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--> --> Baker answers challenge By The Associated Press Oklahoma State coach Eddie Sutton didn't like it when Maurice Baker scored all 22 of his points in the first half of the Cowboys' last game. Sutton said he wanted a better finish from Baker on Wednesday night against Missouri-Kansas City. "I challenged him," Sutton said. "I guess he's a good listener." After that second-half drought Monday night against Northwestern State, Baker didn't score in the first half against UMKC. In the end he had - you guessed it - 22 points in the second half. No. 6 Oklahoma State needed Baker's comeback as the Cowboys withstood a rally by UMKC for a 62-50 victory. To Baker's teammates, when the points come is irrelevant. "Mo is like a heat radiator," Victor Williams said. "Push the button and he gets hot." Elsewhere among the Top 25, it was No. 13 Stanford 87, Portland State 73; No. 14 Marquette 100, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 49; No. 17 Michigan State 78, Oakland, Mich. 50; No. 20 Wake Forest 89, St. Francis, Pa. 60; and Butler 75, No. 21 Ball St. 66. Oklahoma State (11-0) needed a surge from Baker to withstand a 13-0 run by the Kangaroos (6-2), playing in front of their second-biggest crowd ever (8,643) and hoping to establish themselves as a Division I program. After Baker's 3-pointer and driving basket gave Oklahoma State a 47-27 lead, the Kangaroos started to hit. From 10:27 to 4:44, UMKC outscored the visitors 13-0, led by Michael Watson. When Andre Williams fouled out with 5:08 left and Michael Jackson sank two free throws, the Cowboys' lead was 46-40. But then Baker took charge, hitting a driving layup, converting a three-point play, and then making a long 3-pointer to put the Cowboys on top 54-44. The Kangaroos, who lost by 11 points at No. 3 Kansas two weeks earlier, shot just 28 percent. "There was a different feeling in that locker room at halftime than there was at Kansas," UMKC coach Rich Zvosec said. "There was a feeling tonight that we could really win this game." Victor Williams had 10 points for Oklahoma State, 11-0 for the second time since 1997-98. Watson and Marcus Golson had 14 points apiece for the Kangaroos. No. 13 Stanford 87, Portland St. 63 Casey Jacobsen scored 19 of his 24 points in the second half as the Cardinal won their own Stanford Invitational. Julius Barnes added a career-high 16 points as Stanford (6-1) won the tournament for the seventh consecutive year. Anthony Lackey scored a season-high 26 points to lead the Vikings (4-6), who lost for the third time in four games. The Vikings stayed with Stanford through the first six minutes of the second half, trailing 42-39 after Seamus Boxley hit a fast-break layup. The Cardinal scored the next 13 points to pull away. No. 14 Marquette 100, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 49 Oluoma Nnamaka scored 17 points, and five other players reached double figures as Marquette remained undefeated by beating winless Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Marquette (10-0) determined the outcome with a 30-0 run over a span of 7:25 for a 35-6 lead with 8:43 left in the first half. Scott Merritt added 15 points for Marquette on 6-of-6 shooting and had 13 rebounds. Cordell Henry added 14 points. Visiting Arkansas-Pine Bluff (0-10) got 14 points from Charles Almond. No. 17 Michigan St. 78, Oakland, Mich. 50 Marcus Taylor had 17 points as the Spartans extended the nation's longest home winning streak to 52 games. Michigan State (8-3) scored the first eight points against the Golden Grizzlies (5-7), and turned the game into a rout with an 11-0 run to open the second half. Michigan State reserve Chris Hill and Kelvin Torbert had 12 points each. Reserve Brad Buddenborg led Oakland with 14 points. No. 20 Wake Forest 89, St. Francis, Pa. 60 Josh Howard scored 17 of his 21 points in the first half as the Demon Deacons ran away early. Wake Forest (8-2) scored the first 17 points and hit 36 of 64 shots to surpass 50 percent for the third straight game. The Demon Deacons have won their last three games by an average of 30 points and have a six-game winning streak at home. St. Francis (2-6) lost its third straight, all by 20 points or more. Bryan Martin led the Red Flash with 15 points. Dan Swoger was 4-of-9 from 3-point range and added 14 points. Butler 75, No. 21 Ball St. 66 Rylan Hainje had 23 points and nine rebounds, and Thomas Jackson added 14 points as Butler remained undefeated with the upset. The visiting Bulldogs, one of only eight undefeated Division I teams entering the night, are 11-0 for the first time in 110 years of basketball. Butler did it by beating the Cardinals at their own game - perimeter shooting. Ball State (6-3), which got 27 points from Theron Smith, came into the game No. 1 in the nation in 3-pointers per game and No. 2 in 3-point shooting percentage. But it struggled against the Bulldogs, missing eight of 13 3-pointers. Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing