EditorsNote: 2nd update: more tweaking to first graf, fixes spacing issue in 5th graf
Matthew Mayer hit for 19 points and four teammates also scored in double figures as No. 2 Baylor built a massive lead in the first half and cruised to an 85-66 victory over Kansas State on Tuesday in their Big 12 Conference matchup in Waco, Texas.
The Bears (25-2, 14-1) suffered no hangover from their first loss in more than three months, against No. 1 Kansas on Saturday, and a drop from the top spot to No. 2 in the rankings.
Baylor spent five weeks at No. 1, the longest stretch by any team this season and the longest on top since Kentucky in 2015, and showed why it's still considered to be one of the four No. 1 seeds in the upcoming NCAA Tournament.
Jared Butler scored 16 points for the Bears, while Davion Mitchell hit for 14 and dished out 10 assists, MaCio Teague added 13 points and Freddie Gillespie tallied 10 points and took 11 rebounds.
Cartier Diarra paced Kansas State (9-19, 2-13) with 19 points, with DaJaun Gordon and Mike McGuirl adding 12 and 10 points, respectively. The Wildcats have lost eight straight games for the first time since the 1999-2000 season and have dropped 10 of their past 11.
Baylor was hot from the opening tip and was up 50-24 at halftime, scoring the most first-half points in Big 12 play by any team since 2014. Baylor outshot Kansas State 53.3 percent to 45.0 percent and outrebounded the Wildcats 17-11, along with scoring 13 points off 13 Kansas State turnovers in the half.
Teague and Mayer scored 11 points each in the first half, with Butler adding 10. Diarra led the Wildcats with 13 points.
The second half was all but academic, with Baylor leading by as many as 34 points before Kansas State forged a late 16-1 run to make the score less lopsided.
--Field Level Media
