Dennis Double-Double Leads No. 15 Bears Past No. 7 Jayhawks, 82-74

WACO, Texas — The No. 15 Baylor Men’s Basketball team (21-8, 10-6) avenged their earlier loss to the No. 7 Kansas Jayhawks (21-8, 9-7) with an 82-74 win on Saturday.

RayJ Dennis, who led the Bears in scoring with 19 points, iced the game away late with multiple buckets and free throws. However, it was a very even offensive day for Baylor with all but one starter reaching double-digit points. Jayden Nunn netted 18 points, Yves Missi had an energetic output of 17, and Ja’Kobe Walter chipped in 11. Jalen Bridges was one short with nine.

Scott Drew and Baylor are now 5-5 in the last ten meetings with the perennial powerhouse Kansas, splitting the season series in five straight seasons.

This win also marks the sixth straight season the Bears have won at least ten Big 12 games and the 11th time in Coach Drew’s tenure.

Baylor outrebounded Kansas 31-23 and did not allow Hunter Dickinson to truly bully the Bears in the paint despite his 20 points. The Kansas center only grabbed six rebounds.

Missi particularly flashed on offense at times, with Kansas head coach Bill Self saying “Missi killed us on the short roll a couple of times.”

After giving up a seven-point lead late in the first half, the Bears worked hard to keep the same from happening once they used a 13-2 run to build a 12-point lead.

That run came from the Bears finding ways to run the court. Fastbreak layups from Nunn got the run going and a Dennis steal led to the point guard’s old-fashioned three-point play at the other end.

Dennis finished with ten assists as well, giving him a third double-double on the season.

Langston Love did not play today, but he is still working his way back to game-ready.

Now the Bears have a quick turnaround for Senior Night on Monday against the Texas Longhorns (18-10, 7-8). 

That is set to tip-off at 8 PM on ESPN.