Nunn hits big 3s in key run, finishes with 27 points as No. 12 Baylor beats No. 25 Oklahoma 79-62
WACO, Texas (AP) — After Jayden Nunn hit the go-ahead 3-pointer for No. 12 Baylor, his teammates kept getting him the ball. And he kept making the shots.
Nunn scored a season-high 27 points, including three 3-pointers in the go-ahead run before halftime, as the Bears beat No. 25 Oklahoma 79-62 on Tuesday night.
“Just fun seeing Jaden get hot from 3,” Baylor coach Scott Drew said. “He has had practices like that, he has had a few games like that. ... And we need more of that moving forward.”
The last scheduled meeting between the teams as Big 12 foes, and their first since 2016 with both ranked, was tied at 20 before Nunn connected from the right wing with 6:32 left in the first half. That ignited a 16-3 run in less than four minutes.
“Really appreciate my teammates. They showed that they trust me," Nunn said.
“It's amazing ... you just see all the behind-the-scenes work that he's putting in lately just trying to be more consistent knocking down shots,” guard Ja'Kobe Walter said. “You could see on the court we (were) all smiling every time he hit a bucket.”
Nunn finished 8-of-12 shooting, including 6 of 9 on 3s, while all five starters scored in double figures for the Bears (18-6, 7-4 Big 12). Jalen Bridges added 14 points, while 7-foot freshman Yves Missi had 12. RayJ Dennis had 11 points and eight assists, and Walter had 10 points and six rebounds.
“Their whole starting five ... the most simplistic answer I can give everybody is I thought they were phenomenal," Sooners coach Porter Moser said. “And we weren’t.”
Rivaldo Soares scored 17 points on 5-of-6 shooting to lead Oklahoma (18-7, 6-6) before exiting with 4:58 left after his left foot twisted awkwardly on a drive. He had to be helped off the court and went immediately to the locker room.
“He's not putting any weight on it now,” Moser said. “I feel bad for Rivaldo, he’s been playing great, he’s been an energy guy for us. ... We’ll see how much that thing swells up.”
After Nunn's tiebreaking 3, the junior transfer from VCU added another following a Sooners turnover, about two minutes before another long-range make. Dennis had assists on those last two 3s, and in between drove for a floater banked high off the glass.
The Bears led 40-27 at halftime after Nunn's jumper at the end.
Baylor moved into a tie with Texas Tech for third place in the Big 12 standings. They both trail league-leading No. 3 Houston by a game, and are half-game behind No. 10 Iowa State.
BIG PICTURE
Oklahoma: The Sooners struggled against Baylor's zone defense, even though they got even at 20-20 with 6:48 left. They went more than 6 1/2 minutes without making a shot (six misses in a row) before tying the game, but after that had a four-minute stretch with only one made shot and three turnovers in 44 seconds. The Bears stuck with the zone pretty much the rest of the game.
Baylor: The Bears improved to a national-best 31-13 against Top 25 opponents over the past five seasons, including a 14-3 mark at home. They are 4-2 overall this season. ... Baylor is 6-1 in new Foster Pavilion, including 5-1 in Big 12 games. Their other four conference home wins had been by a combined 20 points.
SERIES ENDER?
Baylor won its 11th consecutive regular-season matchup against the Sooners, who are moving next season to the Southeastern Conference. Oklahoma has a 46-25 series advantage, which included 30 consecutive wins until 2009 before Baylor won 20 of the last 31.
UP NEXT
Oklahoma is home Saturday against sixth-ranked Kansas (19-6, 7-5), which is coming off a 29-point loss at Texas Tech. The Sooners lost 78-66 at Kansas on Jan. 13.
Baylor plays at West Virginia (8-16, 3-8) on Saturday night in its only regular-season meeting with the Mountaineers.
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