WACO, Texas — At halftime, Baylor had made NBA Draft lottery prospect Cade Cunningham a non-factor for Oklahoma State, but the second half was a different story.
Nonetheless, No. 3 Baylor held off No. 17 Oklahoma State 81-70 Thursday inside the Ferrell Center in Waco. Cunningham scored just four points in the first half but finished with 24 in the loss.
For the Bears, Jared Butler and MaCio Teague put on a show. The pair combined for 41 points and five steals in the game.
Matthew Mayer came in off the bench for the Bears and added 19 points and 7 rebounds in his second-straight double-digit scoring effort.
The Bears build on their previously-clinched Big 12 Championship, sweeping the Cowboys, and improving to 20-1 overall and 12-1 in Big 12 play.
With one regular season game remaining, the Bears know they will play the winner of a Wednesday-night play-in game at the Big 12 Tournament between TCU and Kansas State. That will be at 1:30 next Thursday in Kansas City.
First, the Bears close the regular season Sunday at home against Texas Tech. That tip is scheduled for 3 p.m.
Oklahoma State stays on the road, facing No. 6 West Virginia at 1 p.m. Sunday in Morgantown.
Also on KCENTV.com: