WACO, Texas -- Baylor entered Tuesday evening's game against Cornell leading the nation in 3-point percentage and did nothing to hurt that ranking, connecting on 14-of-31 3-pointers to open Foster Pavilion with a bang, topping the Big Red 98-79. The 18th-ranked Bears improved to 11-2, while Cornell enters Ivy League play with a 10-3 record.

Junior Nazir Williams scored 17 points and dished out five of the team's 15 assists on the night to lead three double figure scorers for the visitors. Isaiah Gray and Chris Manon each chipped in 12 points and three rebounds, while Guy Ragland Jr. tallied nine points and five boards. Seniors Keller Boothby (eight points) and Evan Williams (four rebounds) also played valuable roles off the bench in a return to their home state, with Sean Hansen also adding seven points, five rebounds and three assists in the loss. The Big Red shot 49 percent from the floor for the contest and hung with the Bears on the glass (35-30), threatening the home team well into the second half before Baylor pulled away.

Baylor got 23 points and nine rebounds from Ja'Kobe Walter and 18 points and six assists from RayJ Dennis. Dennis hit 6-of-7 shots, but still wasn't as efficient as Yves Missi, who was 8-for-8 for 16 points with five boards. Jayden Nunn was the fourth double figure scorer with 10 points, five rebounds and four assists. The Bears shot 55 percent from the floor overall and assists on 21 baskets.

Cornell hung around for the first seven minutes, trailing 15-14 before the Bears' Miro Little connected on back-to-back 3-pointers, and another trey by Dennis made it a double figure lead as part of a 11-0 run. That spurt was stopped momentarily by a fall-away banked 3-pointer by DJ Nix, but the home team maintained a double-digit lead throughout the majority of the final eight minutes and went into the break with a 58-42 lead after Walter hit the Bears' eighth 3-pointer of the half at the buzzer.

The home team's 13 second chance points by halftime were the difference, as Cornell shot 55 percent. Williams scored 14 points for the Big Red to keep the visitors in the contest.

After Baylor went up by 22 points in the first four minutes of the second half, Cornell made its final push. A 15-0 spurt allowed the Big Red to cut the lead to seven (70-63) with the ball, but consecutive missed layups allowed Baylor to get five back on the other end. Cornell wouldn't get within single digits in the final 10 minutes as its three-game win streak was snapped.

NEXT UP
• The Big Red opens Ivy League competition when it welcomes Columbia to Newman Arena on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024 at 6 p.m.
• The contest will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
• The Lions lead the all-time series 131-107, though Cornell has won five straight overall and at Newman Arena.
• The two teams have evenly split the past 26 contests dating back to the 2009-10 season.