LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas women’s basketball headed to the locker room at halftime with a double-digit lead over Iowa State, but a second-half offensive surge lifted the Cyclones to a 63-53 win over the Jayhawks on Tuesday evening, inside Allen Fieldhouse.

A five-point second quarter left the Cyclones trailing 28-18 at the intermission, their lowest-scoring first half of the season. Kansas torched ISU on 46 percent shooting to carry a lead into the third quarter for the first time in Big 12 competition this season. The second half belonged to Iowa State, connecting on 14-of-27 (.519) from the field and put together multiple scoring runs to take down the Jayhawks.

The Cylones (12-9, 4-6 Big 12) were led by junior guard Seanna Johnson, who tallied 20 points and five rebounds. Tuesday marked just the second time this season that the Big 12’s leader in double-doubles (13) was held to five or fewer rebounds. Redshirt sophomore guard Jadda Buckley entered the matchup leading the Cyclones in assists with 120 on the year, ranking third in the Big 12. Buckley continued the trend, setting a new career-high with 11 dimes and adding on 14 points for her second double-double of the season.

Junior forward Jada Brown put forth a career day for the Jayhawks (5-17, 0-11 Big 12). The Las Vegas, Nevada native notched a career-best 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting, her highest shooting percentage of the season. Brown also matched the team-high in rebounds with four boards. The Jayhawk starters struggled from the field, combining on 10-of-34 (.294) shooting for 27 points. Freshman guard Kylee Kopatich and sophomore guard Chayla Cheadle led the starters in scoring with eight and seven points, respectively. Brown’s team-high 14 points marked the second-consecutive game that a bench player led the squad in scoring.

Junior forward Caelynn Manning-Allen helped the Jayhawks break out to an early 3-0 lead with a layup and a free throw. A 9-0 run from the Cyclones followed, with the Jayhawks going 0-of-4 from the field and committing five turnovers over the same stretch.

Kansas locked in over the final two minutes of the quarter, determined to not wind up in familiar territory trailing in the early going. The Jayhawks knocked down their final five baskets of the period to erase the deficit and sit even, 13-13.

Iowa State struck first in the second quarter with a jumper from freshman forward Meredith Burkhall to break the tie, but Cheadle answered for Kansas with a three-pointer to shift the score in favor of KU. A jumper from Iowa State’s Buckley at the 7:22 mark put the Cyclones back on top, but only for a moment.

Over the remainder of the quarter, the Jayhawks shut down Iowa State defensively and put together their best first half shooting performance in Big 12 play this season. The Cyclones were held to a single point and ended the half with 13 turnovers, matching their season average per game. Kansas took advantage, scoring the final 10 points of the quarter to lead 28-18 at the intermission. Sinking 12-of-26 shots (.462) left the Jayhawks with their first half time lead against a Big 12 opponent since claiming a 35-21 advantage over the Cyclones last season.

An 8-2 run from ISU to begin the second half forced Kansas head coach Brandon Schneider to call a timeout at the 7:20 mark, with the lead cut to just four points. Out of the timeout, Kopatich knocked down a jumper from just past the free throw line, but a 7-1 scoring streak by the Cyclones would leave the two teams locked, 33-33.

With just over three minutes left in the quarter and immediately after Kansas’ 10-point lead disappeared, freshman guard Aisia Robertson drove into the lane and put up a floater that deflected off the rim. Robertson gathered her own rebound, missed the put-back, collected her second offensive board of the possession and banked in a jumper to help Kansas reclaim the lead. Unfortunately for the Jayhawks, it would be their last of the game. Iowa State responded by netting the next eight points, and 10 of the last 13 points of the quarter, to carry a 43-38 advantage into the final 10 minutes of action.

A 7-0 run for the Jayhawks knotted the game up early in the fourth quarter, but four-straight field goals from the Cyclones sparked a 10-0 counter to give Iowa State its first double-figure lead of the night. Kansas would cut the deficit back to single digits twice, but could not come closer than six points for the rest of the contest. Iowa State would go on to break its five-game losing streak with a 63-53 victory.

— KU Athletics —

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Wayne Selden Jr. was tired of driving into the teeth of the Kentucky defense and getting his shot swatted away, so the Kansas guard decided in overtime to dunk no matter who got in his way.

His emphatic slam over 6-foot-11 freshman Skal Labissiere proved to be the exclamation point on the finest performance of his career — and an important victory for the Jayhawks.

Selden finished with a career-high 33 points, seven of them in overtime, and fourth-ranked Kansas beat the No. 20 Wildcats 90-84 on Saturday night in the premier showdown of the Big 12/SEC Challenge.

“Just had to get back out there and be aggressive, be a tougher team than we had been the last few games,” Selden said. “This was a good step in the right direction.”

The Wildcats built an eight-point lead midway through the second half before Kansas switched to a zone defense and mounted a comeback. Perry Ellis made the second of two free throws to tie the game 76-all with 9 seconds left, and Tyler Ulis coughed up the ball at the other end before Kentucky got off a shot.

In fact, the turnover gave Frank Mason III a chance for a half-court heave that he nearly made.

When the game went to overtime, Selden simply took over.

He opened the extra session with a couple of free throws, and then on the next trip down drove to the rim and dunked over Ulis and Labissiere to bring the crowd to its feet. Selden added two more foul shots later in overtime to help the Jayhawks end the Wildcats’ three game winning streak.

“It’s as good a game as he’s played since he’s been here,” Kansas coach Bill Self said.

Mason contributed 13 points and eight rebounds, and Devonte Graham added 11 points for the Jayhawks (17-4), who snapped a three-game losing streak to the Wildcats (16-5) by winning their 35th game in a row at Allen Fieldhouse.

Ulis finished with a career-high 26 points and eight assists for Kentucky. Jamal Murray added 15 points, Alex Poythress had 13 and Isaiah Briscoe scored 12.

“We’re still learning how to win,” Wildcats coach John Calipari said. “In the guts of the game, we’re just learning now what it means to win, and the plays you make — and the plays just as importantly you don’t make. Not at winning time.”

The prizefight-nature of the game was evident from the opening minutes, when Briscoe was hit with a technical foul for winging an elbow during a scrum beneath the basket.

That jumpstarted a back-and-forth affair between college basketball’s winningest programs.

The Jayhawks made the first big charge behind Selden, who had 13 first-half points while helping his team to an early six-point cushion. But Ulis and Poythress were quick to answer, going a combined 10 of 12 from the floor in the opening 20 minutes to help Kentucky to a 46-40 lead at the break.

The Jayhawks were fortunate to be that close.

Ellis, their leading scorer, spent all but 6 minutes on the bench with two fouls, while the Wildcats spent the final 14:09 of the first half in the bonus.

Kentucky pushed its lead to 57-49 early in the second, but that’s when Self mothballed his beloved man-to-man defense for a triangle-and-two. The Wildcats appeared confused by the sudden switch to a zone and struggled to get good looks before the shot clock wound down.

“It made it difficult to get into our normal set,” Poythress said.

Selden’s 3-pointer from the corner gave Kansas a 75-74 lead with 49.2 seconds left, but Murray hit a pull-up jumper a few seconds later to give the Wildcats the lead back.

Ellis was fouled at the other end and, after struggling at the line all night, made the second of two free throws to tie the game. And when Ulis turned the ball over with 2.2 seconds left, the Jayhawks nearly had an improbable victory in regulation when Mason’s half-court heave bounced off the rim.

Turned out the miss merely delayed the celebration for 5 more minutes.

“We’ve taken some shots. We’ve taken some hard losses,” Selden said. “We’ve been battle-tested for a couple of years now, this season especially, and I feel like this is going to make us better.”

NO PLACE LIKE HOME

During halftime, the original 13 rules of basketball set down by Dr. James Naismith were unveiled in Allen Fieldhouse. The document from 1891 was purchased by Kansas alum David Booth at auction for $3.8 million in 2010, at the time the most paid for a piece of sports memorabilia. The rules will reside in an $18 million building connected to the school’s basketball arena.

TIP-INS

Kentucky: Briscoe missed three straight free throws early in overtime. … The Wildcats shot 53 percent from the field but just 5 of 23 from beyond the arc.

Kansas: Ellis finished with 10 points and nine rebounds. … The Jayhawks had a 42-31 advantage on the glass. … Kansas still trails the all-time series, 22-7.

UP NEXT

Kentucky travels to Tennessee on Tuesday night.

Kansas welcomes Kansas State to the Phog on Wednesday night.

— Associated Press —

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Kansas had Iowa State’s number for what felt like a century

The Cyclones might finally be turning this rivalry in their favor.

Monte Morris scored 21 points, Georges Niang had 19 and No. 14 Iowa State blew past Kansas 85-72 on Monday night for its fourth straight win.

Abdel Nader added 17 points for the Cyclones (16-4, 5-3 Big 12), who have beaten three of the top four teams in this week’s Top 25.

Iowa State overcame a sluggish start with a 24-7 run midway through the second half, and Niang’s three-point play made it 80-67 with 2 minutes left.

Perry Ellis had 23 points and Frank Mason III scored 16 to lead Kansas (16-4, 5-3), which lost its third straight road game. The Jayhawks have lost four of their last five against the Cyclones, a first for a Bill Self-coached team against a Big 12 opponent.

Iowa State was only a week removed from toppling top-ranked Oklahoma, its first win over a No. 1 team since 1957.

But this was the game the Cyclones and their fans have had circled on their calendars since October.

Some Iowa State students camped out for up to a week waiting for tickets to the game, which has long figured to have major implications for the Cyclones if they hope to end Kansas’s 11-year streak of Big 12 titles.

It was the Jayhawks who came out on fire though.

Kansas hit 17 of its first 29 shots against a defense that entered play ranked last in the Big 12 in points allowed and went up 43-36 at halftime.

But the Jayhawks went cold, and the Cyclones finally pulled even at 53-all on a 3-pointer by Matt Thomas with 11:40 left. Deonte Burton’s 3 with 9 minutes to go gave Iowa State its first lead, 60-57.

The Cyclones kept rolling after that, handing the Jayhawks their second straight road loss by double digits.

TIP-INS

Kansas: Four Kansas starters had at least three field goals in the first half — and all of them shot at least 50 percent. … The Jayhawks joined No. 1 Oklahoma and No. 3 Iowa as teams who have lost in Ames this season. … Kansas was outscored 49-29 in the second half.

Iowa State: Morris was named the Big 12’s player of the week Monday. He averaged 19 points a game in wins over Oklahoma and TCU. … Thirteen-year-old Henry Campbell, a ball boy for Iowa State who lives in nearby Waukee, hit consecutive half-court shots before warmups. He then made the “3” sign with both hands as the student section cheered him on.

WHAT’S NEXT

Kansas hosts No. 20 Kentucky on Saturday.

Iowa State plays at No. 5 Texas A&M Saturday.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Kansas guard Wayne Selden Jr., has been named to the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) midseason watch list for the 2016 Oscar Robertson Trophy, which recognizes the men’s national player of the year, the USBWA announced Monday.

Selden is one of 20 named to the Oscar Robertson Trophy midseason list. The USBWA, comprised of nearly 1,000 sports journalists covering college basketball for newspapers, magazines and websites, will select the recipient of the award.

Selden ranks third in the Big 12, eighth nationally, with a 48.5 3-point field goal percentage. The junior from Roxbury, Massachusetts averages 14.7 points per game, which is eighth in the conference, and is second in the league with 2.6 3-pointers made per game. Selden has four games of 20-plus points this season, including two in league play.

The Oscar Robertson Trophy will be presented at the College Basketball Awards gala in Oklahoma City on April 11, 2016, at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. Other awards being presented at the gala include the Wayman Tisdale Award (men’s national freshman of year) and the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award (women’s national player of the year).

— KU Sports Information —

LAWRENCE, Kan. – A 57 percent second-half shooting performance from Oklahoma State stifled Kansas’ hopes of a comeback on Sunday afternoon, as the Jayhawks fell on Superhero Day, 74-46.

The Cowgirls (15-4, 5-3 Big 12) entered Sunday’s matchup coming off an overtime victory against Iowa State, where they shot 53 percent from the field, their best shooting effort in conference play this season. The hot shooting continued for the visitors, ending the contest with a 52 percent field goal percentage to earn their third consecutive Big 12 victory.

Senior guard Brittney Martin, who leads the Big 12 in both points and rebounds per game this season, logged 24 points and tied her season-high with 17 boards, both game-high marks. Senior guard Roddricka Patton, scored only two points on 1-of-4 shooting, but recorded more assists than anyone else on the court with 13 dimes. Three other Cowgirls reached double-figure scoring, with sophomore center Kaylee Jensen, sophomore forward Mandy Coleman and freshman guard Karli Wheeler tallying 15, 11 and 10 points, respectively.

Freshman guard Kylee Kopatich led the Jayhawks (5-14, 0-8 Big 12) as the only player with double-digit points, finishing the afternoon with 14 points on 4-of-11 shooting. The Olathe, Kansas native drained two triples and remained solid from the charity stripe, converting on all four of her free throw attempts. Freshman forward Tyler Johnson made the most of her third career start, putting in a career-high nine points on an efficient 4-of-6 shooting performance. Kansas swiped a season-high 11 steals on Sunday, and freshman guard Aisia Robertson contributed the most for the Jayhawks with three takeaways.

Turnovers proved to be costly for the Jayhawks in the early going. Five giveaways before the five-minute mark of the first quarter put Kansas down by 13, with eight of the Cowgirls points coming off of turnovers. A quick 5-0 run from the Jayhawks with baskets on back-to-back possessions brought the lead back to single digits with 5:04 left in the opening period. Freshman guard Jayde Christopher came off the bench to put in a layup for the Jayhawks’ final points of the quarter, trailing 17-7.

Five-straight points from Kopatich in a span of just 20 seconds cut the Cowgirls’ lead to just six points at the 6:49 mark of the second quarter. A 6-0 run from OSU followed, pushing the lead to 12 points, Oklahoma State’s largest advantage to that point. Despite converting on their final six field goal attempts of the half, turnover issues manifested for the Cowgirls as well. Three giveaways in the final 3:09 of the half allowed the Jayhawks to remain within striking distance at the intermission, trailing 34-21.

After Kansas connected on its first two field goals of the third quarter, it appeared that the momentum might shift in the favor of the home team. A 1-of-9 shooting slump, unfortunately followed, allowing Oklahoma State to string together a 14-2 run to close out the third period. The Jayhawks’ deficit stretched to 23 points with a put-back shot at the buzzer from Oklahoma State’s Jensen to give the visitors the lead, 54-31.

After connecting on just 2-of-10 three-pointers in the first 30 minutes of play, the Jayhawks sank three of their last five long-range attempts, with Kopatich, Robertson and sophomore guard Lauren Aldridge all getting in on the action. Bright spots continued to appear for the Jayhawks in the waning moments of the game, as Robertson snatched away two steals and Christopher dished out two assists to bring her total on the afternoon to four. Martin and the Cowgirls had an answer for everything Kansas threw their way and Oklahoma State prevailed with the 74-46 win.

— KU Athletics —

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The way Kansas had labored over the past two weeks, coach Bill Self headed into Saturday’s game against Texas firmly believing it was the Jayhawks’ most important of the season.

Perry Ellis and Wayne Selden Jr. rose to the occasion.

Ellis had 26 points in a dominant performance, Selden led a big second-half run and finished with 19, and the Jayhawks overcame a slow start to beat the Longhorns 76-67.

“We needed to eliminate the negative momentum because we were in a rut. We were in a funk,” Self said. “I thought our experience gave us our best chance to do that.”

Along with Ellis and Selden, Self stuck with his three other starters for the majority of the game. He played just three guys off the bench for a total of 29 minutes.

“This isn’t a popularity contest,” Self said. “This isn’t having cookies and milk after the game.”

Devonte Graham finished with 14 points, and Frank Mason III had 13 for the Jayhawks (16-3, 5-2 Big 12), who had played dismally during a two-week stretch since their victory over No. 1 Oklahoma.

Along with losses to West Virginia and Oklahoma State, the Jayhawks struggled to beat TCU.

The Longhorns (12-7, 4-3) looked as if they would keep Kansas’ malaise going when they built an early lead. But they were unable to get any stops in the second half, when the Jayhawks used a 24-6 run covering more than nine minutes to seize control in front of another raucous crowd at Allen Fieldhouse.

“You know a run is coming and the crowd is going to be behind this team,” Texas coach Shaka Smart said. “Kansas made some great plays. You have to give them credit.”

Connor Lammert had a career-high 15 points before fouling out for Texas. Isaiah Taylor and Eric Davis Jr. scored 13 apiece, and Javan Felix finished with 12.

It was the Jayhawks’ 34th consecutive victory at the Phog, the fourth-best winning streak in school history. It was also their 14th victory in 15 times the Longhorns have visited Lawrence.

In other words, little changed in Smart’s first trip.

Early on, it looked as if the Longhorns had brought the momentum from their win at West Virginia on the road with them. They roared to a 12-2 lead in the first couple of minutes with Lammert doing most of the damage from the arc, though Kansas helped the Longhorns out with some woeful shooting. The Jayhawks were 2-of-12 from the field with four turnovers at the 12-minute mark.

Texas never trailed in the first half and was tied 25-25 in the waning minutes before Davis and Taylor willed the Longhorns to a 35-30 halftime lead.

Graham’s 3-pointer to start the second half put a charge in Kansas, but it was Ellis who finally got the Jayhawks over the hump. With a contortionist’s flexibility in the paint, Ellis made a series of tough buckets at the rim, finally giving Kansas a lead at 44-42 with 12:29 remaining.

Ellis added another basket a few minutes later, and Selden curled in a 3-pointer on its heels for a 57-46 lead, forcing Smart into a timeout that did little to quiet the crowd.

The Longhorns made a run in the closing minutes, but the Jayhawks never let it get close again.

“We didn’t get off to that kind of fast start, but we knew we were going to come back the whole game,” Graham said. “We just had to settle down and get comfortable, I guess.”

HOME MARK

Self improved to 200-9 in his career at Allen Fieldhouse. Asked what he would have said upon his hiring if someone told Self he would have that record, he replied: “I know what the fans would have said: ‘Why did you lose those nine games?'”

HURTING HORNS

Already without big man Cameron Ridley, who has a broken foot, the Longhorns lost Shaquille Cleare to a shoulder injury early in the game.

“He wanted to come back and play, but our athletic trainer decided he couldn’t go,” Smart said.

TOP RECRUITS

Kansas had arguably the top prospects from the 2016 and 2017 recruiting classes on visits: Josh Jackson, a 6-foot-7 guard from Detroit, and DeAndre Ayton, a 6-11 center from Phoenix.

TIP-INS

Texas: Prince Ibeh had seven points, seven rebounds and seven blocks. … The Longhorns had eight turnovers, their fifth straight game with eight or fewer. … Their only win at Allen Fieldhouse came on Jan. 22, 2011, when they ended the Jayhawks’ 69-game winning streak there.

Kansas: Landen Lucas had 10 rebounds. … Roy Williams (201-17) and Ted Owens (206-47) are the only other coaches with at least 200 wins at the Phog.

UP NEXT

Texas tries to avenge its loss to TCU on Tuesday night.

Kansas visits No. 19 Iowa State on Monday night.

— Associated Press —

STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma State nearly knocked off a top-three team last week. This time, the Cowboys got the job done.

Freshman Jawun Evans had 22 points, eight assists and six rebounds to help Oklahoma State upset No. 3 Kansas 86-67 on Tuesday.

The Cowboys (10-8, 2-4 Big 12) almost beat then-No. 2 Oklahoma six days ago, but they missed a last-second 3-pointer and lost by two points. The Cowboys then lost at Texas on Saturday for their fourth straight defeat.

During a players-only meeting Monday, the team decided how it would approach Kansas.

“We said to ourselves that we would just come out from the beginning and play desperately, and whatever happened happened,” guard Jeff Newberry said. “We knew that we were going to give it all this game and that we had to learn from our past games. That was just our focus coming in.”

Oklahoma State’s fans lost enthusiasm early this season, when top returning scorer and captain Phil Forte suffered an elbow injury he hasn’t returned from. However, that the win over Kansas came in front of a crowd that was barely half-full couldn’t steal coach Travis Ford’s joy.

“It was a great win. It was a great win,” Ford said. “I told our team that it was one of the great wins that I’ve been a part of, just from the fact of what we’ve been through as a team. A lot of people would give up on this team, say certain things, but we’ve been through a lot injury-wise. But to perform at the level we performed at tonight, I was so pleased with these guys.”

Newberry scored 13 points, and Jeffrey Carroll added 11 for the Cowboys. Oklahoma State shot 50 percent from the field, made 11 of 21 3-point attempts and outrebounded the Jayhawks 38-31.

Oklahoma State made 23 of 26 free throws, while Kansas made just 13 of 24. The Cowboys beat Kansas in Stillwater for the third straight time and the fifth time in seven years.

“I think about everything that could go wrong with us went wrong,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “We didn’t make shots when the game was at least somewhat in balance, and they were so athletic, and of course, they played great. They made timely shots, had seven different guys make shots. What went wrong was they were far better than us.”

Frank Mason III scored 14 points, and Perry Ellis added 13 for Kansas (15-3, 4-2), which has lost two of its past three and fell out of a tie for the Big 12 lead.

Oklahoma State showed early that it might compete. Carroll stole the ball, then hit a 3-pointer to give Oklahoma State an 18-13 lead midway through the first half. Kansas battled back to take the lead, but Carroll later hit 3-pointers on consecutive possessions, both on assists from Evans, to give the Cowboys a 40-38 edge. Evans drained a 3-pointer on the following possession, and Oklahoma State led 43-38 at halftime.

Oklahoma State extended its lead to 50-43 early in the second half, and a two-handed baseline jam by Newberry pushed the advantage to 10. A 3-pointer by Tavarius Shine gave the Cowboys a 66-55 edge with about eight minutes remaining. Another 3 by Shine made it 71-57, and Oklahoma State rolled from there.

Now, Kansas must regroup.

“We’re so spoiled here,” Self said. “We haven’t had many games like this over the years, but we’ve had them. Mature guys understand it’s one game and bounce back, but it is disheartening at the moment. But we’ll find out how tough we are.”

STAT LINES

Last week against Oklahoma, Evans scored 42 points, tied for third-most in Oklahoma State history and the most ever by a Cowboy freshman. He scored 58 percent of his team’s points that night. Against Kansas, he scored 26 percent of his team’s points.

ON THE RISE

Evans has posted his two highest scoring totals in his past three games. He has averaged 25.3 points, 7.0 assists and 7.0 rebounds in that span.

QUOTE OF THE NIGHT

When asked about the most frustrating part of the night, Kansas guard Devonte’ Graham said, “Losing, getting the court stormed on you — I kind of hate that.”

TIP-INS

Kansas: G Brannen Greene sat out with a bruised left knee. He averages 7.2 points per game and shoots 58 percent from 3-point range. … Cheick Diallo got his first start for Kansas in place of Hunter Mickelson. … Oklahoma State fans gave Kansas play-by-play radio voice Bob Davis a standing ovation. He is retiring after this season.

Oklahoma State: The Cowboys beat the Jayhawks in consecutive meetings for the first time since 2000. … Evans was named Big 12 newcomer of the week. … The Cowboys shot exactly 50 percent in each half.

UP NEXT

Kansas hosts Texas on Saturday.

Oklahoma State plays at Kansas State on Saturday.

— Associated Press —

LAWRENCE, Kan. — Kansas coach Bill Self has long insisted that five-star recruits Carlton Bragg and Cheick Diallo might be the best players on his team — five years down the line.

They might have been the best on Saturday.

Bragg had 10 points and four rebounds, Diallo had nine points and nine boards, and their spark off the bench helped the top-ranked Jayhawks to an otherwise sluggish 70-63 victory over TCU.

“Coach is always telling them to be ready when their number is called,” Kansas guard Devonte Graham said. “And in practice, you can see them getting better and better each week, and they’re going to be huge for us down the stretch.”

Wayne Selden Jr. had 11 points and Graham and Perry Ellis added 10 points apiece for Kansas (15-2, 4-1 Big 12), which bounced back nicely from its loss at West Virginia earlier in the week.

It was the 33rd consecutive win at Allen Fieldhouse for Kansas, matching the fourth-best streak in school history. It was also the Jayhawks’ seven straight win over the Horned Frogs.

“I was happy with Carlton, I thought he did some things in the first half,” Self said, “and I thought Cheick was a presence for the most part.”

Michael Williams had 13 points and Brandon Parrish and Chauncey Collins scored 11 apiece for TCU (9-8, 1-4), which remained close for a while thanks to a flurry of early 3-pointers.

The Jayhawks eventually took the perimeter away, and their size and depth in the post made it nearly impossible for TCU to score. Diallo finished with five blocks in just 21 minutes.

“They’re long. They’re really long,” Williams said. “So sometimes they’re not doing what they need to be doing offensively, and they struggle, but that length is really tough defensively.”

On the flip side, “I think my wife could score on us in the post,” TCU coach Trent Johnson said.

Malique Trent missed the Horned Frogs’ second straight game because of a violation of team rules. The transfer from New Mexico Junior College was tied for the team lead at 11.7 points per game.

His loss has been sorely felt for a team short on depth. The Horned Frogs were able to hang around with the Jayhawks for the first half, but their weary legs got the best of them late.

In fact, TCU built a 19-15 lead fueled almost entirely by 3-pointers before Kansas answered with a 16-2 run. But even after the Jayhawks took a 31-21 lead with about 4 minutes left before the break, the Horned Frogs were able to keep the game within striking distance.

It was still a 10-point game midway through the second half when the Jayhawks peeled off six quick points, first on a dunk by Ellis and then consecutive layups by Frank Mason III. And while TCU never truly went away, Kansas had enough depth and athleticism to prevent one more comeback.

Not to mention give Self another opportunity to tinker.

The Jayhawks’ coach is still experimenting with lineups, trying to find the best five guys — and the top guys off the bench — approaching the midpoint of the season. Bragg and Diallo made their case for more minutes, while Jamari Traylor and Landen Lucas seemed to backpedal a bit.

Bragg soared past his career-best of nine points while providing some energy on the defensive end and the glass, while Diallo provided a jolt with a series of crowd-thrilling rejections.

“They look the part. They play the part. And they’re playing with the right guy,” Johnson said. “They’re going to be good players. Great players, probably. I hope they leave after this year.”

FALSE ALARMS

Fire alarms sounded in Allen Fieldhouse with just over a minute left in the game. True to form at Kansas, the 16,300 seats were never empty — despite a bleating horn and flashing lights. The officials decided to play through it and finish up the game.

TIP-INS

TCU: Chris Washburn started for the third time after missing the early portion of the season with a broken finger. He finished with eight points. … TCU was 7 of 17 from beyond the arc.

Kansas: Ellis had nine rebounds. … Kansas was 5 of 20 from beyond the arc. … The Jayhawks had just 10 turnovers after piling up 22 in their loss to the Mountaineers.

UP NEXT

TCU plays Texas Tech on Monday night.

Kansas visits Oklahoma State on Tuesday night.

— Associated Press —

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Imani Boyette only needed 21 minutes on the court to prove a major factor in No. 4 Texas’ 75-38 romp over Kansas on Wednesday night.

Boyette had 15 points, eight rebounds and three blocks to help the Longhorns pull away in the second half.

“I thought Kansas settled into the game in the second quarter and started making shots,” Texas coach Karen Aston said. “Then we regrouped at halftime and got our big girl (Boyette) involved a little bit and got on the boards a little bit better. Finished good.”

Boyette was an asset on both ends of the court.

“Scoring around the rim was going to be difficult tonight,” Kansas coach Brandon Schneider said. “Caelynn (Manning-Allen) obviously struggled, going 2 for 11. She was out of sorts the entire game.”

Empress Davenport added 11 points and 10 rebounds, Celina Rodrigo had seven assists and Brianna Taylor had five steals for Texas (16-0, 5-0 Big 12). The Longhorns have started Big 12 play with five straight wins for the first time since 2002-03 and beat Kansas for the sixth straight time.

“I thought once again our team got off to a really fast start, a good start,” Aston said. “We were ready to play.”

This was the Jayhawks’ worst loss of the season. Before this blowout, Kansas’ biggest final deficit was a 23-point defeat to Oklahoma in the conference opener.

Lauren Aldridge scored 12 points to lead Kansas (5-11, 0-5) and Kylee Kopatich had 10 points.

“Texas is very talented,” Schneider said. “They’re very, very deep. I would say they’re very engaged every single possession. I think that really stands out when you watch them on film. They’re playing very, very determined right now. I think the effort they play with, it shows.”

The Longhorns jumped to a 17-0 lead before Kansas hit a 3-pointer. Texas owned a 21-point lead at the end of the first quarter and led by 19 at halftime.

“A lot of that was Texas,” Schneider said of the 17-point deficit. “I thought we shot ourselves in the foot a bunch. We turned the ball over. I thought we looked intimidated and timid in far too many spots.”

Texas came out rolling after halftime and cruised out to a 33-point lead with help from Boyette and Rodrigo. Kansas couldn’t gain any ground in the final frame.

TIP-INS

Kansas: The Jayhawks have lost all of their conference games by at least 16 points.

Texas: Texas leads the all-time series with Kansas 20-10. … The Longhorns won the rebounding battle for the 15th time in 16 games, 46-26. Texas entered averaging 44.3 rebounds per game and was ranked eighth nationally.

UP NEXT

Kansas: The Jayhawks travel to West Virginia on Saturday.

Texas: The Longhorns host Baylor on Sunday.

— Associated Press —

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia’s formula for winning — going hard to the rim to score, chasing after bad shots and constantly pressuring opponents — has the Mountaineers off to their best start in 34 years.

But coach Bob Huggins wasn’t in a mood to put a historical spin on No. 11 West Virginia’s 74-63 win over top-ranked Kansas on Tuesday night.

He explained it means giving his players a day off from practice on Wednesday before starting preparations for another difficult test, at No. 2 Oklahoma on Saturday.

Jaysean Paige scored 26 points, Devin Williams had 17 points and 12 rebounds for West Virginia (15-1, 4-0 Big 12). Williams had his seventh double-double of the season but the first over a span of seven games.

“Just a team effort, man,” Williams said. “Whatever and whoever, as long as we get team effort, there’s no one in the country who can stop us.”

An emphasis on driving the ball to the basket paid off for the Mountaineers, who outscored Kansas 33-13 from the free throw line.

“I thought it gave us the best chance to win,” Huggins said. “I think the way the game’s being called, it’s hard to guard the ball. We tried to kind of revamp some things and keep them spread to try to be able to get guys to the basket.”

West Virginia forced Kansas into a season-high 22 turnovers and held the Jayhawks (14-2, 3-1) to their lowest point total of the season.

“They’re great at what they do,” said Kansas’ Perry Ellis, who scored 21 points. “They were all over the place and we definitely give them credit.”

West Virginia fans stormed the court and sang John Denver’s “Country Roads” after the Mountaineers’ first win over a top-ranked team in 33 years.

The Mountaineers haven’t started a season this well since 1982, when it won 24 of its first 25 games.

With snowy conditions and traffic gridlock outside, Kansas arrived at the WVU Coliseum from their nearby hotel only an hour before the game with the help of a police escort.

It didn’t get any easier for the Jayhawks on the court.

They are the fourth No. 1 to lose this season, joining North Carolina, Kentucky, and Michigan State.

“The game in a nutshell is that they were so much more aggressive and quicker,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “They were way more athletic than we were and played above the rim. We didn’t do any of that.”

West Virginia opened a 39-27 halftime lead. Ellis scored 10 of the Jayhawks’ first 15 points of the second half, including a dunk at the midway point to cut the deficit to 50-44. But Kansas went more than 4 minutes between baskets and could get no closer.

West Virginia didn’t need to be stellar from the field — the Mountaineers shot just 33 percent (19-of-57) and made just one field goal over the final 5 minutes. But they made up for that from the line, where they entered the game shooting 66 percent.

West Virginia went 12-of-16 from the line down the stretch. Williams kept hitting free throws and kept grabbing missed shots.

He got plenty of help from Paige, who made 14 of 17 free throws for the game.

TIP-INS

Kansas: The Jayhawks dropped their third straight to the Mountaineers in Morgantown. Last year, Ellis caught a long pass and missed a layup off the back of the rim just before the final buzzer, and the Jayhawks lost 62-61. In 2014, Andrew Wiggins returned to the state where he played prep school. The freshman led a furious comeback with 41 points, but the Jayhawks couldn’t make up a 25-point deficit and lost 92-86.

West Virginia: The Mountaineers improved to 4-7 all-time against top-ranked teams. The previous time they did it was against UNLV in February 1983. … Guard Daxter Miles Jr. returned to the starting lineup after missing the first game of his career with an ankle sprain. … West Virginia’s bench outscored Kansas’ 40-10.

UP THE CHARTS

With his 780th career win, Huggins passed Lou Henson for 11th place all-time. Huggins is 780-313 in his 34th season of coaching.

UP NEXT

Kansas: Hosts TCU on Saturday.

West Virginia: Is at No. 2 Oklahoma on Saturday.

— Associated Press —