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Behind 16 points each from Perry Jones III and Pierre Jackson, No. 6 Baylor overcame a late run from Oklahoma State to pull out a tough road win in Stillwater.
Perry Jones III has 12 points and 5 rebounds for Scott Drew's Baylor Bears basketball team as they lead 37-29 over the Oklahoma State Cowboys at halftime in the Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater.
Oklahoma State has received major contributions from Keiton Page and Brian Williams in the first half as Travis Ford tries to figure out how to get his young team a big victory in the second half of the Big 12 conference schedule.
A win for Baylor would give them their 21st on the season as they try to keep pace with Kansas and Missouri at the top of the Big 12 standings, while a win for Oklahoma State would get them back over .500 for the season.
While No. 6 Baylor had their most dominant win of the season against Oklahoma State, a 106-65 drubbing in Waco on Jan. 14, they will still need to be careful Saturday in Stillwater if they expect to get their first season sweep against the Cowboys in 90 years.
Gallagher-Iba Arena is one of the toughest places to play in the country; Oklahoma State upset No. 4 Missouri 79-72 there on Jan. 25.
The 11-11 Cowboys seemed to have turned a corner after the Bears blew them out, playing close games against likely NCAA Tournament teams Iowa State and Kansas State in addition to the win over the Tigers.
The biggest difference has been the improved play of 6'7 230 freshman SF LeBryan Nash.
Nash, a McDonald's All-American from Dallas Lincoln picked to be the Big 12 Freshman of the Year in the pre-season, struggled with the transition to the college game most of the season. However, he put together a dominant 27 point performance against Missouri, using his size to shoot 12-18 from the floor while grabbing 4 rebounds and 4 assists.
If he continues his inspired play, he could make a late run at the conference's post-season Freshman of the Year award, although Baylor's Quincy Miller is still the front-runner.
Despite being relegated to a secondary role in the offense due to the return of Perry Jones III from an early-season suspension and the emergence of Pierre Jackson, Miller has averaged 12.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists on 48.8% shooting from the field this season.
The match-up between Miller and Nash will likely keep NBA scouts buzzing, but the good news for Baylor is their highly-touted freshman only has to hold his own, as no one on the Oklahoma State front-line has a chance of matching up with the 6'11 235 Jones.
However, the Cowboys have several excellent three-point shooters, in particular senior G Keiton Page, who shoots 34.4% from beyond the arc while taking 7.4 3's a game, and the Bears will need to mark him for 40 minutes if they stay in their customary 1-3-1 zone.
The 12:45 PM game will be televised regionally on the Big 12 Network, while ESPN3 will have a live internet stream of the game.
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Baylor Vs. Oklahoma State Final Score: Bears Hold Off Cowboys 64-60
The Baylor Bears improved to 21-2 on the year as they defeated the Oklahoma St. Cowboys 64-60. This game was closer than expected against Oklahoma State who has been hovering around .500 this year. Oklahoma State was led by freshman guard Brian Williams who scored a career-high 23 points, but it was not enough to pull of the upset.
Baylor struggled shooting the ball on Saturday afternoon and particularly from the three-point line as they made 4 of 19 and Oklahoma State was marginally better as they made 6 of 19. At the end of the first half Baylor seemed to find their way with an eight point lead, but Oklahoma State started the second half on a 10-2 run to tie the game at 39 apiece.
Baylor then responded with their own run of nine straight points to go up 48-39 and never relinquished that lead. Oklahoma State made it interesting making it a one-point game with 1:46 left, but Baylor made their free throws the rest of the way and outscored Oklahoma State eight to three the rest of the way to secure victory.
Pierre Jackson and Perry Jones III led Baylor in scoring with 16 points each.
Our Daily Bears has you covered for the latest news and notes on Baylor basketball while Cowboys Ride For Free has all the pre-game angles from Stillwater. For more news and updates on college basketball check out the SB Nation NCAA Hoops hub page.
Feb 04 3:33p by Jeremy Mauss