By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            MANHATTAN, Kan. – In the comfort zone of Bramlage Coliseum, the Kansas State Wildcats have proven they can play – and beat – anybody.
            Winless on the road (0-6), K-State added the Baylor Bears to a list of victims at Bramlage that includes nationally ranked Iowa and Iowa State.
            After a dismal shooting performance in a 21-point loss to Baylor four weeks ago in Waco, the Wildcats (15-11, 4-9) turned the tables in Wednesday's game, shooting a sizzling 60.4% from the floor and 9-of-20 from outside the arc in a dominant 87-68 victory over the Bears (16-9, 7-6).
            "There are two things that'll get you beat against Kansas State – them making 3's and them making free throws," Baylor coach Nicki Collen said. "When you look at the game, that's where the game was won, the 3-point line. We weren't terrible from 3, we weren't good (8-of-28). But we didn't get to the foul line."
            Not only did the Wildcats get to the foul line, they were near-perfect, hitting 20-of-23 and outscoring the Bears (6-of-11) by 14 on free throws alone.
            Even with K-State going 5-for-9 from 3-point range, Baylor trailed by just two after the first quarter, went up 25-24 on a Sarah Andrews jumper a little over three minutes into the second period and trailed by just one, 31-30, when Jaden Owens scored on a scoop layup with 3:40 left in the half.
            But from there, the Wildcats finished the half on an 11-3 run, with Gabby Gregory hitting a shot at the buzzer off an offensive board and pushing the lead to 42-33 at the break. An Oklahoma transfer, Gregory recorded a double-double with 26 points and 10 boards, while Serena Sundell had 20 points and six assists.
            "We had defensive breakdowns from the arc," Collen said. "Gregory is a mismatch for us. Sundell, when she wants to go in the low post, is a mismatch for us. So, we have to show help-side (defense), we just didn't do a good job covering up the 3-point line. . . . It was 3's in the first half (7-of-15), point paints in the second half (24)."
            The Bears lost three-consecutive regular-season conference games for the first time since 2001 and allowed 60% shooting for the first time since an 87-66 loss to Oklahoma on Jan. 15, 2000.
            Missing just two shots in a 25-point third quarter (9-of-11), K-State pushed the lead to 67-52 going into the final period and led by as many as 21 before a late bucket by freshman Darianna Littlepage-Buggs, who just missed another double-double with 16 points and eight rebounds.
            Along with senior guard Ja'Mee Asberry, who knocked down five 3-pointers and scored a season-high 21 points, Littlepage-Buggs was one of the few bright spots for the Bears.
            Baylor turned it over 20 times and lost the rebounding battle, 31-26, but still had more second-chance points (16-5) and points off turnovers (23-13).
            "I don't make excuses. We have enough to get it done, with what we've got," Collen said. "But collectively, we all have to be a little bit better. . . . We don't expect our freshmen to be perfect, but we need our upper-class kids to all be just a little bit better and defend a little better. Then, we'll be capable of beating anyone."  
Andrews, Baylor's leading scorer, was 0-for-6 from 3-point line and finished with eight points, five assists and five turnovers, while senior forward Caitlin Bickle had four points and four rebounds in 23 minutes before fouling out with 5:52 left in the game.
            Four of the six players that K-State used in the game scored in double figures, including twin sisters Brylee and Jaelyn Glenn with 14 and 11 points, respectfully.
            After an 0-2 road swing, Baylor returns home to host 22^nd-ranked Iowa State (16-7, 8-5) at 5 p.m. Saturday. The Cyclones knocked off 17^th-ranked and league-leading Texas, 66-61, Monday night in Ames, but lost the first meeting with Baylor, 76-70.

 
NOTABLES

• The Baylor women's basketball team suffered the 87-68 setback at Kansas State on Wednesday night inside the Bramlage Coliseum. 
• Graduate Ja'Mee Asberry led the Bears offensively, posting a season-high 21 points in her first 20-plus point game of the year and 22nd in her career. She fell a 3-pointer shy of matching a career-high in the category, connecting on a team-best five from range. 
• Asberry added a game- and career-high six steals to her stat line. 
• Darianna Littlepage-Buggs added 16 points off the bench, reaching double figures for the fifth time in six outings. She went a team-best 6-for-9 from the charity stripe, matching a career high with six-made free throws. 
• Littlepage-Buggs grabbed a team-high eight rebounds, while Jaden Owens and Sarah Andrews each dished out a team-leading five assists in the effort.
• Freshman Kyla Abraham logged a career-high 13 minutes in her second-straight game off the bench. Every player who was available for the Bears tonight saw the court.
• The last time the Bears lost three-consecutive games was during the 2007-08 season, and the last time BU dropped three-straight games against league opponents during the regular season was in the 2000-01 campaign.