Baylor guard LaceDarius Dunn's suspension will go through the first three games of the regular season, then he will be eligible to play for the 16th-ranked Bears again on Nov. 22.
The school made that announcement before their season opener Friday night, when Dunn sat on the bench wearing a vest with a tie over a long-sleeve lavender shirt next to starting guard A.J. Walton, who was serving a suspension of his own.
Coach Scott Drew said after the 87-52 victory over Grambling State that he couldn't comment on Dunn's suspension aside from what had already been announced.
''The good thing is we are excited about when he comes back,'' Drew said. ''As good as he looks on the sideline, we know he's better on the court.''
Dunn, the team's leading scorer last season, had been indefinitely suspended since he was arrested last month after police accused him of breaking his girlfriend's jaw in a domestic dispute.
The woman, Lacharlesla Edwards, disputed police accounts, saying Dunn didn't hit her and her jaw wasn't broken. Edwards, the mother of Dunn's 3-year-old son, has asked that all charges be dropped.
Waco police sent the case to McLennan County District Attorney John Segrest, who hasn't commented. Segrest, who lost his re-election bid and will leave office Jan. 4, didn't return a phone call Friday.
The school said in its release that Dunn's three-game suspension is for ''a team rules violation.'' Dunn did not play in the Bears' preseason scrimmage or an exhibition game before the regular-season opener against Grambling State. He will also miss games against La Salle and Jackson State.
The school said there would be no further comment on Dunn's suspension.
There was no word about Walton's suspension until the game began. The school said only that he was serving a one-game suspension for a violation of team rules and would be able to play the next game Tuesday against La Salle.
Dunn's attorney, Vikram Deivanayagam, declined to comment Friday.
Waco police have said officers were called to Hillcrest Hospital on Sept. 27 to investigate an assault on Edwards. Dunn was arrested after turning himself into authorities Oct. 5, the same day his suspension from the team was announced.
Dunn was suspended academically Oct. 7, but a Baylor disciplinary panel allowed him to return to class the following week.
Deivanayagam said in a statement then that the Baylor University Judicial Affairs Disciplinary Committee heard evidence and found Dunn ''not guilty of assaulting a female which resulted in her jaw being broken,'' quoting from a letter he said he received from the panel.
After the decision, Dunn was allowed to practice with the Bears but remained suspended from competition.
Dunn was a second-team All-Big 12 pick last season when he averaged 19.6 points and 4.8 rebounds while the Bears set a school record with 28 victories and got within one win of making their first NCAA Final Four appearance in 60 years. He set school records for points (704), 3-pointers (116) and free throw shooting percentage (85.7 on 126 of 147 free throws).
Dunn needs 451 points this season to become the school's career scoring leader, and 518 for the Big 12 lead. He holds the Baylor record with 299 career 3-pointers, 91 short of the conference mark.
''He's a great just off-the-court leader. He kept talking to me while he was on the bench,'' Quincy Acy said after scoring 20 points with 12 rebounds in the season-opening win, adding that he told Dunn, ''We're waiting on you to come back. We're looking forward to it.''
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Associated Press writer Schuyler Dixon in Dallas contributed to this report.
