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Cousins leads Oklahoma past Baylor

Feb 9, 2014 - 5:37 AM Norman, OK (SportsNetwork.com) - Isaiah Cousins scored a team-high 21 points and pulled down seven rebounds, as No. 21 Oklahoma ran away with an 88-72 triumph over Baylor on Saturday at Lloyd Noble Center.

Buddy Hield supplied 17 of his 19 points in the first half and hit five of Oklahoma's 14 3-pointers, while Cameron Clark contributed 16 points to help the Sooners (18-6, 7-4 Big 12) snap a two-game slide.

"Buddy (Hield) did a good job of getting us off to a good start," OU head coach Lon Kruger remarked. "Isaiah (Cousins) was terrific all night long. He was making a lot of good plays and worked hard defensively and rebounding the ball."

Isaiah Austin paced Baylor (14-9, 2-8) with 21 points and six boards, while Brady Heslip added 12 points for the Bears, who have lost seven of their last eight, including a 66-64 setback against the Sooners on Jan. 18.

A Rico Gathers free throw found Baylor within 57-52 with just over 13 minutes to play, but the Sooners ripped off 11 straight points, capped by a Hield layup, to create a 16-point spread just prior to the midpoint of the half.

Baylor remained within striking distance and trailed by just 10 with 4:01 to play before OU used a 7-0 surge that Cousins capped with a pair of free throws for an 85-68 lead with 1:13 remaining, essentially sealing the outcome.

"I think they were just better than we were on the offensive end and defensively there wasn't enough urgency early on to make things tough before they were able to get in a rhythm," Baylor head coach Scott Drew said.

Early on, Austin nailed a 3-pointer to give Baylor an 11-10 lead less than five minutes in, but Hield hit a pair of triples and added a dunk during a 16-3 burst that Frank Booker finished with a trey to make it 26-14 Oklahoma with 10:09 left in the first half.

Austin slowed the surge with a triple and then added back-to-back jumpers later in the frame to bring Baylor within 29-23.

Gary Franklin's long distance jumper got the Bears within 40-35 before Tyler Neal answered with a triple of his own to send the Sooners into the break with an eight-point edge.

Game Notes

Oklahoma improved to 16-0 all-time as a ranked team against Baylor and leads the all-time series 41-10 ... Baylor was facing a ranked opponent for the third straight game (1-2) ... OU shot 64 percent from the field in the first half and went 11-of-18 from distance over the first 20 minutes.