Baylor's balanced scoring led by forward Rico Gathers' 18 points was too much for visiting Stephen F. Austin in the 22nd-ranked Bears' 97-55 victory in the season-opener for both teams Friday night in Waco, Texas.

The Bears, who shot 64.3 percent from the field, got a combined 60 points from its five starters.

Six of the Bears scored in double figures, and Gathers added seven rebounds besides his offensive production in 23 minutes of action.

Starting guards Lester Medford and Al Freeman added 13 and 11 points, respectively.

Baylor never trailed after taking a 7-0 lead with 16:50 remaining in the first half. After Stephen F. Austin cut the lead to 11-7 with 14:52 left, the Bears went on a 12-4 run to start pulling away.

The Lumberjacks mustered only 32.7 percent shooting from the field (17 of 52) and 21.7 percent from three-point range (5 of 23). Baylor was efficient from beyond the arc, making 9 of its 16 attempts, led by reserve guard King McClure (3 of 4).

Three players paced Stephen F. Austin with 12 points each -- guards Thomas Walkup and Demetrius Floyd and forward T.J. Holyfield.

Baylor outrebounded the Lumberjacks 37-27 and amassed 30 assists with only eight turnovers. Ishmail Wainwright, a starting guard, led the Bears with nine rebounds. Medford led the team with eight assists.