Texas Tech Red Raiders @ Baylor Bears
Baylor gets needed win, 59-49 over Texas Tech
WACO, Texas -- Royce O'Neale scored 16 points and had 12 rebounds as Baylor beat Texas Tech 59-49 Saturday even as the Bears went the final 8 minutes without making a field goal.
The Bears (19-10, 7-9 Big 12) led 50-36 after Taurean Prince completed a three-point play with 8:05 left in the game. They didn't make another field goal, but Kenny Chery hit seven consecutive free throws in the final 3 minutes before a miss.
Brady Heslip added 14 points for Baylor, which got a needed victory for its NCAA tournament hopes.
Robert Turner had 12 points for Texas Tech (13-16, 5-11), which had beaten Baylor at home by 10 points. Toddrick Gotcher and Aaron Ross each had 10 points.
Baylor shot just 30 percent overall (16 of 53). The Bears had a 40-24 rebounding margin, and in an unusual twist they had more offensive boards than defensive ones (21-19).
The Red Raiders have lost five in a row since a three-game winning streak.
Heslip and O'Neale had consecutive 3s that put Baylor up 43-27 less than 4 minutes after halftime.
Texas Tech went nearly 5 minutes without a basket midway through the half.
Even with Baylor's miserable shooting, the Red Raider never got closer than five points after halftime. They did that twice, on a reverse layup by Ross and then his short jumper after the first of Chery's closing stretch of free throws.
Texas Tech's only lead came on Dejan Kravic's tip-in for a 2-0 lead 72 seconds into the game. Heslip hit a 3-pointer on Baylor's next possession.
The game was tied twice, the last at 12-all before an 8-0 run by Baylor midway through the first half that was capped by Cory Jefferson's 3-pointer. The Bears scored the last seven points before halftime for a 33-22 lead, when Kravic had already scored all of his eight points.
Game Information
Waco, TX

Referee:Mike Stuart
Referee:Kipp Kissinger
Referee:Bret Smith

2025-26 Standings
| Big 12 ConferenceBig 12 Conference | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | 16-2 | - | 36-3 |
| Houston | 14-4 | 2 | 30-7 |
| Iowa State | 12-6 | 4 | 29-8 |
| Kansas | 12-6 | 4 | 24-11 |
| Texas Tech | 12-6 | 4 | 23-11 |
| TCU | 11-7 | 5 | 23-12 |
| BYU | 9-9 | 7 | 23-12 |
| UCF | 9-9 | 7 | 21-12 |
| West Virginia | 9-9 | 7 | 21-14 |
| Cincinnati | 9-9 | 7 | 18-15 |
| Colorado | 7-11 | 9 | 17-16 |
| Arizona State | 7-11 | 9 | 17-16 |
| Oklahoma State | 6-12 | 10 | 20-15 |
| Baylor | 6-12 | 10 | 17-17 |
| Kansas State | 3-15 | 13 | 12-20 |
| Utah | 2-16 | 14 | 10-22 |
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