Jared Butler scored a game-high 19 points as No. 2 Baylor pulled away in the second half to dispatch Big 12 rival Iowa State 68-55 on Wednesday night in Waco, Texas.

Davion Mitchell added 17 points and six assists for the Bears (14-1, 4-0 Big 12), while Freddie Gillespie contributed 14 points and 11 rebounds. Mark Vital chipped in 11 points as Baylor heated up and shot 45.5 percent in the second half in its first game since its first-ever win at Kansas on Saturday.

Iowa State (8-8, 1-3) was coming off an 81-68 rout of Oklahoma on Saturday night that represented its first conference win, but it couldn't find the same magic offensively. It made just 39.7 percent of its field-goal tries, including only 6 of 23 from 3-point range. Rasir Bolton and Prentiss Nixon each scored nine points to lead the Cyclones.

The Bears led 30-25 after a first half in which they converted a mere 34.5 percent from the field, but they got off the mark quickly in the second half. They started on a 17-3 run, opening a 47-28 advantage when Butler drilled a 3-pointer with 14:34 left.

Gillespie's 3-point play with 5:42 remaining upped the margin to 20 at 66-46, and Baylor cruised to the finish line from there.

Most of the first half was a rock-fight. At the first TV timeout, the teams were tied at 4 with 15:41 left. The Bears endured a 3:59 scoring drought, and Iowa State managed only two points in a span of nearly five minutes.

The brick-fest continued unabated until Vital's put-back dunk enabled Baylor to wheeze out to a 17-16 edge with 5:12 remaining in the half. Both teams found a bit more offensive traction for the half's remainder.

Bolton sank a 3-ball and added a free throw to pull the Cyclones within 27-25 with four seconds remaining, but Mitchell was fouled while shooting a 3-pointer as time expired. He hit all three attempts for a five-point halftime edge.

--Field Level Media