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Jerrells' huge day helps Baylor survive scare

Jan 18, 2009 - 12:29 AM WACO, Texas (Ticker) -- The pace in Saturday's game between Baylor and Oklahoma State had Scott Drew tired. And he didn't even play.

Curtis Jerrells scored 26 of his season-high 31 points after halftime, and dished out 10 assists as the 21st-ranked Bears posted a wild 98-92 overtime victory over the Cowboys.

Quincy Acy had 17 points and 12 rebounds and Tweety Carter recorded eight of his 11 points in the extra session, helping the Bears (14-3, 2-1 Big 12) avoid a third loss in four games.

The Bears had six players in double figures and hit 12 3-pointers. It was a complete 180 from their loss to Texas A&M on Wednesday when they hit just 5-of-16 from the arc.

"I don't know about you guys, but I am worn out," the Baylor coach Drew said after watching his team rally from a 17-point first half deficit, and then allow the Cowboys to force overtime.

"When you are down 17 and you come back, then you go down again and then have the leadership, courage and energy to fight back, regaining the lead was outstanding today."

The fast pace certainly didn't bother Jerrells.

"We have a lot of depth and we are in great condition," he said. "We knew that we were in great position and they had two starters out. ... We just had to go in there and get it done."

While Jerrells carried the team in regulation, Carter was instrumental in overtime, hitting his first two 3-point attempts of the extra session. Jerrells, who also had six assists, drilled a third straight 3-pointer to make it 91-83 with 3:12 left.

Obi Muonelo had 21 points for the Cowboys (12-4, 1-1), who had won seven straight, but were ambushed at the onset of overtime and never recovered. Oklahoma State was also playing shorthanded after Byron Eaton and Terrel Harris each fouled out in regulation.

"We didn't feel like the odds were against us, but we felt a little short after Terrel and Byron were gone," Muonelo said. "We definitely felt we had a chance to win the game."

"Just a hard-fought college basketball game, both teams played very hard," Oklahoma State coach Travis Ford said. "It was a game of a lot of spurts, just a good college game."

Oklahoma State needed a improbable rally just to force overtime as the Bears led, 81-77, with 30 seconds left in regulation.

Keiton Page - who entered when Eaton fouled out - scored five points in an eight-second span, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 13 seconds left.

The comeback began when Page leaned in and drew contact on a layup with 21 seconds to go, but failed to convert the three-point play.

The Bears turned the ball over after the missed free throw, and Page then drilled the go-ahead 3-pointer on a beautiful step back from the top of the key.

On the ensuing possession, Jerrells drove the lane and was fouled with 4.5 seconds left. He made the first and the second rimmed out, sending the game into overtime.

James Anderson scored 20 points for Oklahoma State, which blew a 17-point first-half lead.

Baylor was able to overcome 14 3-pointers by Oklahoma State.

"When you have teams that go on runs and transition oriented teams that play the fast pace and shoot a lot of threes, you get big swings and big runs," Drew said. "You have to endure and weather the storm."

"Give Baylor a lot of credit," Ford said. "Those guys took a punch from us and kept playing hard. They didn't get down and they are a good ball club."