Waco, Texas - The Baylor Bears continue their defense of last year’s national championship with a very impressive performance at home against the Nicholls State Colonels on Monday afternoon.

The Bears beat down the Colonels 89-60 for their second-straight win at home and Nicholls’ first loss of the college basketball season.

The defending national champs were expected to give a relatively unknown squad in Nicholls State a dose of reality and they definitely followed through.

The unranked but undefeated Colonels were never in this game at all against the ninth-ranked Bears and they couldn't even break 30 total points by halftime.

With a 48-28 lead going into the second half, Baylor kept up the offensive attack, while dominating Nicholls State.

At one point, the hosts led by as many as 30 points while the Colonels tried not to sink any further.

Nicholls State did manage to do a little better with 32 points in the second half, but when their opposition scores 40+ points in each half, the Colonels had no chance to win.

Baylor’s sophomore guard LJ Cryer (21) didn’t start the game but finished as his teams’ leading scorer by the end of the day.

Much of his offensive success came from long-distance and he only missed one of his six three-point attempts.

Cryer also leads his team in scoring with 16.5 points per game over the first two contests on the schedule.

He finished the game shooting 7-for-9, with 20 points, two rebounds, and two assists.

After last year’s national title win, the Baylor Bears said goodbye to three players that led them to glory.

In rebuilding the team, the Bears came into this new season with a number nine ranking in the nation, so it’s on them to prove that they’re better than the teams currently ahead of them.

They’ve got great young talent like Cryer who can carry the team this year and beyond, going forward.

This Wednesday, the Bears will host the Central Arkansas Bears, while on Thursday, the Colonels will head to TCU to take on the Horned Frogs.