By STEPHEN HAWKINS
Buddy Hield became a cheerleader while sitting on the Oklahoma bench with two fouls in the first half. The dynamic guard got back to scoring after halftime when the Sooners made a case to stay No. 1.
The Sooners started their first week atop the AP poll since 1990 with a close loss at No. 19 Iowa State on Monday night.
They ended it Saturday with the Big 12 scoring leader getting 14 of his 19 points after halftime in an 82-72 victory at No. 13 Baylor, snapping the Bears’ 15-game home winning streak and matching them for the conference lead in a game that wasn’t really that close.
Oklahoma (16-2, 5-2) matched a season high with 16 3-pointers, had 29 assists on 31 field goals and never trailed after a half-ending run when Jordan Woodard scored 15 points of his 20 points with Hield sitting on the bench the last 9 minutes.
“Jordan was really carrying the whole team making shots,” Hield said. “I was celebrating more than anybody on the bench, happy to see him make a lot of shots during that stretch.”
Baylor (15-4, 5-2) opened the second half with an 11-4 run, tying it at 41-all with 17:39 left on Ish Wainright’s 3-pointer. Hield made consecutive 3s in a 26-second span before Isaiah Cousins hit another 3 less than a minute later.
That was part of a 41-17 run over a 12-minute span that put Oklahoma up 82-58 before the Bears scored the game’s last 14 points against Sooners reserves to make the game look closer than it actually was.
“OU was outstanding and I thought we were average, at best,” said Baylor coach Scott Drew, his voice very raspy. “Disappointed we didn’t have a better showing for an opportunity like this.”
The Bears are 0-7 all-time against No. 1 teams.
Isaiah Cousins had 13 points and nine assists for the Sooners, while Ryan Spangler had 11 points. Hield had eight assists and all of Woodard’s points came in the first half.
“After Iowa State we felt like we needed to put more pressure on opposing teams. We came out ready to play D,” Cousins said. “Everybody’s on the same page, everybody’s ready to knock down shots when we’re locked in, and trying to make the right play.”
Johnathan Motley and Taurean Prince each had 15 points for Baylor, while freshman King McClure had 11 and Al Freeman 10. Rico Gathers had 11 rebounds, but only two points, while Motley added 10 rebounds.
Baylor went up after McClure scored the first seven points of a 12-0 run midway through the first half. Prince’s 3-pointer capped the spurt for a 22-16 lead with 8:51 left in the first half, only seconds after Hield left the game with two fouls and Woodard came in for him.
Woodard assisted on a layup by Spangler that ended Oklahoma’s 4-minute scoring drought. Woodard hit a 3 on Oklahoma’s next possession, the first of his 15 points in a half-ending 21-11 run.
By time Woodard hit consecutive 3s, and Dante Buford made a basket, the Sooners were up 37-27.
Oklahoma shot 62 percent overall (31 of 50), including an impressive 57 percent (16 of 28) from long range. Only two of those baskets were made without an assist.
“That’s a big-time number. Any time you can do that it means you’re moving the ball well and also making shots,” coach Lon Kruger said. “Guys spend a lot of time shooting and like passing it to each other. That’s a good combination.”
RARE LOSS AT HOME
Baylor’s 15-game winning streak had matched its longest in 28 years playing in the Ferrell Center. The Bears were coming off a double-overtime victory there over Kansas State on Wednesday night, and hadn’t lost at home since last Feb. 9 against No. 21 Oklahoma State. The Sooners were the first No. 1 team to visit Waco since Kansas on Jan. 11, 1997.
TIP-INS
Oklahoma: The Sooners had at least 10 3-pointers for the 12th time this season. … Oklahoma plays four of its next five Big 12 games at home.
Baylor: The Bears allowed more than 75 points at home for the first time in 43 games. The last visiting team to score more had been Northwestern State in a 91-84 overtime victory on Dec. 18, 2013.
UP NEXT
Oklahoma hosts Texas Tech on Tuesday night.
Baylor is at Oklahoma State on Wednesday night.