WACO, Texas -- Oklahoma State just isn't satisfied.
No matter how well the 10th-ranked Cowboys started, and despite winning 81-63 at Baylor, all they seemed to focus on was how sloppy they were at the end Saturday night.
"We played well for 30 minutes and then had a total meltdown," head coach designate Sean Sutton said. "Look at the really good teams, when they get somebody down, they continue to play at a high level. When we got up 31, we shut it down and went on cruise control."
John Lucas III scored 11 of his 14 points in the first half to celebrate his final visit to the place where he started his college career. He was one of five players in double figures for the Cowboys (17-3, 7-2 Big 12).
Oklahoma State had a 65-34 lead after Joey Graham made two free throws with 11:14 left. But Baylor (9-10, 1-7) finished with a 29-16 run in which freshman Aaron Bruce scored 22 of his 33 points.
"That always takes away everything," Lucas said. "We've got to learn how to finish stuff off like that."
Lucas hit a 3-pointer on the game's opening shot. He didn't score again until he had eight points in a span of 1:41 late in the first half to give the Cowboys a 47-24 lead.
The Cowboys shot 74 percent (17-of-23) in the first half, including 9-of-12 on 3-pointers. Even after missing their first nine shots after halftime, they had a 20-point lead and still went on to shoot 57 percent overall (28-of-49) and from 3-point range (12-of-21).
"We played better than what we were. At the same time, we have a veteran team and have high expectations," Sutton said. "We'll continue to push, and one of the things we're trying to correct right now is to play 40 minutes."
Especially with a rematch against No. 14 Oklahoma coming up Monday night. Two weeks ago, Oklahoma State lost 67-57 against the Sooners, who led 19-2 eight minutes into the game.
Baylor (9-10, 1-7) has lost five in a row, a stretch that started with an 82-53 loss at Oklahoma State three weeks ago. The Bears have lost 15 of the last 16 in the series.
"We have to play a near-perfect game, and we need an elite team to not have a good game," Baylor coach Scott Drew said.
Ivan McFarlin had 18 points for Oklahoma State, while Jameson Curry had 14 with four 3-pointers. Stephen Graham had 13 points and Joey Graham added 12.
Bruce, a point guard from Australia, made 11 of 18 shots, including five 3-pointers, while scoring more than half of Baylor's points.
Lucas' only basket in the second half was a 3-pointer with 6:33 left. That gave the Cowboys a 68-40 lead.
Lucas began his career at Baylor, along with Lawrence Roberts (Mississippi State) and Kenny Taylor (Texas). The trio left under relaxed transfer rules before last season after a scandal under former coach Dave Bliss that was exposed after the shooting death of a player.
"I had fun," Lucas said, insisting he had no extra emotion. "I just wanted to come in and win."
While Lucas played just 58 games in two seasons for Baylor, he is seventh on the school's career list with 106 3-pointers and ninth with 242 assists.
Baylor led 9-5 after Bruce drove through a crowded lane for a layup and then made a free throw. But the Bears then went 10 minutes without a field goal -- missing 10 in a row -- until Bruce's 3-pointer with 6:21 left.
"We came out with a lot of emotion," Drew said. "We did a great job early, but then we got stuck. When we get stuck, we haven't been able to stop runs."
After Patrick Fields made two free throws to give Baylor a 11-7 lead, the Cowboys turned the game around with a 23-3 run. They led 30-14 when Daniel Bobik hit a 3-pointer.
It was win No. 772 for coach Eddie Sutton, whose team has all of its wins this season by double figures. The Cowboys are shooting better than 50 percent from the field this season.
