WACO, Texas (AP) - Lauren Cox scored a career-high 24 points and No. 3 Baylor beat Oklahoma 74-65 on Monday night for its 19th straight victory.
While the Lady Bears (22-1, 12-0 Big 12) never trailed, Oklahoma tied the game at 60 when Maddie Manning hit a running scoop shot with just under 5 1/2 minutes left. The Sooners (12-12, 7-6) were still within 64-63 on a three-point play by Manning just over 2 minutes later.
Dekeiya Cohen then made a layup for Baylor, which sealed the game by making 8-of-10 free throws in the final 1:36 after winning its first 11 Big 12 games by an average margin of 29.5 points.
Cohen finished with 15 points, and Kalani Brown had 10. Kristy Wallace was 2 for 12 shooting but had 12 assists and made five of those free throws in the closing streak.
Vionise Pierre-Louis led Oklahoma with 19 points before fouling out with 1:36 to go. Gabbi Ortiz made four 3-pointers and had 14 points, all in the second half. Shaina Pellington also had 14 points, and Manning had 13.
BIG PICTURE
Oklahoma: The Sooners are fighting to continue a string of 18 straight NCAA Tournament appearances, but missed a big opportunity for a signature win. They are 2-8 against Top 25 teams this season. For the second straight meeting, Pierre-Louis had her way at times with Baylor's back line. But she picked up two quick fouls in the third quarter and sat for much of the second half.
Baylor: The Lady Bears' first 24 points came from their frontcourt players in Cox, Brown and Cohen, but it wasn't their typical dominating night in the paint. Much of Cox's and Cohen's damage came from midrange and long two-point shots, and Brown got into foul trouble for the second straight game against the Sooners and played 24 minutes.
UP NEXT
The Sooners are also on the road for their next two games. They play at Kansas on Saturday night.
Baylor gets a couple of extra days before playing again, at home Saturday night against No. 24 TCU.
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