photo by: AP Photo/Colin E. Braley

Kansas head coach Brandon Schneider reacts during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against West Virginia on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in Lawrence.

The Kansas women basketball team’s Big 12 woes continued on Sunday afternoon, as the Jayhawks dropped to 1-4 in conference play with a 79-64 loss to the Baylor Bears in Waco, Texas.

Freshman forward Jaliya Davis led the Jayhawks in scoring with 21 points on 9-for-15 shooting.

Junior guard S’Mya Nichols, who scored 11, exited in the fourth quarter after going down hard after a foul and then playing through several additional possessions before leaving the game. Nichols said after Wednesday’s home loss to Utah that she had been fighting through an ankle injury during the contest.

The Jayhawks never found their footing, as Baylor stormed back from an early slow start to quickly take the lead and never relinquished it. Kansas turned the ball over 20 times in the contest and was outrebounded 39 to 33 by the Bears.

Nichols and senior forward Lilly Meister, who recorded a double-double, got the scoring started for Kansas, aided by a 0-for-7 start from the field by Baylor. The Bears’ first points came just over two and a half minutes into the first quarter on a jumper by Darianna Littlepage-Buggs. After Baylor tied it up, senior guard Elle Evans drained a transition 3 to give the Jayhawks a three-point advantage early in the game.

Baylor soon took its first lead of the game at 8-7, and then a made 3 put the Bears on a 7-0 run over a two-minute span.

The Bears made two additional field goals out of the first media timeout to extend their lead to 15-8. Davis made one of two free throws, but Littlepage-Buggs scored again in the paint to punctuate the first quarter and at the end of one, Baylor held a commanding 17-9 lead.

The back half of the first quarter for Kansas was disastrous. The Jayhawks were 1-for-10 over their final 11 attempts of the period, meaning Kansas went almost 6:30 without a field goal. They also turned the ball over four times in the final four minutes of the quarter.

Davis finally broke the slump just over a minute into the second quarter with a jumper, but Baylor carried its momentum and maintained its large lead. The next few minutes were all about Davis and sophomore guard Taliah Scott. The two exchanged buckets on three straight possessions and Scott received two more shots after Davis was assessed a technical foul for a verbal comment made on the court.

Nichols made her first field goal since the opening minutes after the free throws and Kansas came roaring back. After Meister drew a foul and drained both of her free throws, freshman guard Keeley Parks got a layup to fall on a fast break and the Jayhawks cut their deficit to six at 27-21.

However, two free throws and another layup from Littlepage-Buggs extended the Bears’ lead back to double digits ahead of the under-five media timeout.

Baylor then strengthened its grip on the game. Two more made free throws and field goals had the Bears on an 8-0 run over three minutes, but freshman guard Libby Fandel stopped the bleeding with her first 3-pointer of the afternoon.

Senior forward Nadira Eltayeb made a jumper to shrink the Baylor lead to nine, but the Bears responded immediately with a deep 3.

Nichols was able to draw a foul and make both free throws and then got a jumper to fall after a miss by Baylor to keep the Jayhawks close, but she caught an elbow from a Bear, sending her to the floor in pain. After the officials went to the monitor to review the play, they determined it was incidental contact and no foul.

Scott made her first 3-pointer of the game after the break and Kansas was unable to respond. With the ball back and just over ten seconds left, Scott threw another 3 up and found nothing but net to give the Bears a 44-30 lead at half. Scott had 20 points at halftime.

An early break was required in the third quarter after Evans went diving for a loose ball and hit her head hard on the floor, making her nose bleed. She was helped back to the locker room and returned at the end of the quarter.

Davis scored the first points of the second half with a drive to the rim to draw Kansas back within a dozen. Davis got another shot to fall just under a minute later and the Jayhawks were back within 10 of the Bears.

After Baylor responded with its first points of the quarter, Davis made another jumper to give her 13 points on the afternoon. Midway through the third quarter, the Bears led 47-36.

Out of the break, two 3-pointers by Baylor pushed the Bears’ lead to 53-36 and Schneider had to use a timeout with just over three minutes left in the third quarter. Nichols made a jumper out of the timeout to stem the tide for a second but Baylor kept rolling. At the end of three periods of play, the Bears held a commanding 62-43 lead.

After collecting an assist early in the fourth quarter, Nichols appeared hobbled on the court and had to be helped off by Kansas staff members.

After Kansas trailed by as many as 22, three 3s by Evans, Meister and senior guard Sania Copeland made the deficit manageable for Kansas.

Littlepage-Buggs ended a four-plus-minute scoring drought for Baylor with a layup. That flipped the script and then Kansas struggled as the Bears shored up their lead. A jumper by Meister stopped the drought for Kansas, but Baylor held total control of the game.

Davis hit two jumpers in the final minute to keep the Jayhawks in it, but the Bears made free throws to put them away.

The Jayhawks, who fell to 11-6 overall, now return home for one game against the Oklahoma State Cowgirls on Wednesday. That game is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

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