No. 2-ranked Baylor men’s basketball fell to No. 3 Kansas 73-68 Wednesday night in Lawrence, Kan.
The Bears (20-2, 7-2) kept it close but couldn’t get their first-ever win in Allen Fieldhouse against the Jayhawks (20-2, 8-1).
The Jayhawks jumped out to a 4-0 lead, but junior forward Johnathan Motley kept the Bears in the game early, scoring seven of the team’s first 10 points to make it a 10-10 game three minutes in.
Put-back layups by junior center Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. and sophomore forward Terry Maston gave Baylor a 18-16 lead, but Jackson responded with a three to put Kansas back up by one.
From that point, the Bears outscored the Jayhawks 16-10 the rest of the first half, including three post scores from Motley and a three from Acuil Jr.
A floater from Kansas senior guard Frank Mason III cut the Bears’ lead to six and made it a 34-28 Baylor advantage at the break.
At halftime, Motley was the leading scorer for the Bears with 14 points on 6-for-10 shooting while grabbing six rebounds. Jackson posted 13 points and seven rebounds for the Jayhawks in the first half.
Baylor senior forward Ishmail Wainright scored on a reverse layup to extend the Baylor lead to 36-28, but the Jayhawks went on a 13-0 run to take a 41-36 lead.
Two layups by Maston and a three from junior guard Manu Lecomte put the Bears back on top 43-42.
Kansas jumped out to a 52-47 lead on a three from Jackson, and the Bears wasted no time getting back into the game with a three from Lecomte and a jump hook from Motley to make it a 53-52 Jayhawk lead.
A key point in the game came when sophomore guard Jake Lindsey fouled Mason III on a layup, fouling out of the game with eight minutes remaining.
Back-to-back threes from Lecomte and Wainright tied the game at 64, but Kansas responded with a Jackson dunk and Mason III free throws to take a 68-64 lead.
With under a minute remaining, the Bears fouled Kansas forward Svi Mykhailiuk, who made one of two at the free throw line to put the Jayhawks up 71-68.
The following possession, the Bears were unable to get a shot off as Mason III poked the ball away from Lecomte and Kansas went on to win 73-68.
Motley finished with a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds. Lecomte added 16 points, and Maston added 14 points off the bench. Jackson led the Jayhawks with 23 points and 11 rebounds.
The Bears look to bounce back against Kansas State at 2 p.m. Saturday in the Ferrell Center.
