Baylor Basketball Shows Clear Signs of Life in 94-79 Victory Over Oklahoma State
STILLWATER, Okla. — The Baylor Men’s Basketball (11-5, 1-3 Big 12) team earned its first Big 12 win of the season, racing past the Oklahoma State Cowboys (13-4, 1-3 Big 12) by a score of 94-79.
After averaging 59.3 points per game in their first three conference contests, the Bears post 57 points in the first half despite having to return to a seven-man rotation without Dan Skillings due to injury.
Freshman guard Tounde Yessoufou led the Bears with 23 points while four other Baylor players hit double-figure scoring.
The Bears started hot, shooting 22-30 from the field and 9-14 from three in the first half. The Cowboys hung tough until Baylor put together a 13-0 run to push its lead to 48-25 with 4:45 to go in the half.
Isaac Williams had a stellar first half, scoring all 14 of his points on a 5-5 shooting performance before a last-second three fell off the mark.
Forward Michael Rataj had arguably his best game as a Bear, scoring 19 points, grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out 4 assists. He finished with a 154 offensive rating from KenPom, the second-best mark on the team.
The best offensive rating belongs to guard Obi Agbim, who was firing away from deep, scoring all of his 15 points from downtown. He also dished out four assists and turned the ball over only one time.
The second half was not quite as smooth for Scott Drew’s squad, allowing the Pokes to cut the deficit to 11 midway through the period.
Yessoufou stalled the home team’s momentum with back-to-back buckets, and the Bears built the lead back into the mid-teens till the end.
Not to be forgotten, Cameron Carr scored 17 for Baylor on a night where he did not have to be the focal point of the offense.
For Oklahoma State, center Parsa Fallah kept the Pokes in it early on and finished with 18 points and nine rebounds. Guard Anthony Roy also put up 17 points, but the home team did not truly threaten the outcome.
With the win, Baylor extended its win streak in Stillwater to ten games and ended the Pokes 11-game home winning streak.
The Bears' backs were against the wall, and they not only found a way to win but also showed that they still have NCAA tournament potential.
Continued improvement is necessary, but this was a great sign of life from Baylor in a crucial moment for the season.
Baylor now has to venture into Kansas’ deathtrap that is Allen Fieldhouse. The Phog just claimed another top-tier victim in the No. 2 Iowa State Cyclones, who fell tonight to the Jayhawks, 84-63.
That game is set for Friday at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on Fox.
