Smith Nets Career-High as Bears Down Jayhawks, 85-77

WACO, Texas – The No. 5 Baylor women’s basketball team (23-5, 13-3) bounced back from a shaky performance on Wednesday to down the Kansas Jayhawks (19-7, 10-6) on Saturday afternoon, 85-77.

NaLyssa Smith led the Bears with a career-high 33 points to go along with her 16 rebounds as Nicki Collen’s crew earned a hard-fought conference win.

The Jayhawks came ready to play, forcing 6 Baylor turnovers in the first quarter. However, they could not turn that defense into a lead until the second quarter.

Early in the second, Kansas went on an 8-0 run to take a 28-20 lead.

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Queen Egbo and Smith powered Baylor back into the lead with a 13-0 run to answer the Jayhawks. 

Elsewhere for the Bears, Jaden Owens and Jordan Lewis both played solid halves, each scoring six points and playing good defense.

The halftime lead for Baylor was a well-earned, but tenuous 4 points, 36-32.

After halftime, Ja’Mee Asberry stepped up to take some of the offensive load from Smith. Asberry netted 11 points in the quarter, knocking down a couple of threes and spurring the Bears on to a 13-2 run and a 56-47 lead.

Kansas was not done though, clawing back to cut the lead to three at 75-72 with just under 3 minutes left in the final frame.

That’s when the Bears fed Queen Egbo in the post.

“We simplified,” coach Collen said after the game, “We got real simple with horns, but they had a hard time guarding that late.”

Egbo had four quick points to get the lead back to 7 before Jordan Lewis stepped up and drew a crucial charge to keep the Bears comfortable at the end.

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Lewis finished with eight assists to go along with her six points, while Egbo finished with 14 points and nine rebounds. Asberry tallied 19 points and six boards by the end of Saturday’s affairs as well.

Aside from NaLyssa’s career-high and Jordan Lewis’ record 158th collegiate game, the biggest note for the Bears is that they can clinch a share of their 12th straight Big 12 championship on Monday night in Ames.

If Baylor beats Iowa State, they will also clinch the No. 1 seed at the conference tournament.

That game against the Cyclones will tip-off at 6 PM CT and be televised on ESPN2.