WACO, Texas (AP) Rico Gathers had 17 points and nine rebounds, and No. 17 Baylor used a quick start to the second half to beat Georgia 83-73 in the Big 12/SEC Challenge on Saturday night.
Gathers had one of Baylor's five three-point possessions during a 17-2 run in the first 4 minutes after halftime to turn a 35-32 deficit into a 49-37 lead. The Bears (17-4) scored just three points before the first media timeout in the first half.
Ishmail Wainright hit a tying 3-pointer 12 seconds into the second half, and Al Freeman put Baylor ahead for good with another in the Bears' 34th consecutive home win against a nonconference opponent. It was the first meeting between the schools.
J.J. Frazier had 21 points and 11 assists to lead the Bulldogs (11-8), who lost consecutive games for the first time this season.
After Frazier scored Georgia's final five points before halftime to break a 30-all tie, Lester Medford set the tone for Baylor's early second-half spurt by picking up the ball near midcourt with 5.1 seconds left and racing to the basket for a layup just before the halftime buzzer.
Freeman had two 3-pointers during the run and scored all 14 of his points after halftime. Taurean Prince joined Gathers with a three-point play.
The sixth three-point conversion in the first 7 minutes of the second half - a layup and free throw by Johnathan Motley - pushed the Baylor run to 26-6 for a 56-41 lead, starting with Medford's layup to finish the first half.
Prince scored 13 points, Motley added 12 and Medford had nine points and eight assists as the Bears improved to 8-1 against the SEC since the 2012-13 season.
It was the 16th win in 17 home games for Baylor, the only loss coming to No. 1 Oklahoma last weekend. The Bears are tied atop the Big 12 with Oklahoma and West Virginia at 6-2.
The Bulldogs shot 50 percent and led most of the way before halftime, but missed 10 of their first 12 attempts as the Bears took control on their way to a 3-0 record in the Big 12/SEC Challenge.
All of Georgia's four double-figure scorers reached the mark against Baylor, with Yante Maten getting 18 points followed by Kenny Gaines (14) and Charles Mann (13). But the Bulldogs were outscored 26-7 off the bench by the deeper Bears. Motley led Baylor's reserves in scoring.
TIP-INS
Georgia: Oklahoma State and Texas Tech are the remaining Big 12 teams the Bulldogs haven't faced. ... Georgia fell to 12-13 against the Big 12.
Baylor: Prince was honored before the game for becoming the school's 30th 1,000-point scorer. He reached the milestone Jan. 9 at Iowa State. ... The Baylor football team took the Russell Athletic Bowl trophy to midcourt for a halftime celebration, drawing a standing ovation from the crowd.
UP NEXT
Georgia: Hosts South Carolina on Tuesday.
Baylor: Hosts Texas on Monday.
