Big 12 Tournament: Jerrells, Rogers lift Baylor past Nebraska

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Curtis Jerrells scored 19 points and Kevin Rogers had 10 points and a career-high 20 rebounds as Baylor dominated on the boards and beat Nebraska 65-49 Wednesday in the opening game of the Big 12 tournament.

LaceDarius Dunn added 18 points on 4-for-9 3-point shooting and eight rebounds for Baylor (18-13), which won a first-round Big 12 tournament game for only the fifth time ever, but for the second time in the last three seasons.

The ninth-seeded Bears, who had entered the tournament having lost 10 of their last 12 games, advanced to play top-seeded Kansas on Thursday.

Ade Dagunduro scored 21 points for Nebraska (18-12), which now must hope for a berth in the National Invitation Tournament. Nebraska hasn't advanced to second round of the Big 12 tournament in consecutive seasons since 1998 and 1999.

The Cornhuskers beat Baylor 66-62 on Saturday in Waco, Texas, in the regular-season finale for both teams, but the Bears turned the tables by outrebounding the undersized Cornhuskers 43-18.

Baylor started 7-foot Josh Lomers and 6-foot-9 Rogers, who both are taller than anyone in Nebraska's starting lineup. Rogers outrebounded the Cornhuskers by himself and finished one board shy of tying the Big 12 tournament record of 21, set by Drew Gooden of Kansas against Texas Tech in 2002.

Lomers scored 11 points -- only the second time this season he'd reached double figures -- on 5 of 5 shooting.

Baylor finished 23 of 43 from the field (53.5 percent) while Nebraska was 17 of 54 (31.5 percent). Steve Harley added 10 points for the Cornhuskers, who scored fewer than 50 points for the fourth time this season.

Nebraska only managed one basket in the first nine minutes of the second half, going 1-for-10 during that stretch, as Baylor built its lead to double digits. The Bears led 46-33 with 8:51 left after a basket by Jerrells.

Baylor sealed the win with a 10-0 run, capped by another 3-pointer by Jerrells that made it 58-37 with 4:39 left.

Nebraska led only once, at 2-0. The Cornhuskers tied the game at 16-16 with 7:59 left in the first half, but a 12-2 run by Baylor, fueled by two 3-pointers by Dunn, put the Bears ahead 28-18. Nebraska quickly rallied, scoring nine straight points, six by Dagunduro, and trailed 30-27 at halftime.