Keyonte George hit for 21 points and Adam Flagler had 20 as No. 12 Baylor earned an 85-56 win over Nicholls on Wednesday in Waco, Texas.
The Bears (10-2) played their final game before beginning the Big 12 Conference schedule.
Baylor led by 14 points at halftime before Nicholls whittled the margin on the strength of an 8-0 run over a two-minute stretch early in the second half. Baylor quickly answered as Flagler hit a 3-pointer and a jumper and George hit a pair of free throws to built the advantage back to 13 points with 14:59 left, and the Colonels (6-7) never seriously challenged again.
Baylor extended its lead to as many as 30 points through the final eight minutes of the game and ran away with its fifth straight victory.
The Bears made 11 3-pointers in the game while Nicholls hit just two, and Baylor owned the boards 45-34, scored 24 points off 20 Colonels turnovers and were 24 of 35 from the free-throw line. Nicholls was 8 of 16 on foul shots.
Langston Love added 17 points for Baylor, and freshman Josh Ojianwuna racked up career highs with 11 points and 11 rebounds, giving him his first double-double.
Latrell Jones had 18 points to lead the Colonels, who have dropped two of their past three games, both to ranked opponents. Caleb Huffman added 11 points and a team-high eight rebounds.
The Bears quickly jumped to a 12-3 lead after a 3-pointer by Flagler at the 14:47 mark of the first half. After Nicholls closed the gap to six points on Huffman’s layup with 11:12 to play in the half, Baylor reeled off a 9-2 run capped by a George 3-pointer to push its advantage 28-15.
The Colonels again clawed back within six points on another layup by Huffman with 6:49 to play. Baylor responded again, building as much as a 17-point edge before settling for a 45-31 lead at the break.
George, helped by three 3-pointers, led all scorers with 13 points before halftime, with Flagler adding 12 and Love contributing 11 for Baylor. The Bears built their lead from beyond the arc as they were 8 of 15 on their 3-point attempts while Nicholls was just 1 of 7.
Jones paced the Colonels with 12 points in the half.
–Field Level Media