WACO, Texas (Interstat) — In a game that was competitive for a half, the Baylor Bears unleashed a staggering offensive explosion after halftime to overwhelm the Southern Jaguars 111-67 in a nonconference men’s basketball game Sunday at the Ferrell Center.

The Bears, improving to 9-2, outscored the Jaguars 71-36 in the second half, turning a nine-point halftime lead into a lopsided victory in front of 7,065 fans. Southern fell to 4-8 with the loss.

The most important part of the game was Baylor’s immediate and overwhelming surge to start the second half, which erased any lingering doubt about the outcome. Leading 40-31 at the break, the Bears opened the final period on a 15-4 run in just over three minutes. The burst was fueled by a three-pointer from Obi Agbim, free throws from Tounde Yessoufou, a Cameron Carr alley-oop dunk, and a Dan Skillings jumper. That sequence pushed the Baylor lead to 55-35 and established a pace Southern could not match. The Jaguars, who had managed to keep the first half within single digits, were suddenly buried under a wave of Baylor transition offense and three-point shooting.

Baylor’s offensive efficiency was historic. The Bears scored 111 points on just 70 possessions, an offensive rating of 157.8, and shot a blistering 17 of 32 from three-point range. They also converted 20 of 26 free throws, committed only four turnovers, and scored 19 fastbreak points. Southern, by contrast, managed just two assists against eight turnovers and failed to score any points off Baylor’s miscues.

Tounde Yessoufou led all scorers with 28 points for Baylor, adding eight rebounds, six assists and two blocks. Cameron Carr contributed 22 points, six rebounds and six assists, while Dan Skillings filled the stat sheet with 17 points, six rebounds and five assists. The Bears also dominated the glass, with Caden Powell pulling down 15 rebounds, including six on the offensive end, to go with six points and two blocks.

Southern was led by Malek Abdelgowad’s 19 points and six rebounds, all but one of his points coming after halftime. Michael Jacobs added 20 points and four assists for the Jaguars, who shot just 40.3 percent from the field and 5 of 18 from beyond the arc.

The first half offered glimpses of resistance from Southern. After Baylor opened with the game’s first six points, the Jaguars responded with a 9-2 run, capped by a three-pointer from Cam Amboree, to take a brief 9-8 lead. The teams traded baskets for much of the period, with Southern staying within two possessions until the final minutes. A late three-pointer from Baylor’s Agbim gave the Bears their largest lead of the half at 40-31 heading into the locker room.

Any hope for Southern was extinguished by Baylor’s second-half onslaught. The Bears shot 64.3 percent from the field after halftime and made 10 of their 17 three-pointers in the final 20 minutes. The lead ballooned past 40 points in the closing minutes as Baylor’s reserves closed out the game, with Will Kuykendall and Drew Perry hitting late three-pointers to push the Bears past the 110-point mark.

Baylor, which has won three straight, next hosts Arlington Baptist on Monday. Southern continues a difficult road stretch with a game at Illinois on Monday.