Despite leading at the start of the third and fourth quarters and dominating in the paint, the Kansas women’s basketball team was outplayed by 24th-ranked Texas late in the game and lost 68-65 on Saturday at Allen Fieldhouse.

KU outscored Texas in the paint 26-6 during the first two quarters — thanks largely to senior center Taiyanna Jackson, who erupted in the second quarter, hitting four straight shots in the paint.

But when Texas’ defense ramped up in the third quarter, the Jayhawks turned it over more and more, and despite two chances to tie the game in the fourth quarter they were thwarted when Texas forced two consecutive turnovers.

KU (14-7, 4-6 Big 12) struggled against the Longhorns’ defense for much of the night. The Jayhawks shot 40% and turned the ball over four times in the first quarter. But they were able to find success against Texas (18-6, 9-2 Big 12) at close range, scoring over lengthy defenders such as 6-foot-4 junior forward Khadija Faye and 6-foot-2 junior forward DeYona Gaston. The first quarter ended in a 15-15 tie after a late 3-pointer from Texas’ Shaylee Gonzales.

Junior guard Zakiyah Franklin led the way for KU in the beginning with seven points in the first quarter.

In the second quarter, it was Jackson’s turn. She scored the first eight points of the quarter for KU, and Texas simply had no answers.

“[Taiyanna] was outstanding,” head coach Brandon Schneider said. “I don’t know if we could expect any more from her. I was really proud of her.”

For the second quarter, Kansas converted nearly 70% of its shot attempts, attacking the interior instead of taking outside shots. KU attempted just one 3-point shot and scored a whopping 18 points in the paint, with 10 of those coming from Jackson.

The Jayhawks led 34-28 at halftime, with Jackson and Franklin accounting for 23 of those points on 10-of-14 shooting.

“We wanted to come out and be aggressive and attack,” Franklin said. “Basically, paint possessions for us equals positive possessions, so we wanted to come out and do that.”

After halftime, Texas forced three turnovers in the first five minutes of the half. Those turnovers led to easy fast-break layups in transition, as the Longhorns went on an 8-0 scoring run to take a 42-38 lead.

Kansas matched that with an 8-0 scoring run of its own, retaking a six-point lead. The Longhorns still outscored the Jayhawks by one point for the quarter, but it was Kansas that carried a 53-48 lead into the fourth quarter.

Texas stepped up the intensity on defense in the fourth quarter, holding KU’s offense to just 12 points and forcing nine turnovers. Even with three missed free throws in a row, Texas was able to keep the Jayhawks from making a comeback, and it earned its ninth Big 12 Conference win this season.

“We’re not just going to dread on this loss and just let this game carry over to the next games that we have throughout the season,” Jackson said. “We’re just going to forget about this, work on us Monday and just play Kansas basketball like we know how to play.”

Senior guard Holly Kersgieter scored just five points and had five turnovers. Jackson finished with 21 points and 13 rebounds as well as four blocks and three steals, and Franklin added 20 points.

For Texas, Gaston scored a game-high 24 points on 12-of-20 shooting while adding seven rebounds, three blocks and four steals.

Next up, the Jayhawks host the TCU Horned Frogs at 7 p.m. Wednesday.Kansas

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let lead

slip away vs. Texas