The Lady Bears were vicious in the paint Saturday against the No. 21 Kansas women. The Jayhawks (12-1) kept up with strong defense and a few streaks but in the end couldn’t overtake No. 23 Baylor (11-3) in a 75-62 loss at home.
Kansas started the game hot, getting into the paint early and often. The Jayhawks were up 11-6 midway into the first quarter before Baylor went on its first run.
Senior Kansas center Taiyanna Jackson nipped at the Lady Bears with three blocks in the first quarter, but Baylor still found easy layups and scored 10 unanswered points in just over 3:30, ultimately taking a 16-13 lead into the second quarter.
Kansas’ defense kept the Jayhawks within reach in the first half. In addition to Jackson recording four of the team’s five blocked shots, KU scored 10 fastbreak points off of eight steals. But Baylor kept its attack up in the paint, taking a 32-27 lead into the break.
Turnovers were a problem for the Jayhawks. They gave up the ball up 12 times in the opening 20 minutes of play and average 15.3 turnovers per game. Freshman Baylor guard Darianna Littlepage-Buggs led the game in scoring with 13 points in the first half. Junior guard Wyvette Mayberry was the only player in double-figures for the Jayhawks with 10 points.
The third quarter proved to be a back-and-forth battle filled with multiple scoring runs.
Baylor extended its lead with a 7-0 scoring run, but Kansas quickly responded by rattling off a 13-3 run of its own, highlighted by senior guard Zakiyah Franklin’s first five points of the game, to come within two points.
The Bears ended the third quarter on another 7-0 run, retaking the momentum, and leading by nine points heading into a thrilling fourth quarter.
Baylor extended its lead to 12 points with just over six minutes left in the game before the Jayhawks went on a 10-2 scoring run, hitting shot after shot to cut the deficit to just four points, keeping the game within reach with 2:43 remaining.
It was a short-lived attempt at a comeback. After a 30-second timeout from the Lady Bears, Baylor went on a 5-0 scoring run to maintain a nine-point lead heading into their 75-62 road win.
Junior guard Sarah Andrews had a game-high 27 points in Baylor’s win with four players scoring in double-figures. Mayberry had a team-high 19 points for Kansas as senior guards Holly Kersgieter and Franklin struggled to get in the scoring column, adding just 20 combined points.
Up next for Kansas is a bout with the Texas Longhorns at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Austin, Texas.
