Baylor 76, No. 10 Oklahoma State 70: Brady Heslip knocked down six 3-pointers and finished with 20 points as the visiting Bears secured a much-needed Big 12 victory over the Cowboys to end their five-game losing streak.
Cory Jefferson recorded 11 points and 13 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the season for Baylor (14-7, 2-6 Big 12), which avoided matching its longest skid since 2009. Rico Gathers scored 12 of his 14 points in the first half and Gary Franklin added all 11 of his points after intermission as the Bears won for only the fifth time in 30 tries in Stillwater.
Markel Brown connected on a season-best six 3-pointers and scored a game-high 24 points for Oklahoma State (16-5, 4-4), which has dropped three of four. Le'Bryan Nash poured in 19 points while Marcus Smart contributed 15 points, seven assists and six rebounds as the Cowboys fell to 10-1 at home.
Despite nine early turnovers, Oklahoma State did not allow the deficit to move past six in the first half and trailed 32-31 at the break thanks to 52.2 percent shooting. The Cowboys took a pair of two-point leads in the opening minutes of the second half before six points apiece from Heslip and Jefferson helped Baylor build a 55-46 advantage with just under 10 1/2 minutes left.
Oklahoma State used an 11-2 surge over the next 3 1/2 minutes to tie it on a dunk by Brown, but Franklin drained two 3-pointers after Smart had given the Cowboys a 64-63 lead on a pair of free throws. Royce O'Neale intercepted a careless pass near midcourt on the ensuing possession and converted a breakaway dunk to seal it.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Cowboys G Phil Forte, who entered Saturday as the top 3-point shooter in the Big 12 at 49.6 percent, missed all four of his long-range attempts and did not score after going 15-of-25 beyond over the previous three contests. … Heslip drew the start in place of PG Kenny Chery, who missed the game due to toe and ankle injuries. … Oklahoma State, which had averaged a league-high 22.8 fouls during conference play, recorded 13 on Saturday but ruined it with 14 turnovers.
Baylor | Oklahoma St. | |
Brady Heslip 20 | Scoring | Markel Brown 24 |
Gary Franklin 5 | Assists | Marcus Smart 7 |
Cory Jefferson 13 | Rebounds | Le'Bryan Nash 6 |
Isaiah Austin 4 | Free Throws Made | Marcus Smart 9 |
Gary Franklin 3 | Steals | Markel Brown 4 |
N/A | Blocks | Kamari Murphy 1 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Baylor | 76 | 51.9 | 11-23 | 9-14 | 11 | 32 | 0 | 9 | 16 |
Oklahoma St. | 70 | 46.0 | 6-21 | 18-26 | 14 | 24 | 3 | 9 | 14 |