Kansas vs. Baylor: Score and Reaction from 2017 Regular Season

Seventeen days ago, the Baylor Bears (22-5, 9-5) couldn't fend off the Kansas Jayhawks (24-3, 12-2) in a tight Big 12 showdown at Allen Fieldhouse.   

On Saturday, the fourth-ranked Bears failed to exact revenge as the third-ranked Jayhawks squeaked out a 67-65 win at Ferrell Center in Waco, Texas, behind a pair of Landen Lucas free throws with 12 seconds remaining in regulation. 

The Bears had one last look to convert a game-tying or game-winning bucket, and Kansas head coach Bill Self opted to double-team the ball-handler with the game on the line. The tactic was risky, but it paid off. The Bears failed to generate a clean shot as seconds ticked off the clock, as CBS Sports showed on Twitter:

Yahoo Sports' Brad Evans was blown away by Kansas' toughness in another rough-and-tumble conference matchup:   

Frank Mason III paced Kansas with a game-high 23 points and eight assists in the win, while Josh Jackson poured in 16 points (7-of-14 shooting) as he repeatedly rocked the rim with authority, via CBS Sports: 

As was the case in their first meeting with Kansas, the Bears were the superior side in the first half. 

Baylor—led by Johnathan Motley's 19 points—fired away from distance early and often, and it converted five of 10 three-point attempts over the first 20 minutes to keep Kansas on its heels.    

In fact, the Bears were so dialed in that they owned a 12-point lead with 57 seconds remaining in the opening frame. 

But even though they appeared destined to own a double-digit lead at the break, the Bears surrendered a pair of triples—including a halftime buzzer-beater by Jackson, via Kansas' official Twitter account—to put the Jayhawks within striking distance:    

Considering Kansas came up empty on seven of its first eight attempts from beyond the arc, those conversions couldn't have come at a better time.  

The Jayhawks used that strong close as something of a springboard, with crisp offensive sets abounding throughout the opening stages of the second half, as shown by CBS Sports CBB on Twitter:

The Kansas City Star's Jesse Newell noted the Jayhawks had to be sharp out of the locker room in order to contend with a Bears offense that was humming: 

Kansas proceeded to rip off a 23-12 run to open the final stanza, which was a predictable turn of events given the way it's played in close games this season, according to Yahoo Sports' Pat Forde: 

However, the Bears refused to back down.

Although Kansas seized momentum and surged in impressive fashion, Baylor withstood a few counterpunches while avoiding a haymaker.

That resilience enabled the Bears to regain the lead, but they couldn't come up with the necessary buckets to put Kansas away. 

As Bleacher Report's C.J. Moore noted, though, Baylor shouldn't hang its head following another strong outing: 

That said, the Bears do have to get back on the winning track soon considering they've dropped two in a row and four of their last six overall dating back to Feb. 1.

They'll have a chance to remedy those woes Tuesday, when the Oklahoma Sooners pay a visit to the Ferrell Center.

Kansas, on the other hand, is looking at three days off before the TCU Horned Frogs travel to Allen for a daunting showdown with the class of the conference. 

Postgame Reaction

After the win, Jackson praised Mason for another outstanding effort, per the program's official Twitter account: 

Jackson also took time to credit the team as a whole for playing composed ball all season long. 

"The thing I like about us is we have a bunch of winners," he said, per Kansas' Twitter account. "There's no quit on our team."

Self, meanwhile, looked ahead following his team's gutsy performance.

"I think we should enjoy this now, rest a little and think about the league race on Monday," he said, according to Kansas' Twitter account.  

As for Baylor, KWTX's Taylor Williamson relayed head coach Scott Drew's thoughts on the Bears' final possession: 

Drew also told reporters Manu Lecomte (16 points) was "hurting down the stretch" and "gutted it out" after he appeared to tweak his ankle, per Williamson.