College basketball: No. 6 Baylor avoids another upset with narrow win at Oklahoma State

Johnathan Motley scored 24 points to help No. 6 Baylor hold off Oklahoma State, 72-69, on Wednesday night at Stillwater, Okla.

The Bears (21-3, 8-3 Big 12 Conference) led by 13 points with 4 minutes 13 seconds to play but pressure defense by the Cowboys (15-9, 4-7) made it a close game.

The Cowboys could have taken the lead in the final minute, but Baylor’s Jo Lual-Acuil blocked Jawun Evans’ layup. After Baylor’s Manu Lecomte made two free throws with 14 seconds to play, Evans and Phil Forte missed three-point shots that could have tied the score.

Jeffrey Carroll scored 20 points and Jawun Evans had 16 for the Cowboys, who had won five games in a row.

at No. 11 Cincinnati 60, Central Florida 50: Kyle Washington had 14 points and 11 rebounds, and the Bearcats (22-2, 11-0 American Athletic Conference) extended their winning streak to 15 games.

Tacko Fall, a 7-foot-6 sophomore center, had 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Knights (15-9, 6-6).

No. 13 West Virginia 61, at Oklahoma 50: Freshman guard James Bolden scored a career-high 17 points in 10 minutes and West Virginia survived an off-shooting night.

West Virginia (19-5, 7-4 Big 12) won for the first time ever at Oklahoma (8-15, 2-9) in five attempts and avenged an overtime defeat at the hands of the Sooners, who won 89-87 in Morgantown on Jan. 18.

No. 14 Florida State 95, North Carolina State 71: Jonathan Isaac scored 21 points for Florida State. Isaac, who had only two points in last Sunday’s 48-point win over Clemson, scored the first seven points as the Seminoles (21-4, 9-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) led throughout. It is the 6-foot-10 freshman forward’s third game of 20 points or more this season.

Dwayne Bacon added 19 points and Michael Ojo had 11 for FSU, which has won 18 straight at home and at one point led by as many as 26 points in the second half. Terry Henderson led N.C. State (14-11, 3-9) with 17 points.

at No. 24 Xavier 72, DePaul 61: Trevon Bluiett scored 20 points and the Musketeers (18-6, 8-3 Big East Conference) won their fourth consecutive game despite committing 19 turnovers. Brandon Cyrus had 18 points for the Blue Demons (8-16, 1-10).