Baylor guard Al Freeman scored 21 points, and forward Rico Gathers posted 17 points and 17 rebounds to lead the Bears to a 79-62 victory over Oklahoma State on Tuesday night at the Ferrell Center in Waco, Texas.

Though the Bears led by double digits for most of the contest, Oklahoma State forward Chris Olivier made a layup to cut the deficit to 59-56 with 10:35 left.

Baylor (11-3, 1-1 Big 12) held the Cowboys scoreless for more than seven minutes after that. The Bears' defense led to a 17-0 run as Baylor distanced itself at the end.

Forward Jeffrey Carroll scored 15 points to lead Oklahoma State (9-5, 1-1).

Baylor stretched out a lead with an 18-4 run midway through the first half.

The Bears were already on an 8-2 surge when Freeman hit 3-pointers on back-to-back trips down the floor. Freeman's second trey boosted Baylor's lead to 27-12 with 10:13 remaining before halftime.

Gathers capped the run with jumpers on consecutive possessions to put the Bears ahead 31-14 with 9:02 remaining in the first half.

Freeman, who came in averaging 12 points per game, had 14 at the break.

The Bears also took advantage of eight first-half Oklahoma State turnovers, which Baylor turned into 13 points.

However, Oklahoma State lessened the damage before the break with an 11-1 run. Guard Jawun Evans highlighted the Cowboys' hot streak with a 3-pointer with 1:49 left in the first half to cut Baylor's lead to 40-31. The Bears took a 45-33 edge into the locker room.