Guard Al Freeman scored 21 points, helping No. 23 Baylor pull away from Texas Southern in the second half for a 72-59 victory on Tuesday at Ferrell Center in Waco, Texas.

Baylor (10-2) struggled to distance itself from Texas Southern (1-10) in the first half and led only 40-35 at intermission. The Bears got going in the second half, though.

Point guard Lester Medford hit a 3-pointer to extend Baylor's lead to 54-40 with 11:11 to play. Medford finished with 12 points and six assists for the Bears, who won their 34th straight nonconference home game, a streak that dates to a loss to Northwestern in January 2014.

Forward Malcolm Riley scored 18 points for Texas Southern, which has lost seven in a row.

The Bears, who lead the nation in assists per game, had 21 assists on Tuesday.

Forward Terry Maston finished with 14 points off the bench and forward Rico Gathers added 11 points and 10 rebounds for Baylor, which improved to 9-0 at home this season.

The Bears open Big 12 play at No. 2 Kansas on Saturday.