WACO, Texas (AP) — Makai Mason made nine 3-pointers, the most by a Big 12 player this season, and scored a career-high 40 points as Baylor stretched its winning streak to six games with a 90-64 victory over rival TCU on Saturday night.
The Bears (15-6, 6-2 Big 12) won their fifth consecutive Big 12 game. They remained in a tie for the conference lead with Kansas State after the Wildcats won at Oklahoma State earlier in the day.
Mason finished 14-of-20 shooting, including 9-of-12 on 3-pointers. His nine made 3s were one short of the Baylor overall single-game school record set by LaceDarius Dunn eight years ago, and matched Dunn’s record for a Big 12 game. His 40 points were the most by a Baylor player ever in a Big 12 game.
Baylor’s first 16 points after halftime were scored by Mason, including four 3-pointers in that spurt of just more than five minutes that ended with his 3 that made it 55-35. That came immediately after he drew a charging foul on the defensive end.
JD Miller had 17 points for TCU (15-6, 3-5). Alex Robinson had 16 and Kouat Noi 15.
Mason, the first graduate transfer ever for the Bears, made his first eight shots after the break, six of them from outside the arc. His previous career high had been 31 points, when playing for Yale in a win over Baylor in the 2016 NCAA Tournament.
BIG PICTURE
TCU: The Horned Frogs, who beat Baylor 85-81 at home in the Big 12 opener for both teams Jan. 5 and won in Waco last season, are 0-5 in Big 12 road games this year.
Baylor: This is the fourth time Baylor has won five consecutive Big 12 games in the same season, and the third time in four years (1998, 2015, 2018 and 2019). The school record is six in a row, the final four conference games in 2010 and the first two in 2011.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Baylor went into this season as one of nine teams to be ranked in each of the previous 11 seasons (back to 2007-08). The Bears didn’t get any votes in this week’s Top 25, but should start making a move to their first ranking this season with a long winning streak that includes three Big 12 road wins.
UP NEXT
TCU plays three of its next four games at home, starting Wednesday night against Oklahoma State.
Baylor goes to Texas on Wednesday night before playing consecutive home games.
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