OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Kalani Brown scored 26 points to help No. 3 Baylor beat Kansas State 83-54 on Saturday in the Big 12 quarterfinals.
Brown, a 6-foot-7 center who was named Big 12 Player of the Year earlier in the week, made 9 of 12 shots and had 13 rebounds.
Dekeiya Cohen scored 19 points, and Juicy Landrum added 14 for the Lady Bears (29-1). They shot 50.8 percent from the floor to claim their 26th straight win.
Kayla Goth scored 24 points, and Peyton Williams added 10 for Kansas State (16-15), which had won its previous three games.
Baylor advanced to play TCU on Sunday. TCU beat Oklahoma 90-83 in the first quarterfinal on Saturday.
Landrum drained a 3-pointer from several feet beyond the arc to give Baylor a 28-12 lead early in the second quarter, and the Lady Bears extended their advantage to 46-27 at halftime. Brown scored 16 points on 5 for 6 shooting and Cohen had 12 points before the break. Goth scored 14 points for Kansas State in the first half, but no other Wildcat scored more than five points.
The Lady Bears held Kansas State scoreless for the first 5:50 of the second half. It was a 16-0 run that gave Baylor a 62-27 lead.
BIG PICTURE
Kansas State: The Wildcats were already on the outside looking in for an NCAA Tournament spot with an RPI of 87. Even with a win, it probably wouldn’t have been enough to make a case for an at-large berth.
Baylor: It really doesn’t affect the Lady Bears much. The Lady Bears remained on the path to be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. A loss might have dropped them down a line, but as expected, they handled business easily.
UP NEXT
Kansas State: Waits to learn its postseason fate.
Baylor: Plays TCU on Sunday in the Big 12 Tournament semifinals.