Even with Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd going with a bigger starting lineup with 7-foot sophomore Henri Veesaar and 6-8 junior forward Tobe Awaka, Baylor was able to hang with the 19th-ranked Wildcats on the glass.

The undersized and shorthanded Bears just couldn't overcome a tough shooting night, hitting a dismal 22.7% (5-of-22) from 3-point range in falling to Arizona, 74-67, Monday night before a capacity crowd of 7,500 at Foster Pavilion.

"To beat a team like this, we've got to make better shots, make more shots," said Baylor coach Scott Drew, whose team fell to 16-10 overall, 8-7 in the Big 12 and 12-2 at home. "The last two games, we haven't shot from 3 like we're capable. As a staff, we've got to do a better job of getting us better looks because we have do have better shooters than that."

Despite Arizona's distinct size advantage at pretty much every position, the Bears matched the Wildcats on offensive rebounds (11-11) and second-chance points (10-10) and lost a tight rebounding battle, 37-31.

But in what's become a familiar plan, Baylor dug a hole it could never complete escape. Arizona led 41-33 at the half and stretched it to as many as 14 in the second half as the Bears missed their first five shots and didn't make a field goal until the 12:22 mark.

"Coming into the game, we're not expecting VJ (Edgecombe) to go 1-for-6 (from 3-point range)," said Miami transfer Norchad Omier, who recorded his 14th double-double of the year and 82nd of his college career, the eighth-most in NCAA history. "We're expecting him to go 4-for-6, 5-for-6. It's a little frustrating shooting at home, not hitting shots. We've just got to trust ourselves, (be) confident, and we'll be all right."

Despite his struggles from outside the arc, Edgecombe had another Superman-type game, scoring a game-high 24 points and hitting 11-of-14 from the line. He pumped in 13 points in the second half and was a big part of a comeback that whittled the deficit down to three twice late in the game.

"He's a winner, he'll do what it takes to win," Drew said of Edgecombe. "That's what excited me about this group right now. if we can stay healthy with the seven (players), we'll find ways to put them in better positions to be successful. We're not going to shoot 22% (from 3) the rest of the year."

Outscoring Baylor 22-11 over the last 7 ½ minutes of the first half, Arizona went up double digits and took a 41-33 lead into the locker room after Caleb Love knocked down a 3-pointer before Edgecombe ended the half with a highlight-reel dunk.

Switching from the zone to a switching man-to-man defense in the second half, the Bears held the Wildcats to 35.7% shooting overall and 0-for-9 from 3-point range to get back in the game.

"I think we just got a little more grit in the second half," Omier said. "Not enough, though. We became more aggressive. We did little things different than we did in the first half. And that made the defense better, but it was not enough. We've got to give them credit, too."

In a 12-2 run that included a Jeremy Roach 3-pointer, Baylor was able to cut into Arizona's lead and made it a four-point game, 55-51, on a scoop layup by Langston Love with 7:39 left.

Going into take-over mode, Edgecombe scored back-to-back baskets to pull the Bears within three, the last time at 70-67. But the Wildcats made four free throws in the last 20 seconds to put the game away.

While denying Baylor a chance to pick up its fourth ranked win of the season and second in conference play, league newcomer Arizona snapped a two-game losing streak and completed the season sweep after last month's 81-70 win in Tucson.

"I think their size allowed them to get easies," Drew said. "They've got veteran guards that don't get sped up, and they get the ball in the right spots. And Tommy's a really good coach. He's going to make sure guys are in position to score. But if we give up touches in the charge circle to (Veesaar and Awaka), they're not missing."

Senior guard Jayden Nunn was 2-for-3 from outside the arc and scored 10 points off the bench, helping Baylor finish with a 16-15 edge in bench points. Awaka had a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds, Caleb Love and Veesaar had 13 points apiece and Anthony Dell'Orso scored 12 for the Wildcats.

Back on the road for its next two, Baylor will face Colorado (10-15, 1-13) at 3 p.m. CT Saturday in Boulder and then Cincinnati (15-10, 5-9) at 6 p.m. next Tuesday, Feb. 25.