K-State Drops Big 12 Opener to Sixth-Ranked Baylor

For the third time in the last five seasons, Kansas State opened its Big 12 schedule with Baylor and the sixth-ranked Lady Bears downed the Wildcats, 88-58, on Thursday night at Bramlage Coliseum. K-State has lost six straight Big 12 season-openers. That’s according to a release from K-State Athletics.

For the second straight game, K-State (8-4, 0-1 Big 12) was paced by junior guard Kayla Goth and sophomore forward Peyton Williams with 22 and 13 points, respectively. Goth or Williams have led K-State in scoring in seven of K-State’s last eight games.

Goth added to her final stat line with five rebounds and dished out four assists. Williams tallied a team-high nine rebounds and added a blocked shot.

Baylor (11-1, 1-0) saw four players reach double figures, led by junior center Kalani Brown with 20 points and nine rebounds. Her interior teammate of sophomore Lauren Cox added 17 points, nine rebounds, five assists and three blocks.

For the night, K-State shot 33.3 percent (18-of-54) from the floor while Baylor finished at 57.8 percent (37-of-64). The Lady Bears held a 41-28 advantage on the boards and outscored K-State in the paint, 48-14.

Baylor opened the game on an 14-3 run, which included a pair of 3-pointers from Natalie Chou and six points from Kristy Wallace. Chou would finish with 13 points and four assists.

The Lady Bears would build a 26-11 lead at the end of the first quarter. The 26 points were the most by a K-State opponent in an opening quarter this season and the first time the Wildcats allowed 20 points in the frame this season.

Goth scored 11 of K-State’s 14 points in the second quarter, but Baylor outscored the Wildcats 22-14 in the second frame to hold a 48-25 lead at the half. The Lady Bears shot 73.3 percent (11-of-15) in the second quarter on their way to 60.6 percent (20-of-33) in the entirety of the opening half. K-State carded a 41.7 percent (5-of-12) effort from the field in the first half.

Kansas State made a dent in the Baylor lead in the third quarter, pulling to within 13, 54-41, with 2:46 to play. The Wildcats used a 7-0 run and held the Lady Bears without a field goal for three and a half minutes to close the gap.

The Wildcats would win the third quarter, 23-18, as Rachel Ranke tallied a pair of 3-point field goals in the quarter. Ranke would end the night with nine points.

Baylor used their interior muscle in the fourth quarter, outscoring K-State 22-10 and shooting 66.7 percent (10-of-15) in the final stanza. Brown and Cox combined for 16 of the 22 points.

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