Kansas travels to No. 3 Baylor Saturday

Junior guard Austin Richardson 

 LAWRENCE, Kan. — Kansas women’s basketball travels No. 3 Baylor for the 2018 series finale against the Lady Bears on Saturday, Feb. 17 at 1 p.m., inside the Ferrell Center. The matchup is the final regular-season meeting of the season with BU.

Following the Jayhawks
Jayhawk fans can watch or listen to all of the action on Fox Sports Southwest or the Jayhawk Radio Network. Additionally, fans can follow live stats at baylorbears.com or Kansas women’s basketball on Twitter (@KUwbball).

Fast Breaks

• The Jayhawks are 2-13 when facing the Lady Bears inside the Ferrell Center and own a 8-28 overall record against Baylor.
• KU’s last win over the Lady Bears was a 76-60 upset inside Allen Fieldhouse during the 2013-14 season. The Jayhawks have not topped a Big 12-ranked opponent since the 2013-14 campaign. 
• Through 25 games, Kansas sits third among Big 12 teams in field goal percentage defense. The Jayhawks are holding their opponents to shooting 38.2 percent from the field, trailing only Baylor and West Virginia in the category.
• KU has held its opponents to 30.6 percent shooting from behind the 3-point line this season. Kansas ranks third among Big 12 programs for 3-point field goal percentage defense through 25 games to date.
• Redshirt-sophomore center Tyler Johnson netted her first double-digit scoring performance of league play this season with 10 points, while grabbing six rebounds at West Virginia (2/14).
• Junior guard Brianna Osorio has been KU’s most consistent offensive presence throughout Big 12 play, netting 10 double-digit scoring efforts in the Jayhawks’ 14 league games thus far. Osorio scored a career-high 28 points against Texas Tech (1/17) for her first 20-point game as a Jayhawk.
• Junior guard Christalah Lyons continues to lead the Jayhawks offensively, scoring 14.6 points per game. The Dallas, Texas native has registered double-digit scoring efforts in 22 of KU’s 25 games this season, including three 20-point performances.
• When Brandon Schneider-coached teams are leading with less than five minutes to play, his overall record is 366-15, and 21-3 at Kansas.

About the Jayhawks
Kansas heads into the 2018 series finale against Baylor with an 11-14 overall record and a 2-12 mark in Big 12 Conference play. The Jayhawks begin a two-game swing against nationally-ranked opponents with BU. The second contest of the year against Baylor is the seventh time Kansas has faced an opponent in the top-25 polls. 

A trio of Jayhawks are leading the way for Kansas, averaging double figures on the season. Junior guard Christalah Lyons is netting a team-best 14.6 points per game. She has notched double-digit scoring performances in 22 of KU’s 25 games in 2017-18. Lyons is also connecting on 43.4 percent of her attempts from the field. Junior guard Kylee Kopatich is sinking 34.4 percent of her shots from long range and averaging 13.2 points. Kopatich has started every game and leads the team in minutes played with 876. 

Junior guard Brianna Osorio is the final Jayhawk averaging double digits with 11.0 points per game, while shooting 42.0 percent from the field. Collectively, Kansas is averaging 62.3 points and has a scoring margin of -3.7. The Jayhawks are shooting 38.1 percent from the field and 28.5 percent from the 3-point line.

Kansas remains one of the league’s best defensive teams, holding its opponents to shooting 38.2 percent from the field for the season, which is third in the league. The Jayhawks are also third in the Big 12 in 3-point field goal percentage defense, keeping their opponents to connecting on just 30.6 percent of their long-range attempts during the 2017-18 campaign. KU has held its opponents to 66.0 points per game, which is fifth-lowest in the league.

Scouting the Lady Bears
Baylor enters Saturday’s meeting with a perfect 14-0 record in Big 12 play. On the season, the Lady Bears are 24-1 with their only loss at UCLA on Nov. 18. Since the road loss, BU has won 21 games in a row. Baylor sits on top of the league standings and is the lone school with an undefeated mark in conference action. 

Junior center Kalani Brown is averaging a double-double with 20.3 points and 10.1 rebounds, which are both team-high marks and second in the Big 12. She is shooting an impressive 67.0 percent from the field and 76.1 percent from the free throw line. Sophomore forward Lauren Cox has recorded 15.0 points per game and leads the squad with 64 blocked shots. Senior guard Kristy Wallace and senior forward Dekeiya Cohen are netting 12.0 and 11.3 points per game, respectively. Baylor is scoring 86.8 points per game and has a +31.9 scoring margin. The Lady Bears are connecting on 51.5 percent from the field, which is the best field goal percentage in the league. 

The Lady Bears have the top defense in the Big 12 after limiting their opponents to 54.9 points per game and a 31.1 percent field goal percentage. Baylor also leads the conference in rebounding (49.6) and blocked shots (6.6). 

This Day in KU Women’s Basketball History
Record on Feb. 17: 7-5
Kansas owns an 7-5 mark on the 17th day of February and will play for the 13th time in program history on Saturday. In 1995, the Jayhawks notched a last-second victory, 63-61, over Oklahoma State thanks to an Angela Aycock jumper. Aycock led  Kansas with a double-double performance with 18 points and 12 rebounds. 

Series Breakdown
Record
Baylor leads the overall series with the Jayhawks, 28-8.

Overview
KU’s last win over the Lady Bears came in 2014 and since then, BU has won eight-straight matchups with the Jayhawks.

Last Time Out
The Jayhawks remained within 10 points in the first period, but the Lady Bears took control of the game and went on to top Kansas, 83-48, in the first meeting of the 2018 Big 12 slate. Christalah Lyons led the Jayhawks with 15 points, while shooting above 40 percent from the field for the 11th time this season.

Campus Connections
Freshman forward Micaela Wilson and Baylor players Moon Ursin and Kalani Brown all dwell from the state of Louisiana. Six BU players are from Texas, while the Jayhawks have two juniors who hail from the state. Junior guard Christalah Lyons and junior center Chelsea Lott are from Dallas and Fresno, respectively.

Up Next
The Jayhawks play their second-straight game against a ranked opponent when they face No. 21/25 Oklahoma State on Wednesday, Feb. 21 at 7 p.m., inside Allen Fieldhouse. The game will be broadcast on the Jayhawk Television Network/ ESPN3 and the Jayhawk Radio Network.
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