Perhaps the most positive thing for Kansas University’s women’s basketball team Wednesday was that it came away with relative success, despite a 73-54 defeat against third-ranked Texas in its Big 12 opener at Allen Fieldhouse.

That, and the fact the Jayhawks probably won’t have to see the “best offensive rebounding team in the nation” again.

“We had some good runs at them,” KU coach Marian Washington said. “We obviously had a tough time stopping them on the offensive boards.

“We had a very good gameplan, but going against one of the best offensive rebounding teams I have ever seen, it was a difficult task for us.”

Indeed, when KU limited Texas’ second-chance opportunities, the Jayhawks stayed close midway into the second half. But the Longhorns easily emerged victorious because they made the most of their second shots.

Texas’ 24 defensive rebounds matched Kansas’ total boards. The Longhorns added another 16 rebounds on the offensive side, which translated into a 24-6 margin in second-chance points.

“They did everything,” said KU forward Crystal Kemp, who scored 12 points Wednesday. “They went to the boards, they posted up strong, and their guards did a good job of getting them the ball.”

UT’s guards didn’t have to do much. It seemed as soon as senior Stacy Stephens got the ball down low on the blocks, she scored.

Stephens, who came into Wednesday averaging 8.9 points per game and 6.4 rebounds, led the Longhorns with 26 points on 12-of-17 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds.

Kansas University's Crystal Kemp (40) battles Texas' Stacy Stephens for a rebound. The Longhorns defeated the Jayhawks, 73-54, Wednesday night at Allen Fieldhouse.

Texas’ Heather Schreiber and Tiffany Jackson more than added to Stephens’ prolific performance in the paint.

Schreiber mixed in three three-point goals with a handful of buckets on the inside to score 18 points. Freshman Jackson added 16 points down low. Both players grabbed nine rebounds.

“I felt that we just didn’t complete possessions,” Washington said. “We would have a good defensive possession, they would get a shot off, we had an opportunity for the rebound and somebody would come from behind and pick up the easy offensive board on us.”

Despite the seemingly lopsided loss, Kansas actually played one of its most competitive games of the season. The showing was probably the Jayhawks’ best game against a top-tier Big 12 opponent in recent memory.

Last season, the Longhorns pasted the Jayhawks 89-47 in Austin, Texas, and 87-56 in the Big 12 tourney in Dallas.

Wednesday, the Jayhawks actually led the game early and hung around despite Texas knocking down open shots and owning the offensive boards in the first half.

6Sports video: KU women fall to Texas

With 8:35 to go in the half, KU’s Tamara Ransburg hit an open jumper to cut UT’s lead to 22-18.

While Ransburg led Kansas with 16 points, the Jayhawks were quickly outscored, 10-0, and trailed, 38-24, at the break.

However, KU got right back in the game after intermission, going on a 14-6 run with 15:35 to go to cut the Longhorns’ lead to six.

That would be the closest the Jayhawks would get, though, as Texas’ talent — and especially its rebounding advantage, allowed the defending Big 12 champs to pull away.

Still, considering how KU’s program has performed in past Big 12 campaigns, Wednesday’s performance had to be a pleasant sign for the Jayhawks.

“We’re kind of excited. We thought we played well,” said KU guard Erica Hallman. “Of course we have some things that we could do better, but we have all season to get better.”

Kansas University's Erica Hallman, right, flies past Texas guard Jamie Carey in the Longhorns' 73-54 victory. UT beat the Jayhawks Wednesday at Allen Fieldhouse.