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Taylor helps Texas down Baylor

Jan 26, 2014 - 12:34 AM Waco, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - Isaiah Taylor poured in a game-high 27 points to lead Texas to a 74-60 win over No. 24 Baylor at Ferrell Center.

Jonathan Holmes added 14 points and eight rebounds for the Longhorns (16-4, 5-2 Big 12), who have won five straight overall, including a school record three in a row over ranked opponents.

Cameron Ridley contributed eight points and 14 rebounds in the victory.

"We knew they were a pretty tough team down low. They have some big guys down there, and they are a good rebounding team," said Holmes. "We just wanted to establish ourselves on the boards and show them we are tough too."

Gary Franklin scored 14 and Taurean Prince had 12 points and grabbed six rebounds for Baylor (13-6, 1-5), which has lost three straight and five of its last six games. Cory Jefferson added eight points and nine rebounds for the hosts.

"I wasn't totally surprised. Coach Barnes tells us not to keep the ball stagnate, and once we started moving the ball the defense had to shift," said Thomas about having an open lane to drive all game. "Having a shooter like Javan and Jonathan at forward opened up the lane for me."

Rico Gathers knocked down a pair from the charity stripe with 16:34 left in the game to bring Baylor within four, but a 9-1 burst by the Longhorns stretched their margin to 46-34.

The Bears cut into the lead with five straight points and trimmed their deficit to seven before the Longhorns went on a 17-8 tear to make the margin 16 points with 5:22 remaining on the clock.

Texas put 7-of-12 through the twine from the foul line over the last three minutes to hang on for the victory.

"Obviously we're feeling a little bit down because we lost. But at the end of the day, we're very optimistic, we just had a team meeting, and we talked a lot and we're going to figure it out," said Franklin. "This is a team that is going to keep fighting no matter what."

The Longhorns started the game with an 8-2 run, however, minutes later Baylor responded with a 9-3 surge to knot the game at 15 apiece with 9:38 left. The Bears gained their first lead, 22-21, following a Prince basket with 4:33 left in the first.

Texas scored the next six points and led, 31-27, at the break after Martez Walker netted a trey with 18 seconds left in the first half.

Game Notes

Texas defeated No. 8 Iowa State, No.22 Kansas State and No. 24 Baylor to beat three consecutive ranked opponents for the first time in school history ... Texas leads the all-time series with Baylor, 159-82, including a 28-7 mark during the Rick Barnes era ... Baylor went 3-for 17 from behind the arc, while Texas went 2-for-11 from distance.