Photo by Brian Lewis

Aquanita Burras, Kansas senior guard, defends Chelsea Whitaker, Baylor senior guard, during the remaining minutes of the game against Baylor last night.

For a few minutes, the near-impossible seemed as though it might actually occur. The magic of Senior Night swept over the Jayhawks and almost willed them back into a game against a top-10 team. The crowd stood on its feet as it watched Kansas charge back from an 18-point second-half deficit to cut the Baylor lead to only six, 50-44. All the momentum was on the side of the Jayhawks.

But in the end, the comeback fell short as the muscle of No. 6 Baylor, 22-3 (12-2 Big 12 Conference), firmly asserted itself to finally put away a pesky Kansas team, 70-60. The defeat marked the sixth loss in the same number of games against ranked opponents this season. Baylor, the first-place team in conference, has now won nine consecutive games.

Early in the game, Kansas, 12-13 (5-9 Big 12), struggled to find offense against a much larger Baylor team and dug an early hole, falling behind 21-5 at the 10-minute mark of the first half.

Kansas did not roll over, and closed out the half with a flurry of Aquanita Burras scores.

“I’m proud of our kids to make a run at the end of the half,” coach Bonnie Henrickson said.

The run consisted primarily of baskets from the senior guard, Burras, who accounted for 15 of the last 17 Kansas points of the half. The senior guard sank seven of 10 shots in the first period. Burras established position by posting up down low, drove hard from the perimeter and even hit a three-pointer to lead the late charge.

On several trips, Burras was the only offensive choice even considered by the Jayhawks, and there was nothing the Bears could do about it. Burras finished with 24 points, tying her career high.

“They struggled to guard her off the dribble,” Henrickson said.

Burras said she felt like she could take on the entire team during the first half.

“At first it did feel like that,” Burras said. “If that’s what I have to do, that’s what I have to do.”

Outside of Burras, Kansas only scored seven points in the half, but the effort of the 5-foot-9 guard in her final game kept the Jayhawks within striking distance at the break, 32-22.

Baylor seized the initiative coming out of halftime and opened up with a 12-4 run that extended the advantage to 44-26 at the 16:29 mark. The 18-point lead tied the largest margin of the game.

The Jayhawks would not die quietly on Senior Night, though.

Junior guard Erica Hallman took over where Burras left off, scoring 17 of her 21 points after the break.

A Hallman floater from the lane plus a free throw brought the Bears within 12. An offensive rebound and put-back by junior forward Crystal Kemp made it 10. Another Hallman jumper from the sideline brought it to eight. Finally, Burras knifed through the Baylor defense to cut the lead to only six.

But that was as close as Kansas would ever get.

The Bears pounded the ball inside to its dominant post players and leading scorers, Sophia Young and Steffanie Blackmon, to end Kansas’ hopes and finish out the victory.

Blackmon led Baylor with 20 points and Young added 18 to dominate the block. Both caused fits down low for the Kansas post players. Freshman forward Taylor McIntosh expended all five fouls in trying to slow down the tandem, and freshman forward Jamie Boyd was whistled for four.

“She is a difficult match-up,” Henrickson said of Blackmon. “She can hit a high-post jumper, and she can spin and get some separation.

While Baylor won the game inside, Kansas could not get the ball in to Kemp, who took only five shots all night and scored seven points.

Part two of the Sunflower Showdown takes place Saturday, when Kansas takes on rival Kansas State at 5 p.m. in Manhattan.

Burras said she felt as though she could take on the entire Baylor team during the first half.

Outside of Burras, Kansas only scored seven points in the half, but the effort of the 5-foot-9 guard in her final game kept the Jayhawks within striking distance at the break, 32-22. Baylor seized control coming out of halftime and opened up with a 12-4 run that extended the advantage to 44-26 at the 16:29 mark. The 18-point lead tied the largest margin of the game.

The Jayhawks would not die quietly on Senior Night, though.

Junior guard Erica Hallman took over where Burras left off, scoring 17 points after the break.

A Hallman floater from the lane plus a free throw brought the Bears within 12. An offensive rebound and put-back by junior forward Crystal Kemp made it 10. Another Hallman jumper from the sideline brought it to eight. Finally, Burras knifed through the Baylor defense to cut the lead to only six.

But that was as close as Kansas would ever get. The Bears pounded the ball inside to its dominant post players and leading scorers, Sophia Young and Steffanie Blackmon, to end Kansas’ hopes and finish out the victory.

Blackmon led Baylor with 20 points and Young added 18 to dominate the block. Both caused fits down low for the Kansas post players. Freshman forward Taylor McIntosh expended all five fouls in trying to slow down the tandem, and freshman forward Jamie Boyd was whistled for four.

“She is a difficult match-up,” Henrickson said of Blackmon. “She can hit a high-post jumper, and she can get some separation.”

While Baylor won the game inside, Kansas could not get the ball to Kemp, who took scored just seven points. Part two of the Sunflower Showdown takes place Saturday, when Kansas takes on rival Kansas State at 5 p.m. in Manhattan.

Edited by Kendall Dix