KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- No. 22 Baylor "rebounded" from a rough end of the season with a resounding 75-61 victory over No. 23 Texas in Thursday's quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament at Sprint Center.

The Bears held a 46-27 advantage on the boards in the victory.

"You have to give credit to (guys) like Johnathan Motley," said Baylor forward Rico Gathers, who grabbed nine rebounds.

Gathers had missed significant time late in the season with a bacterial infection.

"(It allowed) me to ease my way back into the flow of things," Gathers said. "So I think you got to give it to a dude like that who can draw a lot of double-teams and stuff. It makes it easy for me to come in off the bench and be able to sneak in and get a couple of rebounds."

The Bears lost three of their last four games and six of their final 10 heading into the postseason, but they started quickly Thursday and maintained their intensity.

"(We're) playing for a chance to win the championship and we knew we had to compete at a high level," Baylor coach Scott Drew said. "We lost some of our last games against some good teams, and I think we're ready to get that woozy taste out of our mouth."

Baylor (22-10) was led by forward Taurean Prince with 24 points and 13 rebounds. He was joined in double figures by forward Rico Gathers with 13 points and guard Al Freeman with 12 points.

"I think we did a good job of staying composed and not worrying about them getting the easy looks," Prince said. "I think the great leadership by seniors and upperclassmen keep everybody together."

As critical as the rebounding edge was, Baylor's defense also was stellar. The Bears held Texas to 38.3 percent shooting from the field.

"We just wanted to give good ball pressure, guard the ball, play the passing lanes," Freeman said. "(We) just tried to control what we can on the defensive end and limit them to second-chance points as much as possible."

The Bears will face top-seeded and top-ranked Kansas in the first semifinal on Friday.

Texas (20-12) was led by forward Connor Lammert with 15 points. Guard Kerwin Roach had 13 points and forward Shaquille Cleare scored 12.

"I think our problem is we don't (play) consistently," Lammert said. "We come out on defense and we show that we have potential to guard really anybody in the country. And for whatever reason, if we let our offense dictate our defense, if we're not focused on the right things, we're getting 75 points scored on us. And that's just not going to get it done when you can't put the ball in the hole, and when you (give up) good shots."

The Bears started the second half in much the same way as they began the first. They hit from inside and outside and opened an 18-point lead at the under-12 timeout after a 9-1 run.

The lead eventually reached 19 before the Longhorns reeled off 10 straight points. But the Bears were able to hit enough of their free throws down the line to hold off Texas.

"I thought offensively we missed a lot of easy shots," Texas coach Shaka Smart said. "We got a lot of really good looks. We missed some free throws early. Unfortunately, it's a pattern that we have yet to break that when some things don't go our way offensively. Some or all of our guys on the floor get bummed out and disappointed, and that impacts the defensive focus and aggressiveness."

Baylor led 38-27 at halftime. Prince led the Bears with 10 points.

The Longhorns did get Cameron Ridley back. Ridley, who has been out since suffering a fractured left foot in practice on Dec. 27, returned with 6:10 left in the first half. He finished the half with two points.

NOTES: Texas holds a 162-86 record in the series with Baylor. It's the most-played rivalry for both schools. ... Baylor has won 11 of the last 18 games after stopping a 24-game losing streak in 2009. ... Baylor is 4-2 all time in the Big 12 Tournament. ... Baylor is the only team in the country with no losses outside the RPI top 40. ... Texas has advanced to the semifinals in 13 of 20 trips to the Big 12 Tournament and reached the title game six times, going 0-6 in those games.