LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Taiyanna Jackson had a career-high 27 points with 19 rebounds, S’Mya Nichols and Holly Kersgieter gave No. 4 Baylor fits from the perimeter, and Kansas rolled to an 87-66 victory Wednesday night to snap a 19-game losing streak to the Bears.
Nichols had 22 points and Kersgieter scored 19 for the Jayhawks (8-7, 1-3 Big 12), who used a 16-0 run spanning halftime to turn an eight-point deficit into a lead they would never relinquish in their first win over a top-five team in 15 years.
It was the first time the Bears (14-1, 3-1) have lost at Allen Fieldhouse since Jan. 19, 2014, and the lopsided defeat left only top-ranked South Carolina and No. 2 UCLA unbeaten in women's Division I college basketball.
Darianna Littlepage-Buggs led Baylor with 16 points. Dre’una Edwards and Jada Walker had 11 apiece.
The Bears had threatened to pull away in the first half, opening up a 35-26 lead — their biggest of the game — when Walker made a pair of free throws with 5:13 to go. But they didn't capitalize on back-to-back turnovers by the Jayhawks, and that gave Kansas an opportunity to bite into its deficit before the break.
The charge began with three straight points by Nichols, one of the top recruits to Kansas in years, and continued with buckets by Jackson and Skyler Gill. A driving layup Nichols capped an 8-0 spurt that tied the game 37-all at halftime.
Then the Jayhawks went on a 15-2 run out of the locker room to seize a 52-39 lead with 6:22 left in the third quarter, and they pushed the advantage to 16 points by the time the fourth quarter rolled around.
The Bears were never able to put together the run they needed to get back in the game.
BIG PICTURE
Baylor was simply dominated in the paint, getting outscored 56-32 by Jackson and the Jayhawks. That wouldn't have been such a big problem if the Bears also weren't 5 of 25 from the 3-point arc.
Kansas lost by a point to No. 9 Virginia Tech and by eight to sixth-ranked UConn earlier this season, so the Jayhawks had shown the ability to play with the best in the nation. They left no doubt with their win over Baylor.
UP NEXT
Baylor visits Iowa State on Saturday.
Kansas plays Oklahoma State on Saturday night.
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AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball
