WACO, Texas — Isaiah Austin had 23 points and 17 rebounds, Pierre Jackson scored 21 points and Baylor beat Lamar 85-68 Wednesday night.
Baylor had a 16-point lead erased just after halftime, but the Bears pulled away with a 13-2 run in the second half.
Austin was 11 of 19 from the field. Cory Jefferson added 10 points for Baylor (6-3), which snapped a two-game home losing streak.
Lamar (1-9) lost its fifth in a row. Amos Wilson scored 21 points and Rhon Mitchell had 19 for the Cardinals.
Baylor led 35-19 in the first half before Lamar came back to tie it early in the second. Trailing 38-31 at halftime, Lamar outscored Baylor 11-4 to open the second half. Amos Wilson and Donley Minor had consecutive baskets to tie the game at 42 with 17 minutes remaining.
Baylor was up 58-55 before going on its 13-2 spurt. Deuce Bello converted a three-point play that made it 61-55, and Gary Franklin made consecutive 3-pointers to give the Bears a 12-point advantage.
A.J. Walton capped the run with a basket, putting Baylor on top 71-57 with 7:27 left. Lamar got no closer than 10 points the rest of the way.
The Bears avoided losing three straight at home for the first time since 2009. They had not lost three straight nonconference games since 1960.
Baylor fell at home to College of Charleston on Nov. 24 and to Northwestern on Dec. 4. In between, the Bears upset Kentucky on Dec. 1, ending the Wildcats’ 55-game home winning streak.
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