WACO, Texas – LJ Cryer poured in 22 points – including 16 in the first half – leading No. 17/17 Baylor to a 75-69 win over No. 9/9 Kansas, on Monday night at the Ferrell Center.  
 
Baylor (15-5, 5-3 Big 12) used the strong outing from Cryer, who sank five 3-pointers in the first half to lead the Bears to a seven-point halftime lead. Baylor was able to hold off a second-half charge from Kansas (16-4, 5-3 Big 12) to secure the win. 
 
The win marked Baylor's 25^th in 33 tries against Associated Press top-25 teams over the last four years. Baylor has now won five straight games after opening up league play with three consecutive losses.  
 
HIGHLIGHTS
Cryer totaled 22 points to lead the Bears, with Adam Flagler totaling 17 points, including a 5-for-5 showing at the charity stripe. Jalen Bridges has 11 points and nine rebounds, while Langston Love chipped in 11 points in 18 minutes. Keyonte George had eight points and four rebounds. 
 
STAT OF THE GAME
The Bears forced 15 Kansas Turnovers and owned a 35-33 margin on the boards, including a 17-8 margin on the offensive glass that translated to a 16-4 lead in second-chance points. Baylor was 20-of-25 from the free-throw line. 
 
Baylor shot 37.1 percent from the field, despite a 28.6 mark in the second half, and held Kansas to 46 percent, including a 5-for-19 showing from 3-point range. 
 
THE RUNDOWN
The Bears opened up the game with 13 of the first 20 points to take an early lead, getting seven early points from Cryer, including a triple. The Bears continued their run to nine straight after the timeout, taking a 20-7 lead before Jalen Wilson snapped a stretch with a deep wing triple. 
 
Cryer answered the Wilson trey with his own 3-pointer to push the Bears up 23-10, with the guard scoring 10 of the first 23 points for BU. The teams traded triples on four consecutive trips down the floor, with Gradey Dick and Wilson notching one each and Cryer drilling a pair to take the lead to 35-24 with just over four minutes left. 
 
Cryer's fourth triple pushed the lead to 38-26 before Wilson sank a turnaround jumper to cut the lead to 10 at the final media timeout of the first half. The Jayhawks closed with five of the final eight points to cut the lead to 41-34 at halftime. The Bears shot 44 percent, going 7 of 16 from deep, with the Jayhawks shooting 48 percent. Cryer led all scorers with 19 points in the first half with Wilson owning 14 to lead KU. 
 
The Jayhawks came out strong in the second half, scoring 12 of the first 16 points to take their first lead of the game following a Wilson 3-pointer with just over 15 minutes left. The Bears responded, getting old-fashion 3-point plays from Langston Love and Jalen Bridges and a triple from Flagler, taking the lead to 54-48. Flagler then forced a KU timeout with a triple following a flagrant technical shot from Dick, with the Bears owning a 57-49 lead with just under 13 minutes left in regulation. 
 
Cryer finished off a trip to the free-throw line to give the Bears a 65-55 lead before the under eight-minute timeout. Out of the media break, George hit two at the charity stripe to stretch the lead to 12. 
 
The Jayhawks scored 10 of the next 13 points to cut the lead to 70-65 with 2:10 left in regulation, as the Bears went through a 1-for-9 stretch from the field. Bridges cleaned up the offensive glass and forced a foul with 40.1 seconds, hitting one at the line for a 73-67 lead. 
 
The Bears forced a deep Dick 3-pointer attempt that missed, with Bridges getting the rebound with 22.8 seconds left, hitting both free throws on the other end for a 75-67 lead. 
 
WHAT'S NEXT
The Bears will return to action on Saturday vs. Arkansas at 3 p.m. on ESPN and the Baylor Sports Network.