Following a blowout 68-47 win against TCU on Feb. 26, Texas faced off against Kansas in a pivotal game that would determine both teams’ standing in the Big 12. A win for Texas would lock up a top-four seed heading into the Big 12 Tournament.

With a lot on the line against the Jayhawks, Texas began with a sense of urgency, playing some of the most intense defense it has played all year. However, Kansas came out and played just as hard on the defensive end, and both teams ended the first quarter tied at just 14 points apiece.  

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Throughout the entirety of the first half, it seemed as if it was going to be a grind-it-out defensive battle, with the Jayhawks finishing with a 27-25 halftime lead over the Longhorns. Senior Joanne Allen-Taylor, however, had different plans, as she knew what was riding on this game. 

She went into the third quarter lighting it up, shooting 3-of-4 from the field and scoring seven points to give Texas a two-point cushion heading into the fourth quarter. 

The guard gave the Longhorns the momentum boost they needed, and they never looked back. Texas went on to outscore Kansas 25-17 in the fourth and pulled away with a 70-60 victory at Allen Fieldhouse behind Allen-Taylor’s second-half performance. 

She ended the night with 20 points on 8-of-16 shooting, including 2-of-4 from the three-point line. Along with her offensive outburst, Allen-Taylor put on a show on the defensive end, recording five steals. 

Allen-Taylor’s senior teammate Lauren Ebo also had a great night, scoring 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting and crashing the boards at will with seven rebounds. 

The Longhorns had one of their better outings offensively over the second half of the season against the Jayhawks. They put up 45 points in the second half alone and shot 40 percent from the field. 

Texas also had a solid showing defensively, forcing 22 Kansas turnovers that led to 18 points going the other way. The Longhorns held the Jayhawks to just 36 percent shooting from the field and 33 percent from the three-point line. 

As they inch closer to the final game of the regular season, the Longhorns are hitting their stride at the most opportune time — winning their last seven games in a row.

With their final matchup of the regular season coming up on Saturday against Oklahoma State, Texas will look to finish the season off as winners of eight in a row and head into the postseason with a full head of steam.