Jeremy Roach and Robert Wright III combined for 37 points as the Baylor Bears shrugged off a terrible start to snap a three-game losing streak, toppling the Oklahoma State Cowboys 71-61 on Saturday night in Waco, Texas.
The Bears (17-12, 9-9 Big 12) made just 8 of 34 field goals (23.5 percent) in the first half but led by a basket.
They beat the Cowboys for the fifth straight time and moved to 13-2 at home.
Roach scored 21 points and Wright had 16. Jayden Nunn added 11. Forward Norchad Omier, who netted 10 points, grabbed 13 boards to move past Bill Russell (1,606) and into 14th place in NCAA all-time rebounds with 1,615.
Bryce Thompson led Oklahoma State (14-15, 6-12) with 19 points and added four rebounds and two assists, but the visitors lost their 11th straight conference road game.
A 12 1/2-point underdog in their first matchup against the Bears, Oklahoma State carried the momentum of upsetting No. 9 Iowa State on Tuesday and sprinted off on a 10-2 run highlighted by Thompson’s dunk. Meanwhile, Baylor started the game 2 of 17 from the floor.
Down by as many as 10, 17-7, Baylor finally got its footing and went ahead for the first time with Omier’s dunk with 90 seconds left in the half.
Despite shooting just 23.5 percent (8 of 34) from the floor, Baylor used an 11-1 run to end the half with a 26-24 lead. Wright paced the squad with a dozen points.
After leading the majority of the opening 20 minutes, the Cowboys relinquished the point and shot 33.3 percent (9 of 27). They got nine points from Arturo Dean and six from Thompson.
The offensive struggles continued for both clubs until Baylor went off on a 9-0 run keyed by Roach’s five points, going ahead 38-29 at 15:18 on Roach’s deep ball.
The Bears increased their edge to 12 on Roach’s trey at 14:12, but Marchelus Avery brought it to 47-41 at 8:23 on his jumper as the Cowboys crept back into the contest.
The Cowboys cut it to 63-59 on two Thompson freebies with 1:26 left but could get no closer.
–Field Level Media
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