MANHATTAN, Kans. - With undefeated and top-ranked Baylor disappearing over the horizon like a speeding semi, the Big 12 Conference standings have turned into a nine-team scramble.

For teams churning in the standings below the Lady Bears, every game is significant for two reasons.

First, with the Big 12's 10-team bracket, the Phillips 66 Big 12 Women's Championship will feature first-round byes for the top six teams. Those half dozen teams need to win three games for the NCAA Tournament automatic bid. Second for teams seeking NCAA Tournament cred, every victory is precious.

Kansas and Kansas State are two teams jockeying for NCAA Tournament attention. Sunday's game also matched teams tied for fourth in the Big 12. Mix in the Sunflower State rivalry aspect and the stakes were enough to interest a World Series of Poker veteran.

"In this league, heading down the stretch, you have to win at home and these games are critical," said Kansas State coach Deb Patterson, whose team had lost its last two games in Bramlage Coliseum. "It's nip and tuck for everybody.

"All of that weighed into this game. And when we play Kansas, it's like a heavyweight fight. That's what it was."

The margin was slim, the difference insignificant. The biggest lead for either team was seven points. Maybe it was the home court edge. Maybe it was Kansas losing its top scorer less than four minutes into the game. Whatever the reasons, Kansas State shut out the Jayhawks over the last 3:35 and prevailed, 47-43.

"It came down to the team that made one more mistake or made one more play," said a teary-eyed Kansas coach Bonnie Henrickson. "I'm proud of how we battled and competed but it was a crappy way to start the game."

KU's Carolyn Davis (17.5 points per game) went down with a left leg injury with 15:26 remaining in the first half. Aishah Sutherland gave her full measure with 12 points and 18 rebounds. Angel Goodrich added 13 for the Jayhawks (17-7, 6-6).

But Davis' absence deprived Kansas one of the three legs of its scoring "stool." The Jayhawks limited Brittany Chambers, K-State's leading scorer, to seven points on 1-of-10 shooting. Post players Jalana Childs (18 points) and Branshea Brown (10) helped counter Sutherland and Goodrich.

Had Davis not been hurt, who knows? Chelsea Gardner (65 minutes in the last 11 games) and Bunny Williams (18 minutes her the last nine) both were pressed into more playing time (a total of 31 minutes) in Davis' spot. Gardner had a shot in the lane with just under 10 seconds remaining that would have tied the game but it glanced off the rim.

"We're not about making excuses about Carolyn's injury," Henrickson said. "We had players who had played before who wound up playing more. They competed and they played hard. We could 'what if' it to death."

Childs scored 10 of her team's last 12 points.

"It goes back to the player I've been and what I want to be," said Childs, who had three points in the first half. "In the second half, I just played my game and got comfortable out there. It was an ugly game but a big win for us."

Childs gave Kansas State the lead for good with 3:05 remaining with a won't-be-denied jumper in the lane with Sutherland in her face. The Jayhawks missed their last six shots and committed a turnover.

"It was a possession by possession game," Patterson said. "It was one rebound, one foul shot, one defensive stop, one big play. That's what those kinds of games come down to."