Kansas beats No. 1
Azubuike makes statement with double-double for No. 3 Jayhawks
No. 3 Kansas outlasts No. 1 Baylor in Big 12 game of the year, 64-61.
Udoka Azubuike had 23 points and a career-high 19 rebounds and No. 3 Kansas held on to beat No. 1 Baylor 64-61 on Saturday, snapping the Bears’ 23-game winning streak and likely ending their five-week hold on the No. 1 spot in the AP poll.
The Jayhawks (24-3, 13-1 Big 12) have won 12 in a row since their first-ever home loss to Baylor on Jan. 11. They had a 10-point lead with 6½ minutes left but had to hold off Baylor’s late charge.
Isaiah Moss, who had 11 points for Kansas, made two free throws with 7.9 seconds left before a timeout. The Bears (24-2, 13-1) had one more shot, but Jared Butler’s 3-pointer from beyond the top of the key ricocheted off the front of the iron as time expired.
Butler and MaCio Teague had hit consecutive 3-pointers in the final half-minute to get Baylor within 62-61.
San Diego State
Elijah Mitrou-Long scored 19 points, including two free throws with 11.5 seconds left, and UNLV handed No. 4 San Diego State its first loss of the season, 66-63, to end the Aztecs’ 26-game winning streak. San Diego State, which had been Division I’s last undefeated team, erased most of a 14point deficit when it pulled to 64-63 on Malachi Flynn’s 3pointer with 14.5 seconds left. UNLV’s Mitrou-Long was fouled by Matt Mitchell with 11.5 seconds left and made both free throws. Flynn missed a contested 3pointer with 3.3 seconds left and the ball went to the Runnin’ Rebels. After a long pass down the court, Mitchell ended up with the ball and his desperation shot at the buzzer fell short. The Aztecs (26-1, 15-1 Mountain West) unveiled their regular-season conference championship banner before the game and then looked nothing like the team that raced to the best start in school history. The Aztecs trailed by 14 midway through the second half and were down 11 with 4:32 to go. They were uncharacteristically porous on defense and sloppy on offense, committing careless turnovers. Amauri Hardy scored 17 points and Bryce Hamilton added 11 points and 10 rebounds for UNLV (15-14, 106). Flynn scored 24, Mitchell 13 and Jordan Schakel 10 for the Aztecs.
Oregon
Most outside of women’s basketball aren’t familiar with Sabrina Ionescu. That is likely to change Monday. The Ducks star owns an NCAArecord 25 triple doubles. She is just nine rebounds from becoming the first player in NCAA history with 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 1,000 assists. But it is Monday when things will change. She will speak at the memorial service for Kobe Bryant and his daughter in Los Angeles during the day, then fly up to Palo Alto, Calif., for a game against Stanford that will likely determine the Pac-12 title. Says coach Kelly Graves: “If there’s anybody that can handle something like that, it’s her. … It wouldn’t surprise me if she has a game for the ages that night, because that’s how she’s wired.”