Danielle Adams, Texas A&M force 30 Kansas turnovers for a 78-54 victory

No. 15 Texas A&M tops Kansas

LAWRENCE, Kan. — Danielle Adams scored 18 points, Tanisha Smith added 16 and No. 15 Texas A&M earned a 78-54 win over Kansas on Saturday night.

The Aggies shot 44 percent en route to their third straight win. Texas A&M also forced 30 turnovers, including 20 in the first half.

Texas A&M (22-7, 10-6) is still vying for the fourth seed in the Big 12 Tournament that starts Thursday.

Without three of its top offensive players — all of whom are injured — Kansas (15-14, 5-11) never managed a consistent offensive attack. Aishah Sutherland led Kansas with 13 points and the Jayhawks have lost five straight games. Kansas has lost all 10 games against ranked teams.

With Adams controlling the inside and with the Jayhawks’ turnovers leading to easy baskets, the Aggies extended their lead in the second half.

Texas A&M secured its fifth consecutive 10-win season in the league as well as its seventh consecutive win against the Jayhawks.

Adams, Smith and Tyra White, who scored 10 points, led Texas A&M’s offense. And all three are from the Kansas City metro area — roughly an hour’s drive from Lawrence.

The Aggies used a 10-2 run midway through the first half to build an eight-point lead and never looked back.

While Kansas has played the past eight games without leading scorer Danielle McCray and point guard Angel Goodrich, the Jayhawks’ bench had one more injured player on Saturday.

Carolyn Davis, who developed into Kansas’ go-to scorer in McCray’s absence, didn’t play because of a concussion suffered during Friday’s practice.

Without them, the Jayhawks struggled offensively in the final home game for five seniors. Kansas shot 45 percent and was consistently hurt by turnovers that stopped any offensive rhythm.

Those mistakes fueled a Texas A&M offense that shot just 38 percent in the first half, yet remained in control because of 19 first-half points from Kansas turnovers.

Texas A&M had just six first-half turnovers and held a 41-28 lead.

In their final game in Allen Fieldhouse, Sade Morris scored 12 points and LaChelda Jacobs added nine for a Kansas team that was predicted to finish second in the Big 12 before the season started.

(This version CORRECTS No. 15 Texas A&M 78, Kansas 54. corrects lede to Tanisha Smith)