Baylor, Mitchell dominate Auburn to stay undefeated

WACO — Davion Mitchell had 13 points and seven assists against his former team, Matthew Mayer soared for a couple of highlight dunks and No. 2 Baylor stayed undefeated with an 84-72 win over Auburn in the Big 12/SEC Challenge on Saturday.

Mitchell swished a 3-pointer with 11½ minutes left to extend Baylor’s lead to 59-43, getting the pass from Jared Butler and making the shot right after coming out of one of his shoes.

Five players scored in double figures for Baylor (16-0), which has gone deeper into a season without a loss only one other time — a 17-0 start in 2011-12. Adam Flagler, another transfer, led the Bears with a season-high 19 points, while Butler had 16, MaCio Teague 15 and Mayer 13. Flo Thamba was scoreless in 17 minutes, but had 11 rebounds.

Jaylin Williams had 17 points to lead five players in double figures for Auburn (10-8), which had won four of its previous five games and, like Baylor, had a 100-point game in the past week. Freshman Sharife Cooper added 15 points, and JT Thor finished with 13. Allen Flanigan scored 11 and Devan Cambridge 10.

Mitchell was coming off a career-high 31 points in Baylor’s 107-59 win over Kansas State on Wednesday night. He played 34 games at Auburn as a freshman in 2017-18 before transferring to Baylor, and Butler was initially enrolled at Alabama, though he never played for the Crimson Tide.

The one-shoe shot by Mitchell came during a 3½-minute span when Mayer had 10 points — two 3s, and his big dunks. Mitchell made a nifty pass to Butler, who missed the 3 that Mayer rebounded in midair and slammed home. Mayer then drove the baseline for a two-handed slam before he followed an Auburn miss with a 3-pointer from the

top of the key for a 66-45 lead midway through the second half.

The Bears trailed for only 61 seconds against Auburn, and have trailed only 45:21 of 640 minutes played this season. Baylor is 7-1 in Big 12/SEC Challenge games, the best record by any team in either league in the annual showdown. The Bears have won their last 18 nonconference games overall, one short of the school record set during that 2011-12 season.

NO. 24 OKLAHOMA 66 NO. 9 ALABAMA 61

In Norman, Okla., De’Vion Harmon scored 18 points to help the Sooners (11-4) upset the Crimson Tide (11-4) despite playing without leading scorer Austin Reaves and starting guard

Alondes Williams because of COVID-19 protocols.

Elijah Harkless scored 14 points and Brady Manek added 12 for Oklahoma, which became the second team in the past 25 years to beat three top 10 teams in a row following wins over Kansas and Texas.

Alex Reese scored 15 points and Jaden Shackelford added 14 for Alabama, which saw its 10game win streak end.

NO. 10 TEXAS TECH 76, LSU 71

In Baton Rouge, La., Mac McClung, who had not made a field goal in the second half, hit two 3-pointers to key a stunning late rally as the Red Raiders (12-5) scored 12 straight points in the final minute.

Terrence Shannon led Texas

Tech with 23 points and 10 rebounds. McClung added 22 points, and Kevin MuCullar had 10.

Javonte Smart matched his career high with 29 points for the Tigers (11-5).

FLORIDA 85

NO. 11 WEST VIRGINIA 80

In Morgantown, W.Va., Colin Castleton scored 15 of his 21 points in the second half, and the Gators (10-4) won their fourth straight.

The Gators went ahead to stay on Scottie Lewis’ tiebreaking 3-pointer with 4:05 remaining. Castleton followed with a threepoint play, and he made two free throws to put the Gators up 83-80 with 1:36 remaining. Derek Culver led West Virginia (11-5) with a career-high 28 points, but he was bottled up in the second half. He scored seven points after the break.

NO. 12 MISSOURI 102, TCU 98

In Columbia, Mo., Xavier Pinson scored a career-best 36 points, Jeremiah Tilmon had a career-high 33 and the Tigers (11-3) rallied from 12 down with less than five minutes left in regulation. Dru Smith put Missouri ahead to stay with a lefthanded layup high off the glass in overtime. Then the Tigers managed to get two straight important stops when Mark Smith blocked a shot and Kobe Brown came up with a steal. Mike Miles led TCU (9-7) with a career-high 28 points.

OKLAHOMA STATE 81 ARKANSAS 77

In Stillwater, Okla., Cade Cunningham scored 14 of his 21 points in the second half, including the go-ahead basket and clinching free throws, to lead the Cowboys (11-4) over the Razorbacks (13-5).

The game featured the first collegiate meeting for two of the nation’s top freshmen in Cunningham (17.9 points per game) and Arkansas’ Moses Moody (16.5), who were high school teammates. Cunningham was in his first game action since Jan.

12. Since then, OSU postponed two games because of COVID-19 protocols and Cunningham sat out two more after that.

Cunningham’s jumper with 21.3 seconds remaining gave the Cowboys (11-4) a 79-77 lead. After the Razorbacks’ Connor Vanover missed a 3-pointer from the top of the key, Cunningham got the rebound and sank two free throws with 3.8 seconds left.

Justin Smith scored 18 points, Moody added 17, JD Notae 13 and Davonte Davis 12 for Arkansas (13-5).

Chuck Burton / Associated Press Baylor’s Davion Mitchell, left, passes the ball as Auburn’s Dylan Cardwell defends. Mitchell had 13 points and seven assists against his former team as the Bears improved to 16-0.