Madison Booker scored 20 points and Taylor Jones added 13 points and eight rebounds as No. 12 Texas sent No. 2 Kansas State to its second straight loss with a 61-54 victory on Sunday, knocking the Wildcats out of first place in the Big 12.
The Wildcats had tied their highest ranking in school history behind a 14-game win streak that included three victories after star forward Ayoka Lee was sidelined for a month with an ankle injury.
The Wildcats (20-3, 9-2) missed her Sunday as Texas (21-3, 8-3) exploited its size advantage near the basket. Jones had six points and a block in an 8-2 Texas run to open the third quarter, before Booker scored six in a row as the Longhorns built the lead as high as 19.
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The Wildcats cut the deficit to 54-47 on Zyanna Walker’s three-point play with 2:26 to go, but Walker then missed an open 3-pointer, and Jones answered with a put-back layup on the other end.
Kansas State, which scored a season-low 19 points in the first half, shot just 36%. It was 3 of 21 on 3-pointers.
Booker had perhaps her worst half of the season when she shot 2 of 8, had five turnovers and got pulled in the second quarter when she didn’t hustle for an easy rebound. It was a reminder Booker is still a freshman who was thrust into a leading role when senior guard Rori Harmon was lost for the season with a knee injury in December.
BIG PICTURE
Kansas State: The Wildcats are counting the days until Lee’s return from surgery to repair a small ankle fracture on Jan. 19. Their Big 12 title hopes may depend on it. The 6-foot-6 senior from Minnesota is averaging 19.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.7 blocked shots. Kansas State last won the Big 12 in 2008.
Texas: Last season’s Big 12 regular season co-champions remain two games out of the lead but picked up a key win for their title hopes. The Longhorns could still make a run for at least a share of a last league crown before they leave for the SEC next season.
UP NEXT
Kansas State hosts Oklahoma State on Saturday.
Texas plays at TCU on Saturday.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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