind-the-scenes coverage throughout the day, as well.

Baylor opens the 2016-17 season on Friday, Nov. 11 when it hosts Oral Roberts at the Ferrell Center. That game will tip off at 6 p.m. CT, and will be televised on ESPNU.

Soccer

• No. 24 Baylor soccer lost a 3-1 match to Kansas on Sunday afternoon at Betty Lou Mays Field in the regular season finale. From Baylor Bears dot com.

The Bears (11-6-1, 4-3-1) were able to make up a 1-0 deficit but the Jayhawks (9-4-4, 4-1-2) scored two late goals to earn the win.

KU took the 1-0 lead in the 22nd minute on a deep free kick by Addisyn Merrick. But a handball by the Jayhawks in their own box gave Lauren Piercy a penalty kick in the 31st minute that she put in off the crossbar for the equalizer.

The game then went back and forth in momentum and chances until the last 11 minutes. In the 79th minute, KU's Ashley Pankey scored from 23 yards out to the far post. Then in the 81st minute, Jackie Georgoulis scored from nearly the same spot for an insurmountable 3-1 lead.

"I didn't think we were sharp. I think the first 10 minutes of both halves, we were the better team in those moments. I think a lot of the game was kind of back and forth, but they capitalized on their opportunities and we didn't, and that's really the difference in the game. I'm proud of Lauren Piercy for stepping up on a penalty kick, that's always a tough situation, but she put that away and kept us in the game. Then we just had some let downs that are uncharacteristic of us to give up the two late goals. We were making a push too, so I don't know if it's a 3-1 game, really, but when you're making a push and trying to come back, sometimes that happens." -- Head Coach Paul Jobson.

Tennis

• Baylor women’s tennis advanced two players to the final day of competition at the ITA Texas Regional Championship Presented by Oracle after a successful 2-0 day Sunday afternoon at the Hurd Tennis Center. From Baylor Bears dot com.

Senior Blair Shankle and sophomore Elizabeth Profit opened doubles play with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over North Texas’ Maria Kononova and Tamuna Kutubidze, the tournament’s No. 8 seed. The win was the tournament No. 5 seed duo’s fourth-straight win and advances them to the doubles championship final.

“Liz and Blair really came to play today,” head coach Joey Scrivano said. “I’m proud of them and the entire team this week. We’re making progress.”

Shankle, the No. 2 seed in the singles bracket, also secured a spot in the championship final after she made quick work of sixth-seeded Rachel Pierson of Texas A&M, winning 6-2, 6-3 for her fifth-straight singles win at the event.

“Blair is an amazing competitor and to compete at the highest level of anything you need that,” Scrivano said. “She’s tough and is always looking for a way to win.”

The winners of both the singles and doubles final will clinch a spot at the ITA National Intercollegiate Championships in New York City on Nov. 3-6.

“I thought in doubles Liz and I came back really well today. We had a rocky start yesterday, but she played really well and picked it up, and we played well as a team today. We had good energy, and we’re really figuring out kind of where everyone is going on the court and figuring out how each other plays. In singles, it was a tough match, Rachel is a great player, but I played well and executed when I needed to and definitely did the game plan like I was supposed to.” - Senior Blair Shankle.

In the final day of the ITA Texas Regional Championship Presented by Oracle, fifth-seeded Blair Shankle and Elizabeth Profit face Texas Tech’s Sarah Dvorak and Sabrina Federici, the tournament’s No. 7 seed, Monday at 9 a.m. (CT) at the Hurd Tennis Center.

One hour following the conclusion of doubles play, No. 2 seed Blair Shankle will face No. 9 seed Neda Koprcina of Texas in the singles championship final.

• Concluding its run at the ITA Texas Regional Championships Presented by Oracle, the Baylor men’s tennis team took home a pair of consolation titles Sunday at the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center. From Baylor Bears dot com.

Freshman Constantin Frantzen was the last man standing in the singles consolation draw with two more victories on the final day of action, while partnering with sophomore Jimmy Bendeck to capture the doubles consolation crown as well.

Frantzen and Bendeck opened the day by downing Abilene Christian’s Jonathan and Joshua Sheehy, 8-5, in the doubles consolation semifinals. The BU duo was scheduled to face Lamar's Michael Feucht and Sebastian Santibanez in the finale, but the Cardinals’ twosome withdrew giving the title to the Bears.

In singles consolation action, Frantzen opened his day with a 6-2, 6-0 victory over TCU’s Gianni Mancini in the quarterfinals, before taking down ACU’s Jonathan Sheehy in the semifinals. The BU freshman was slated to play Texas Tech’s Bjorn Thomson in the draw’s final, but he withdrew, which handed the crown to Frantzen.

Later in the day, Bendeck suffered a 6-4, 6-4 loss to Texas’ Yuya Ita in the singles main draw quarterfinals. He was 3-1 over three days of singles play in the main draw.

“This weekend gave us the opportunity to get a lot of matches in and that is what we need. Jimmy (Bendeck) has continued to improve. He didn’t play his best tennis in the match today, but he learned a lot. I think all our other young guys learned a lot. It was super valuable for all of the team and really positive.” - head coach Matt Knoll on the weekend

Sunday’s action wrapped up Baylor’s participation in the ITA Texas Regional Championships. Next, select Baylor student-athletes will be in action at the Birmingham Futures event in Birmingham, Ala., starting Oct. 31.

“We always try to have a goal for our guys to play 10 matches in the fall and we have some guys that have played more and some that have played less. We are going to look at it and make sure some of these guys get some more tennis under their belts before we get to the end of the fall season.” - Knoll on the rest of the fall.

Golf

• Baylor men’s golf hosts the eighth-annual Royal Oaks Intercollegiate, an 11-team tournament at Royal Oaks Country Club in Dallas. From Baylor Bears dot com.

The two-day, 54-hole event, begins Monday on the par-71, 7,068-yard course.

Royal Oaks will be a six-count-five event for the third consecutive time in 2016. Team lineups will feature six players, and the best five scores in each round will count toward the team score. The tournament was originally a five-count-four event, but made the change in 2013. Last year’s tournament was cancelled due to flooding.

The 14th-ranked Bears will compete against Charlotte, Houston, Iowa, No. 20 Kent State, No. 40 Michigan, Minnesota, No. 46 New Mexico, Pepperdine, SMU and UT Arlington.

Baylor’s lineup features senior Hunter Shattuck, sophomore Garrett May, sophomore Braden Bailey, junior Matthew Perrine, freshman Cooper Dossey and junior Jackson Heazel. Additionally, three BU players will compete as individuals – junior Nick Thornton, freshman Colin Kober and redshirt freshman Austin Cotton.

Teams will play two rounds on Monday, both of which will be shotgun starts. BU players are paired with golfers from Kent State, Charlotte and Houston. Shattuck will begin from the first tee, May on No. 2, Bailey on No. 3, Perrine on No. 4, Dossey on No. 5 and Heazel on No. 6. Baylor individuals are paired with golfers from Pepperdine, Iowa and UT Arlington. Thornton will begin on No. 16, Kober on No. 17 and Cotton on No. 18. Tuesday’s final round will feature tee times from the first and 10th tees.

Baylor has never won at Royal Oaks, but the Bears’ two best finishes in the event have come in the last two times it has been played, which were also the only two previous six-count-five events. BU took third place in 2013 and second place in 2014, with the Bears’ Mikkel Bjerch-Andresen winning medalist honors in 2014.

• Baylor women’s golf holds the tournament lead after shooting 15-under-par 273 in Sunday’s first round at the Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown. From Baylor Bears dot com.

The Bears’ tied the program record for lowest team score, and set the record for lowest team round on a par-72 course.

Baylor (-15) leads by five strokes over the 19-team field, with Iowa (-10) the closest opponent. San Diego State (-8) and UNLV (-8) are tied for third, followed by San Jose State (-7), Indiana (-5), Texas (-4), UC Riverside (-4), Vanderbilt (-3), Missouri (+1), Colorado State (+2), Nebraska (+2), Fresno State (+4), Gonzaga (+4), Long Beach State (+5), Nevada (+8), UC Irvine (+8), New Mexico State (+9) and New Mexico (+11).

Three Baylor players are among the top five individuals. Maria Vesga shot 6-under-par 66 to tie for the tournament lead, and Evelyn Arguelles and Amy Lee are tied for fifth place after shooting 4-under-par 68. Dylan Kim carded a 1-under 71 to tie for 26th place, and Fiona Liddell shot even-par 72 to tie for 36th place. Giovana Maymon, who is playing as an individual, is tied for 91st place at 5-over 77.

273 – Baylor’s team score on Sunday’s tied the best round in program history, equaling the 273 shot during the third round of the 2014 Schooner Fall Classic. The Schooner Fall Classic was played on a par-70 course, so Sunday’s round in Las Vegas set a program record at 15-under-par.

“Today has been for sure a great day, as we shot one of the lowest rounds in program history,” head coach Jay Goble said. “It’s great to see all of the hard work that the girls have put in every day paying off. Maria (Vesga) shot her lowest round at Baylor, and it’s exciting to see how well she is playing and how much she has improved. Both Evelyn (Arguelles) and Amy (Lee) had great rounds today. We’re just going to keep hitting one shot at a time for the next two days.”

Monday’s second round and Tuesday’s final round are both slated for 10 a.m. CT shotgun starts. Baylor players will play the second round in pairings with golfers from Idaho and San Diego State. Vesga and Lee will begin from the first tee, Arguelles and Kim will start from No. 2 and Liddell will begin from the third tee. Maymon starts her round on the 18th tee.

News Links and Clippings from Around the Nation

Full stories can be read by clicking on the link provided.

• Undefeated Baylor still has a tough road on and off field (Oct 23, 2016) | FOX Sports, WACO, Texas (AP) Undefeated Baylor still faces a long, tough road - both on and off the field.While the eighth-ranked Bears (6-0, 3-0 Big 12) are still without a loss halfway through their season under acting head coach Jim Grobe, they have the toughest part of their schedule left to play. Away from the games, the university has multiple issues still simmering in the aftermath of claims the school mishandled sexual assault cases for years. The school faces four civil lawsuits and is now under a federal investigation after a complaint filed by the Patty Crawford, the school's Title IX director who recently resigned. ''Candidly, there's been some really good days, and there's been some hard days,'' said Mack Rhoades, who took over as the school's new athletic director in mid-August. Before the Bears' last game, about 20 Baylor coaches and staff members almost simultaneously tweeted (hash)truthdontlie - a hashtag previously used for former coach Art Briles - along with a story by KWTX-TV in Waco in which Grobe contradicted a university-issued statement about his role in the dismissal of a junior college transfer. While acknowledging ''some obstacles and hurdles'' for the program, Rhoades said Grobe and his assistants are focused on the players. ''They're focused in and locked in about coaching our kids, about coaching our 107 student-athletes and making sure they're in the best position to be successful on the field,'' Rhoades said. ''But here's what I think is even more important, they've also done a great job of making sure our kids are doing the right things off the field as well.''
• Oklahoma Sooners Football: Baylor Scores Touchdown on OU Three Weeks Before Actual Game - Crimson And Cream Machine, College football went full-on Twilight Zone yesterday, and things appear to only be getting zanier.
• College Sports: Lesson in Ohio State upset loss: The Big 12 still has CFP hopes if Baylor, WVU keep winning | SportsDay, Something funny happened to the Big 12 on its way to College Football Playoff oblivion this season. There may be a ray of hope. Ohio State's loss...
• Texas vs. Baylor - 10/29/16 College Football Pick, Odds, and Prediction - Sports Chat Place, The Baylor Bears and Texas Longhorns meet in a crucial Big 12 college football game Saturday afternoon at Royal Texas Memorial Stadium on ABC. The Baylor Bears look to win their eighth straight game to remain in the college football playoff conversation.
• Oklahoma football: Why Horns Hold the Key to Sooners' Championship Bid, Perish the thought, but the Texas Longhorns might hold the key to an Oklahoma football Big 12 conference crown this season.
• Big 12 Week 8 Power Rankings: West Virginia Mountaineers move to No. 1 - College Football Nation Blog- ESPN, Now 6-0 and with five victories against Power 5 opponents, West Virginia climbs into the top spot this week in the Big 12 Power Rankings.
• Baylor Bears Must Replace Three Starters (Big 12 Preview). Outside of Johnathan Motley, there are question marks in the Baylor Bears frontcourt. Terry Maston was used in a reserve role last season...