Jayhawks travel to TCU for 2018 series finale

Game 19: at TCU
Saturday, Jan. 20
2 p.m. (CT)
Schollmaier Arena
FrogVision
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Live Stats
Game Notes
 Stats  KU  TCU
Record 11-7 12-5
Points/GM 64.8 79.9
Field Goal % 39.4 47.7
3-PT Field Goal % 27.4 37.6
Free Throw % 65.5 76.2
Rebounds/GM 40.5 38.4
Assists/GM 11.7 19.0
Blocks/GM 3.7 5.4
Steals/GM 6.6 8.3

LAWRENCE, Kan. — Kansas women’s basketball looks to bounce back from a four-game losing skid and concludes its two-game series at TCU on Saturday, Jan. 20 at 2 p.m., inside Ed & Rae Schollmaier Arena. 

Following the Jayhawks
The Jayhawks’ series finale with the Horned Frogs will be broadcast on FrogVision (gofrogs.com) and the Jayhawk Radio Network. Additionally, fans can follow all of the action on Twitter (@KUwbball) or live stats (gofrogs.com).

Fast Breaks

  • The Jayhawks are 1-4 when facing the Horned Frogs in Fort Worth and 6-8 overall against TCU.
  • Prior to KU’s 86-77 victory earlier this season against TCU, the Jayhawks’ last win over the Horned Frogs came in the 2016 Big 12 Championship when Kansas defeated TCU 81-64 to advance to the second round of the tournament.
  • KU opened the 2017-18 season with a seven-game winning streak, marking just the eighth time in program history to begin a season 7-0.
  • KU ranks 19th in the nation for field goal percentage defense, holding its opponents to shooting 35.1 percent from the field. 
  • The Jayhawks’ field goal percentage defense ranks second among Big 12 teams, trailing only Baylor.
  • Kansas is holding its opponents to shooting 27.8 percent from beyond the 3-point line, which is second in the Big 12.
  • Junior guard Brianna Osorio knocked in a career-high 28 points against Texas Tech (1/17), the best single-game scoring performance by a Jayhawk this season.
  • Osorio’s 28 points marks the fifth time she’s reached double-digit scoring in Big 12 play and the first time she’s recorded 20 points or more as a Jayhawk.
  • Junior guard Christalah Lyons leads the Kansas offense, averaging 14.6 points per game. Lyons has netted 16 double-digit scoring performances in 18 games, which is the most of any Jayhawk in the 2017-18 campaign.
  • Junior guard Kylee Kopatich has netted 13 3-pointers in conference play, placing her seventh  in the Big 12 for long-range baskets.
  • When Brandon Schneider-coached teams are leading with less than five minutes to play, his overall record is 366-14, and 21-2 at Kansas.

About the Jayhawks
Following three-straight losses to ranked opponents and a loss to Texas Tech on Wednesday night (1/17), the Jayhawks look to bounce back from a four-game losing skid and sweep the Horned Frogs in their series finale with TCU in Fort Worth on Saturday afternoon (1/20).

The Kansas offense has been paced by impressive performances from junior guards Christalah Lyons, Kylee Kopatich and Brianna Osorio throughout Big 12 play. Lyons is leading the Jayhawks with 15.4 points per game through the first seven league games, including a 20-point performance at No. 7 Texas (1/13). The Dallas, Texas native’s offensive efforts rank her 13th in the conference for scoring, while also dishing out 3.1assists in league play which is the 13th-best in the Big 12. In five of KU’s seven Big 12 games so far, Osorio has netted double-digit scoring efforts, including a career-high 28 points in the Jayhawks’ 68-56 loss to Texas Tech. Osorio is averaging 14.0 points per game in league play and has had career nights on two separate occasions since Big 12 play began. Additionally, the Las Vegas, Nevada native has connected on 35.5 percent of her attempts from beyond the arc and is trailing Kopatich by just two, netting 11 3-pointers in league play. Kopatich has averaged 12.0 points to start off Big 12 play and netted 13 3-pointers thus far, marking the seventh-most long-range baskets made in conference play. 

The Jayhawks are continuing their best defensive efforts in Big 12 Conference play, holding their opponents to shooting just 35.1 percent from the field. KU’s field goal percentage defense is one of the best in the nation, ranking 19th among NCAA Division I programs. In its 18 games so far, Kansas is second in the Big 12 for field goal percentage defense, trailing only Baylor. The Jayhawks have held their opponents to 62.2 points per game, which is third best in the league. Kansas is second in the Big 12 in 3-point field goal percentage defense, keeping its opponents to connecting on just 27.8 percent of their long range attempts. 

Scouting the Horned Frogs
After starting Big 12 play off with three-straight losses, the Horned Frogs bounced back to win their next three, including victories over top-15 opponents No. 7 Texas and at No. 15 West Virginia in overtime. 

TCU is averaging 79.9 points per game, which is the fourth most in the Big 12. The Horned Frogs are trailing only Baylor in both field goal percentage (47.4 percent) and 3-point field goal percentage (37.6 percent). The TCU offense is led by four players who are averaging double-digit scoring. Junior forward Amy Okonkwo is leading the team with 16.8 points per game and a team-best 68 free throws made thus far. Junior center Jordan Moore is netting an average of 14.7 points per game, while contributing a team-leading 7.4 rebounds per game. Sophomore guard Amber Ramirez has knocked in the third-most 3-pointers in the Big 12 with 40 in the 2017-18 campaign, while averaging 11.8 points per game. Senior guard Toree Thompson rounds out TCU’s double-digit scorers with 10.2 points per game, while snagging a team-best 1.2 steals per game.

Defensively, TCU falls near the bottom of the Big 12 standings, allowing its opponents to shoot 40.9 percent from the field and 33.8 percent from beyond the arc, which is ninth in the league in both categories. The Horned Frogs’ opponents are scoring an average of 70.0 points per game. 

Series Breakdown
Record
TCU leads the overall series 8-6, which began in 2009.

Overview
The Jayhawks have won two of the last four matchups with the Horned Frogs, including an 81-64 upset in the 2016 Big 12 Championship.

Last Time Out
Kansas ended 2017 in style, notching its first Big 12 win of the 2017-18 campaign, 86-77. In a game where KU never relinquished the lead, four Jayhawks netted double-digit scoring efforts. Christalah Lyons led Kansas with 18 points and six rebounds. Kylee Kopatich fell one assist shy of her second-straight double-double, netting 17 points and nine assists. Brianna Osorio and Austin Richardson rounded out the double-digit scorers with 15 and 10 points, respectively.

This Day in Kansas Women’s Basketball History
Record on Jan. 20: 0-5
Kansas women’s basketball will play on the 20th day of January for the sixth time in program history. In 2016, the Jayhawks fell 59-46 to in-state rival Kansas State in the Lawrence edition of the Dillons Sunflower Showdown. Despite a barrage of second-half 3-pointers by KU, the Jayhawks couldn’t overcome a 14-point halftime deficit.

Nearing 1,000
With 253 points so far in her junior campaign, Kylee Kopatich is just 167 points away from the 1,000 point mark. Kopatich will be the 29th 1,000-point scorer in Kansas women’s basketball history should she achieve this accomplishment.

Every Minute Counts
Three Jayhawk starters rank in the top-20 for minutes played in the Big 12 Conference. Junior guard Kylee Kopatich leads the team and is seventh in the league after averaging 36.7 minutes per contest. Fellow junior guards Christalah Lyons (10th) and Brianna Osorio (17h) are also among the top-20 in minutes played in the Big 12, averaging 35.4 and 31.6 minutes, respectively. 

Up Next
Kansas faces off with Oklahoma for the first time in the 2018 campaign on Wednesday, Jan. 24 at 6 p.m., inside the Lloyd Noble Center. The game will be broadcast on Fox Sports Oklahoma and the Jayhawk Radio Network.