LAWRENCE (KSNT) - KU women's basketball rolled past one of the nation's best teams Wednesday night.
The Jayhawks took down the No. 4 Baylor Bears, 87-66, to earn their first Big 12 win of the season.
The first quarter was back-and-forth, but the Bears led by as many as nine in the second quarter. After the 4-minute mark, freshman S'Mya Nichols and veteran Taiyanna Jackson helped pull the Jayhawks back in the game offensively.
Entering the break, the Bears and the Jayhawks were locked at 37.
The second half is when KU's offense began to catch fire. The Jayhawks opened the half with a 15-2 run, taking a 52-39 lead over the Bears a little less than halfway through the third quarter. The story was the same in the fourth, and KU cruised to the double-digit home victory.
Shooting struggles proved costly for the Baylor down the stretch, with the Bears hitting just 36% of their shots. KU, on the other hand, shot a consistent 52% from the field.
Behind Jackson's team-high 27 points and 19 rebounds, KU dominated both the battle on the glass and in the paint. Three other Jayhawks also finished in double digits with Nichols scoring 22 points, Holly Kersgieter tallying 19 and Zakiyah Franklin adding 11.
KU improves to 8-7 on the season and 1-3 in conference play. Next, the Jayhawks host Oklahoma State on Saturday, Jan. 13 at 6:30 p.m.
