OU upset at Kansas in first game since clinching Big 12 title

LAWRENCE, Kan. — Freshman S'Mya Nichols had a career-high 29 points, senior Holly Kersgieter had a season-high 26 and Kansas ended the regular season with an 83-74 win over 20th-ranked and Big 12 Conference champion Oklahoma on Saturday.

Taiyanna Jackson had her 40th career double-double with 12 points and 15 rebounds as the Jayhawks (18-11, 11-8) enhanced their NCAA resume with a third Top 25 win and their eighth win in the last nine games. A third senior, Zakiyah Franklin, had 11 points.

Payton Verhulst had 22 points for Oklahoma (21-8, 15-2). Reyna Scott added 12 points and Lexy Keys 11.

The Big 12 tournament starts on Thursday but Oklahoma doesn’t play until Saturday. Kansas plays on Friday.

Kansas was up six heading into the fourth quarter, and after the Sooners scored the first basket they never really threatened. Oklahoma went 1 of 10 from 3-point range and 7 of 19 overall in the last 10 minutes. The Jayhawks, outrebounded by 10 for the game, were plus-4 in the fourth.

Nichols had 10 points in the first quarter to help the Jayhawks take a 19-10 lead. She didn't miss a shot, making three field goals and two free throws. But after Jackson hit a jumper in the second quarter to make it 21-10, the Sooners scored 14-straight points and turned that into a 21-2 run to take a 31-23 lead.

Oklahoma made 10-straight shots going back to the first quarter but the next eight came during the run. Keys started it with a 3-pointer and her second 3 put the the Sooners up 22-21. Verhulst capped it with a 3, giving her seven points in the streak.

Kansas closed it to 39-37 at the half.

Oklahoma ended up shooting 60% in the first half but committed 13 turnovers. The Sooners shot 32% in the second half with six turnovers.

The Jayhawks found the range in the third quarter, and used a 10-2 run in the middle, to build a 59-53 lead entering the fourth quarter. Kansas was 9 of 16 and Oklahoma 4 of 15 with six turnovers.

The Jayhawks shot 52% in the second half.

Clippers' Westbrook fractures hand, out indefinitely

Los Angeles Clippers guard Russell Westbrook fractured his left hand during a 140-115 win over the Washington Wizards on Friday.

The former OKC Thunder guard is out indefinitely due to the injury, which he suffered during the second quarter while trying to poke the ball away from Washington's Jordan Poole.

"Just feel bad for Russ right now," Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue said after the game. "You never want to see a player get hurt. Poole drove around, and he tried to deflect it from the back. I think he hit his elbow with his hand.

"So we don't know what timetable, don't know if he needs surgery or anything yet. But he's out right now. So just trying to figure it out."

Westbrook's injury is a huge blow to Los Angeles, which is fourth in the Western Conference standings with a 38-20 record.

OSU takes series from Central Michigan

Oklahoma State right-handed pitcher Brian Holiday struck out a season-best nine batters over eight innings as the Cowboys rolled past Central Michigan 8-1 Saturday afternoon at O'Brate Stadium to clinch the weekend series.

OSU (6-4) beat Central Michigan (3-8) 7-4 on Friday behind two home runs from Colin Brueggemann.

On Saturday, Holiday carved up the Central Michigan offense for his first win as a Poke. He allowed just one run on three hits while throwing 107 pitches.

True freshman Kollin Ritchie, from Atoka, was 3 for 4 with a triple and RBI. Two-way star Carson Benge also drove in two with three hits. And Jaxson Crull hit a three-run homer, his second long ball in as many days. .

Plus, the Cowboys stole seven bases — the most in a game since swiping eight against Incarnate Word on March 1, 2016 — with Mississippi State transfer Logan Forsythe taking three.

No. 15 Baylor hands No. 7 Kansas second straight loss

RayJ Dennis and Jayden Nunn shot perfectly in the second half for No. 15 Baylor, and both were right in the middle of a game-turning run to beat seventh-ranked Kansas.

Nunn had consecutive fastbreak layups 25 seconds apart to ignite that deciding spurt, when Dennis had three of his 10 assists, and the Bears opened March with an 82-74 victory on Saturday, handing the Jayhawks consecutive losses for the first time this season.

“Once we got a couple of stops, we were able to push it in transition,” Baylor coach Scott Drew said.

“As far as the second half, I think we found something as far as like playing fast and playing in transition,” Dennis said. “So that was kind of a focus. Like, if we get stops, let’s run, because we’re tough getting downhill.”

Dennis had his third double-double of the season. He had 19 points, 14 of those after halftime when making all five of his field goals, primarily runners. Nunn finished with 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting, hitting all four of his shots in the second half.

Yves Missi added 17 points and fellow freshman Ja’Kobe Walter had 11 for the Bears (21-8, 10-6 Big 12).

Big 12 scoring leader Kevin McCullar Jr. and Hunter Dickinson each had 20 points for the Jayhawks (21-8, 9-7), who were coming off a 76-68 loss at home to Big 12 newcomer BYU. Dajuan Harris had 12 points and nine assists.

Extra points

COLLEGE SOFTBALL: OSU rolled to two victories to take the Cowgirls Invitational Crown in Stillwater on Friday, beating Seattle 4-1 and Drake 13-1. OSU (17-2) combined to hit six homers, score 17 runs and total 20 hits in the wins. The Cowgirls' run-rule win over Drake was their seventh of the season.

COLLEGE GYMNASTICS: OU's women's team picked up a top-10 victory late Friday with a 198.650-197.325 win over No. 7-ranked Michigan. The total score is the second-highest mark in program history and fifth highest in NCAA history. Senior Ragan Smith also earned her third straight perfect 10. OU also tied its program record score on beam with a 49.800 for the second straight week.

COLLEGE BASEBALL: OU fell 19-7 in seven innings to Pittsburgh to open the inaugural Las Vegas College Baseball Classic late Friday. Pitt used an eight-run fifth inning to put the game out of reach and did damage against eight different Sooners pitchers. Saturday's scheduled game against California was canceled due to inclement weather.

COLLEGE TENNIS: OSU's women's team opened Big 12 play with a 4-1 win over Kansas late Friday in the Greenwood Tennis Center. The No. 1-ranked Cowgirls improved to 12-0 on the year, their best start since 1981.

—Staff and wire reports

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU upset at Kansas in first game since clinching Big 12 title