Wildcats Blow By Spires, 97-64 in 2024-25 Home Opener

BALDWIN CITY - Making its 2024-25 home debut, No. 19 Baker handed visiting Saint Mary a 97-64 drubbing here Monday night in the Collins Center to give the Wildcats back-to-back to wins to start the year.

The Wildcats scored 45 points in the first half to take a double-digit halftime lead before dropping 52 points in the second half to earn a landslide win in its second game of the season.

Baker shot over 50 percent from the field (35-for-68) and nearly matched that clip from three-point range, going 12-for-25 from three with Ty Henry draining five of them.

Henry led a balanced scoring attack for BU with 23 points, while three other Wildcats reached double figures as well with Ahmed Mahgoub tallying 19 points and Quentin Harvey and Noah Rigatuso each chipping in 18 points apiece.

The night started off with some good back-and-forth between the two non-conference teams with a trey from Henry being matched by one from the Spires to keep the score tied at 15-15.

After Saint Mary took a four-point lead, a Mahgoub three brought the Wildcats within one to spring a nice stretch for the senior forward where he scored seven straight points in less than two minutes, punctuating it with a thunderous one-handed jam to make it a 33-26 lead for BU.

The Wildcats closed out the first half with a steal by Rigatuso leading to an alley-oop to newcomer Kaimen Lennox whose layup beat the buzzer and gave BU a 45-32 lead at the break.

In the second half, a USM three got them within single digits for the last time with just under 16 minutes left to play as Baker started to stretch its lead with Rigatuso heating up early in the frame.

Mahgoub and Henry drilled back-to-back threes to make it a 25-point lead for BU at the midway point of the second half. Henry was a part of another set of treys with him and Harvey knocking down a pair.

With both benches playing out the final stages of the game, the Wildcats worked their largest lead out to 33 points on a layup from junior guard Luke McDonald to seal a 97-64 victory for BU.

It marked the largest margin of victory for the Wildcats since last December when they defeated Benedictine, 92-57 in Atchison, Kan.

Up next, Baker heads out for a Florida road trip this weekend with games at (RV) Keiser (Nov. 8) and No. 22 Florida Memorial (Nov. 9), starting with a matchup against the Seahawks on Friday at 5 p.m. (CT) in West Palm Beach, Fla.

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