Ochai Agbaji scored a career-high 26 points, including three straight 3-pointers in the second half, as No. 11 Kansas held off No. 25 Oklahoma 69-62 on Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 tournament at Kansas City, Mo.

The Jayhawks (20-8) dominated the first half and led by as many as 23 before the Sooners (15-10) drew within three down the stretch before losing for the fifth time in six games.

Kansas, which won for the eighth time in nine games, played without David McCormack (COVID-19 protocols), who anchored a late-season push that led to a second-place Big 12 finish.

The Jayhawks will face third-seed Texas in Friday's semifinals. The Longhorns edged Texas Tech 67-66 Thursday in the quarterfinals.

Mitch Lightfoot came off the bench to give the Jayhawks some forceful minutes underneath, posting 11 points. Marcus Garrett added 17 and swiped a key steal inside the final minute with the Jayhawks clinging to a five-point margin. Garrett finished with three steals and added five rebounds and four assists.

Oklahoma's valiant comeback bid featured 19 points apiece from Brady Manek and Austin Reaves. Reaves, however, ran out of gas while attempting to fuel the rally, missing his last six shots, all inside the final five minutes. Elijah Harkless added 14 points and matched Reaves with seven rebounds.

The game paired the Jayhawks against a ranked opponent for the 14th time, the most of any team in the country. They improved to 8-6 in those matchups, while the Sooners fell to 5-6 against opponents ranked in the top 15.

Kansas inserted Bryce Thompson into the starting lineup as McCormack's replacement, though Lightfoot provided the most impact among first-half subs. Lightfoot and Garrett each scored nine points as the Jayhawks breezed to a 35-15 halftime bulge.

Oklahoma, coming off a late-night win over hapless Iowa State in the first round, committed 13 first-half turnovers and missed 13 of its last 16 attempts. After starting 3-for-4, the Sooners blended 24 empty possessions with three makes and one offensive rebound over the final 17 minutes of the half.

A 17-0 run by the Jayhawks was finally halted when Reaves connected on a 3-pointer with 59 seconds left to end a 6:15 drought.

--Field Level Media