Adam Flagler scored 18 points, three of his teammates also reached double figures and Baylor used its trademark defense to turn the game and pull away from No. 5 Illinois for an 82-69 victory in the Jimmy V Classic.

Baylor (3-0) outrebounded the Fighting Illini 20-10 and forced twice as many turnovers as it committed in the second half while also outscoring Illinois in the paint and off the bench in the school’s first non-conference top-five matchup.

The Bears did exactly what they needed to do. They drew fouls against Kofi Cockburn, turning him into a non-factor. And although Ayo Dosunmu led the Illini (3-1) with 18 points, he was just 6 of 18 from the field. Giorgi Beshanishvili finished with 15 points while filling in for Cockburn.

Baylor forward Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua started the decisive stretch by making two free throws with 12:51 left. That broke a 43-all tie and spurred the Bears to six straight points. After Illinois made a 3-pointer, Baylor scored five more points and then took control with another run, this time 9-0.

When it ended, Baylor led 65-51 with 7:31 left and the Illini never seriously challenged again.

After last week’s scare against Ohio, the Fighting Illini wanted to bounce back with a strong performance. Underwood’s team certainly accomplished that much. It just didn’t pull off the kind of signature win it envisioned — but that may be only a matter of time.

Andre Curbelo scored 11 points and was the only other Illini player in double figures. ... Cockburn had seven points and four rebounds. Illinois was outscored 24-7 in second-chance points and 38-30 in the paint.

Davion Mitchell had 15 points and seven assists, while Jared Butler scored 12.MaCio Teague added 11 points and Tchatchoua had nine points and nine rebounds.

Illinois hosts UT-Martin on Saturday.