Osorio nets career high, Jayhawks fall to Texas Tech, 68-56
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Junior guard Brianna Osorio led all scorers in the second meeting of the season against Texas Tech, but it wasn’t enough as the Jayhawks fell to the Lady Raiders, 68-56, on Wednesday night inside Allen Fieldhouse.
Osorio netted 28 points to lead all scorers, her first 20-point game of the season. Her career-high night marked the best individual performance by a Jayhawk in a single game this season. The Las Vegas, Nevada native has registered five double-digit scoring efforts in Big 12 play.
Kansas (11-7, 2-5 Big 12) got off to a slow start after shooting just 10.7 percent from the field in the opening half. Although KU outscored the Lady Raiders in the second half, including 22 points from Osorio, Kansas’ first half offensive performance was too much to comeback from and Texas Tech (7-11, 1-6 Big 12) evened the 2018 series with the win.
Four Texas Tech players notched double-digit scoring efforts in the Lady Raiders’ first Big 12 win of the season. Senior center Jada Terry led TTU with 16 points and eight rebounds, while sophomore center Erin Degrate, freshman guard Lyndsey Whilby and senior forward Brielle Blaire each netted 12, 11 and 10 points, respectively.
After nearly seven minutes without a basket, redshirt-sophomore center Tyler Johnson ended Texas Tech’s 8-0 run with a layup. The Jayhawks still struggled to settle into a rhythm on offense, not scoring again until Osorio completed a three-point play the old-fashioned way with under 15 seconds to go in the first quarter. KU entered the second period trailing 12-5, after shooting just 14.3 percent from the field in the opening 10 minutes of the game.
Kansas was able to narrow the Texas Tech lead from 10 to three in the second quarter after Osorio and junior guard Christalah Lyons went on a 7-0 run, but TTU finished the half on a 10-0 run sparked by a Whiliby 3-pointer to go into the locker room with a 26-13 lead. Lyons finished the night with 13 points for her 16th double-figure scoring effort in 18 games thus far in the 2017-18 campaign.
The Jayhawk offense continued to struggle into the second half and the Lady Raiders took control of the game, leading by 20 on two separate times in the third period.
Osorio took control on the offensive end for the Jayhawks, scoring nine of KU’s 15 points in the third quarter. Kansas ended the period on a 6-0 run, capped off with a layup from junior guard Kylee Kopatich. The Jayhawks trailed 42-28 going into the final 10 minutes of the game.
Osorio continued her career night into the final quarter. Osorio knocked in 13 points for the Jayhawks in the final 10 minutes and helped Kansas to narrow Texas Tech’s lead. The 5-8 guard went on a 9-2 run by herself to put the Jayhawks within 11 with just over two minutes to play in the game.
The Lady Raiders relied on points from the charity stripe to complete the victory, with their final 11 points all occurring from the free throw line. Kopatich netted her first 3-point basket of the night at the 54-second mark putting Kansas within nine, but the Jayhawks couldn’t narrow the margin any further and fell to Texas Tech, 68-56.
UP NEXT
The Jayhawks hit the road for a two-game road trip. Kansas tips off with TCU on Saturday, Jan. 20 at 2 p.m., inside Ed & Rae Schollmaier Arena. The game will be broadcast on the Jayhawk Radio Network.
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