Baylor Stuns Kansas in Thrilling Big 12 Conference Season Debut

LAWRENCE, Kan. – The Kansas Jayhawks began their Big 12 Conference journey with an 86-66 defeat against the Baylor Bears on Saturday afternoon at Allen Fieldhouse.

S’Mya Nichols led the scoring for the Jayhawks with 25 points and five assists, while Elle Evans contributed 13 points and six rebounds. Sania Copeland secured a team-leading seven rebounds, and both Regan Williams and Laia Conesa added nine points each.

This defeat ended a six-game winning streak for Kansas, bringing their season record to 10-2 (0-1 Big 12), whereas Baylor improved to 11-2 (1-0 Big 12).

“We didn’t lose the league today, and Baylor didn’t win the league today, so we’ve got to rebound after the holiday break and prepare for what’s ahead with this challenging schedule,” said Kansas coach Brandon Schneider after the game. “It was beneficial for our newcomers to experience what the conference is like, and they responded positively as they have on multiple occasions this season. I believe this game will be advantageous for their growth.”

In the initial moments of the first quarter, Kansas and Baylor exchanged the first four points before the Bears established a 15-6 advantage. The Jayhawks began to whittle down the lead, highlighted by a layup from Regan Williams and a free throw by Laia Conesa, narrowing it to six. Kansas finished the first quarter trailing 16-9.

Baylor maintained their momentum into the second quarter; nevertheless, Kansas fought to stay within reach. Elle Evans energized the Jayhawks by sinking their first three-pointer and a second-chance layup from Nadira Eltayeb reduced Baylor’s lead to 40-23. With just four seconds remaining in the second quarter, Conesa intercepted a pass and promptly passed it to Evans, who sank a key three-pointer from the corner as the buzzer sounded. This shot offered a significant lift for the Jayhawks, cutting the margin to 40-27 at halftime.

Kansas kicked off the third quarter with solid momentum, as Williams netted a layup, and Conesa connected on a three-pointer, pulling the Bears’ lead down to 16. However, Baylor continued to battle back, taking a 69-43 lead into the final quarter.

Nichols scored the initial nine points for the Jayhawks to commence the fourth quarter, igniting a 9-1 run for Kansas. Second-chance opportunities allowed the Jayhawks to cut the deficit below 20 points, then a steal by the Kansas defense followed by a contested layup on a fast break by Williams prompted Baylor to call for a timeout. However, following the timeout, Kansas was unable to narrow the gap further and ultimately succumbed to Baylor, 86-66.

Upcoming

After a 10-day break, Kansas resumes play on Wednesday, Jan. 1, visiting Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa to face Iowa State in a contest with a start time of 2 p.m. CT on ESPN+.

Postgame Highlights

Team

– Kansas achieved a season-high with 23 successful free throws. This is the highest since Dec. 4, 2022, against Southeast Missouri State (24) and the most in a conference matchup since Feb. 9, 2022, at West Virginia (23).

Individual

– S’Mya Nichols concluded with 25 points on an 8-for-14 shooting performance, also recording five assists. This marks the 17th occasion in her career and the eighth this season that she has tallied over 20 points in a single match. Additionally, she accumulated two rebounds, five assists, one block, and one steal.

– Nadira Eltayeb reached over 100 career points by scoring three points today. She recorded five rebounds, three of which were on the offensive end.

– Elle Evans finished with 13 points, marking her ninth game this season scoring in double digits. She hit three three-pointers, her sixth game with 3+ threes this season, and also secured six rebounds.

– Sania Copeland achieved a season-high in rebounds with seven. She concluded the game with five points and a steal.