Senior Andrew Jones registered a team-high 11 points but No. 20/20 Texas (18-7, 7-7 Big 12) fell 80-63 at No. 10/10 Baylor (21-4, 9-3 Big 12) on Saturday afternoon at the Ferrell Center.
The 80 points marked the highest point total surrendered by the Longhorns in Big 12 play this season.
Saturday's contest marked the fifth-straight game that the Longhorns had faced a ranked opponent, dating back to a 52-51 home win against No. 18/20 Tennessee on Jan. 29. Texas posted a 3-2 mark during the stretch, including victories against Tennessee, No. 20/22 Iowa State and No. 8/8 Kansas.
Jones was the lone UT player to reach double figures in scoring. He converted 3-of-6 from three-point range in 18 minutes. Senior Timmy Allen, senior Christian Bishop, senior Marcus Carr, senior Courtney Ramey and senior Jase Febres each posted eight points. Junior Tre Mitchell topped the 1,000-career point mark (1,001 points) on his layup with 15 seconds remaining in the contest.
Texas took an early 8-4 advantage at the 15:32 mark following an Allen jumper. The Bears answered with a 12-0 run over the next two minutes capped by a Kendall Brown dunk with 13:17 remaining.
The Longhorns trimmed the margin to 18-15 after a Ramey jumper at the 10:30 mark. Baylor used an 11-0 spurt over the next four-plus minutes to build a 31-15 cushion following a pair of Dale Bonner free throws with 6:52 left. The Bears extended their lead to as much as 18 points (42-24) after an Adam Flagler three-pointer at the 2:17 mark, but a Ramey jumper at the buzzer closed the gap to 44-31 at the break.
Baylor increased its cushion to 62-41 following a Jeremy Sochan three-pointer with 12:45 remaining. The Longhorns responded with a 10-0 run over the next three-plus minutes to trim the deficit to 62-51 after two Allen free throws at the 9:18 mark. The Bears used an 11-3 spurt during the next four minutes to extend the margin to 73-54 following a Flagler three-pointer with 5:39 to seal the victory.
Texas returns to action when it travels to face Oklahoma on Tuesday, Feb. 15. Tip is set for 6 p.m. Central at the Noble Center, and the game will be televised nationally by ESPN2.