🏀 GAME PREVIEW: at Saint Louis
LAWRENCE, Kan. – The Kansas women’s basketball team is set to travel to St. Louis, MO, to take on Saint Louis on Sunday, Dec. 22, in Chaifetz Arena at 1 p.m.
GAME INFORMATION:
Kansas at Saint Louis
Date/Time: Sunday, Dec. 22 at 1 p.m. (CT)
Where: Chaifetz Arena (St. Louis, Mo.)
Listen: Jayhawk Radio Network
Watch: ESPN+
TIP-OFF
- After the 86-81 win over Saint Mary’s (CA), head coach Brandon Schneider is one win away from reaching 450 wins as a head coach in his career.
- Kansas and Saint Louis have faced each other five times prior to Sunday. The last meeting was Sunday, Nov. 23, 2008, where KU defeated Saint Louis, 75-56. The Jayhawks won four of the five games played against the Billikens.
- Through nine games, six players are averaging double-figure points. Sophomore guard Aniya Thomas leads the Jayhawks with 12.7 points per game and sophomore guard Brooklyn Mitchell follows close behind with 12.1ppg. Freshman guard Holly Kersgieter (11.7), senior forward Mariane De Carvalho (11.6), freshman guard Zakiyah Franklin (11.2) and junior forward Tina Stephens (11.1) rounds out the last four to average double digits.
- After KU’s 86-81 win over Saint Mary’s on Sunday, Dec. 15, Kansas is 9-0 on the season making the Jayhawks one of 11 teams still undefeated in DI women’s basketball. KU and Texas Tech are the two remaining teams undefeated in the Big 12.
- Sophomore guard Brooklyn Mitchell scored a career-high 24 points on 9-of-17 (52.9%) shooting from the field and 3-of-6 (50%) from beyond the arc against Saint Mary’s.
- Senior forward Mariane De Carvalho finished with 16 points on 6-of-12 (50%) from the field and hit 3-of-6 (50%) from the three-point line against Saint Mary’s.
- Against Saint Mary’s, Kansas forced 19 turnovers in the game and scored 28 points off the turnovers.
SCOUTING THE BILLIKENS
The Billikens come into the contest 7-3 on the season and are 4-0 when playing at home. Saint Louis is coming off a 61-56 win over Illinois State.
Head coach Lisa Stone has a career record of 632-342 as a head coach and a 129-105 record at Saint Louis coming into Allen Fieldhouse.
Saint Louis is averaging 61 points a game on 38.5% from the field and 34.1% from beyond the arc. On the boards the Billikens average 39.8 rebounds a game and dish out 12.2 assists per contest.
Pacing Saint Louis has been sophomore guard Ciaja Harbison who is averaging 14.1 points a game on 38.1% shooting and 3.2 assists. Behind Harbison, senior Kendra Wilken averages 11.7 points on 55.1% shooting from the field and 7.4 rebounds.
LAST TIME OUT
Sophomore guard, Brooklyn Mitchell, posted a career-high 24 points as Kansas battled to an 86-81 win over Saint Mary’s Sunday afternoon inside Allen Fieldhouse. Five Jayhawks joined Mitchell scoring in double-digits.
A 12-0 start by the Gaels put the Jayhawks in a deficit early in the first quarter. Saint Mary’s saw a 10-point lead late in the first, but the Jayhawks went on to tie the game, 19-19 at the end of the quarter. Despite the slow start, Kansas led Saint Mary’s heading into the half, 41-34.
While the Gaels outscored the Jayhawks 21-17 in the third, it was the fourth quarter that pushed KU to victory. In the final two minutes of action, sophomore guard, Thomas hit a three-pointer to cut the Gaels’ lead to two points. A layup by De Carvalho tied the game at 79-79 with one minute left to go in the contest. At the 32 second mark, Thomas would sink a clutch triple to give KU the lead for good. After a couple of trips to the free-throw line, the Jayhawks closed the game with an 86-81 victory.
UP NEXT:
The Jayhawks will be back in Allen Fieldhouse for its final home game before hitting the conference schedule against Wofford on Monday, Dec. 30, at 7 p.m.
