WACO, Texas — Derrick Low kept taking shots for No. 6 Washington State, even though most of them were missing the mark for the team's leading scorer.

His perseverance paid off — and kept the Cougars undefeated.

Low was only 1 of 8 from the field before hitting consecutive 3-pointers in a span of 46 seconds to finally push Washington State in front, and the Cougars went on to a 67-64 victory last night over a scrappy Baylor team looking for a signature victory.

"I knew my shot was going to come," Low insisted. "As a shooter, you have to keep shooting them and eventually they'll go down. Thank God, they came at the right time."

Low, who was held scoreless in the first half, made a tying 3-pointer with 3:06 left in the game. After Aaron Bruce missed a shot for Baylor (5-1), Low hit another 3 to make it 63-60 and the Cougars remained in front the rest of the way.

The 'Iolani School alum finished with nine points on three 3-pointers.

Washington State (7-0) is off to its best start since opening the 1991-92 season with 12 straight victories.

"That's about as good as it gets in terms of character," coach Tony Bennett said. "They showed they were a better team in the second half. The first half looked like they were freshmen, but then they showed that they were experienced players."

Baylor led 44-30 after Aaron Bruce made consecutive 3-pointers of his own. The Bears were their deepest into a season without a loss since starting 12-0 in 2000-01.

Low then made his first basket of the night, but the Cougars still trailed by 11. The deficit was finally under double-digits for good when Taylor Rochestie drove hard on the left side of the basket, then passed to Robbie Cowgill for a layup that made it 46-37.

Cowgill, who is from Austin about 90 miles south of Waco, led Washington State with 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting. Aron Baynes and Daven Harmeling had 10 points apiece.

Low had his first shot at a go-ahead basket with about 10 1/2 minutes left, but he missed and Bruce scored at the other end to extend Baylor's lead to 50-47. But Low didn't miss with 3:07 left — or again with 2:20 to go.

Bruce had 13 points for Baylor. Curtis Jerrells and LaceDarius Dunn had 11 points, but Jerrells (cramps) and Dunn (left knee) didn't finish the game.

Baylor last beat a ranked opponent in 2003, and is 2-42 against ranked teams over the past seven seasons. The Bears have lost 29 in a row vs. Top 25 teams since beating Oklahoma State in February 2001.

They were hoping to earn a much-needed highlight victory for coach Scott Drew.

"The good thing for our team is that we're going to be in a lot of these games in the future, so this will be something good for us to learn from," Drew said. "There are no moral victories for us. We're not happy about the loss, and we're not happy about being close."

NO. 11 TENNESSEE 98, LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE 70:

Tyler Smith scored 22 points and Jordan Howell 17, leading five players in double figures as the Volunteers (7-1) beat the Ragin' Cajuns (1-4) for their 22nd straight home victory. JaJuan Smith added 15 points, Ramar Smith 14 and Duke Crews had 10 points and nine rebounds for Tennessee, which earned its second straight win after losing to No. 8 Texas on Nov. 24.

NO. 13 MARQUETTE 100, WISCONSIN-MILWAUKEE 65:

Dominic James scored 22 points and backcourt mate Jerel McNeal added 16 to power the Golden Eagles (5-1) over the Panthers (3-4) in Milwaukee. Lazar Hayward scored 19 points and David Cubillan 12 for the Golden Eagles, who looked sharp even though they had been idle since losing to Duke 77-73 on Nov. 21 in the Maui Invitational championship game.

SAN JOSE STATE 78, CAL STATE BAKERSFIELD 63:

Tim Pierce scored 17 points as the Spartans (3-1) used a 45-point second half to beat the Roadrunners (1-6) in Bakersfield, Calif. Jamon Hill had 14 points for San Jose State and C.J. Webster added 10 points and 13 rebounds.

NEW MEXICO STATE 94, CHICAGO STATE 61:

Justin Hawkins scored 26 points and had 11 rebounds as the Aggies (3-5) beat the Cougars (2-6) in the first round of the Lou Henson Classic in Las Cruces, N.M. Hawkins scored 17 of his game-high points in the first half, helping the Aggies to a 45-34 lead at the break. Hawkins was 8 of 12 from the field and 8 of 8 from the free-throw line.

TOP 25 WOMEN

NO. 3 MARYLAND 77, NO. 19 OHIO STATE 53:

Crystal Langhorne scored 17 points, Marissa Coleman added 14 as the Terrapins (10-0) beat the Buckeyes (5-2) in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge in College Park, Md.

NO. 12 CALIFORNIA 77, SAINT MARY'S 61:

Ashley Walker had 20 points and 12 rebounds for her Pac-10-leading sixth double-double in seven games, leading the Bears (6-1) over the Gaels (5-3) in Berkeley, Calif. Rama N'diaye had career highs of 16 points and 18 rebounds for Cal.

NO. 14 ARIZONA STATE 78, GONZAGA 60:

Jill Noe had 16 points, five assists and five rebounds to lead the Sun Devils (4-2) past the Bulldogs (4-2) in the first round of the ASU Classic in Tempe, Ariz.

UNLV 62, NO. 16 GEORGE WASHINGTON 61:

The Rebels (2-4) overcame a 24-point halftime deficit thanks to some stellar second-half defense and strong shooting, upsetting the Colonials (5-2) at the Four Points by Sheraton Invitational in New Orleans.

NO. 18 AUBURN 64, UC-RIVERSIDE 47:

Tamela McCorvey scored 14 points to lead the Tigers (7-0) over the Highlanders (0-5) in the first round of the Arizona State University Classic in Tempe, Ariz. The Tigers will play No. 14 Arizona State, a 78-60 winner over Gonzaga in tomorrow's championship game.

NO. 21 FLORIDA ST. 85, INDIANA 78:

Mara Freshour scored 21 points and freshman Antionette Howard had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, leading the Seminoles (6-1) over the Hoosiers (4-3) in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge in Bloomington, Ind.