🏀 GAME PREVIEW: vs. Iowa State
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Coming off its fourth win in conference play of the season, the Kansas women’s basketball team will host Iowa State on Tuesday, March 3, inside Allen Fieldhouse at 7 p.m. CT. The game will be highlighted as Senior Night and can be watched on Big 12 NOW on ESPN+.
GAME INFORMATION:
Kansas vs Iowa State
Date/Time: Tuesday, March 3 at 7 p.m.
Where:Â Allen Fieldhouse (Lawrence, Kan.)
Listen: Jayhawk Radio Network with Jimmy Chavez and David Lawrence.
Watch: Big 12 NOW on ESPN+ with Josh Klingler (play-by-play), Brenda VanLengen (analyst).
TIP-OFF
- With the win over Oklahoma State, 77-69, on Saturday, Feb. 29, Kansas will finish with a .500 record, which is the first time a KU women’s basketball team has had a .500 or better record since the 2012-13 season, when it went 20-14 and appeared in the NCAA Tournament.
- Tuesday’s game against Iowa State will be Senior Night for KU as seniors Mariana De Carvalho and Niccolly Ramalho will be recognized before tip.
- KU leads the all-time series over Iowa State, 47-40. When playing inside Allen Fieldhouse, the Jayhawks are 27-13 over the Cyclones.
- Four games ago, Kanas head coach Brandon Schneider switched up the starting five adding junior Tina Stephens and sophomore Emma Merriweather. KU is now 3-1 with the change.
- The current starting five has four players averaging double-digits per game: sophomore Aniya Thomas (13.0), freshman Zakiyah Franklin (12.4), De Carvalho (10.5) and Stephens (10.3).
- Against Oklahoma State on Feb. 29, Stephens finished with 13 points and tied her career high of 12 rebounds. That marked Stephens’ second-straight double-double and fifth of the season.
- Franklin led the team with 23 points and dished out a career-high eight assists against OSU. Franklin was 7-of-9 (77.8%) from the free-throw line and 8-of-15 (53.3%) from the field, with all of her field goals coming from inside the 3-point line.
- The Jayhawks’ bench outscored the Cowgirls’, 21-0, marking the 19th time outscoring the opponent’s bench this season(?). The KU reserves average 19.2 points (521 points) while the Kansas team has held its opponents’ bench to an average of 15.0 points (406 points).
- Thomas recorded four steals against OSU to tie her career high.
- Franklin and Thomas are both in the top-20 in total points in the Big 12. Thomas ranks 18th with 350 points and Franklin ranks 20th with 335 points this season.
SCOUTING THE CYCLONES
Head coach Bill Fennelly is in his 25th season with Iowa State and has a 521-262 record with the Cyclones. Fennelly has led ISU to 18 NCAA Tournament appearances with three NCAA Sweet 16 visits.
The Cyclones are averaging 73.4 points per game on 42.8% shooting from the field and 34.6% from behind the 3-point line. Both statistics rank third in the Big 12 Conference this season. ISU leads the league in 3-pointers made per game, hitting an average of 8.4 shots from beyond the arc.
Leading Iowa State has been sophomore guard/forward Ashley Joens scoring 21.1 points a game, which tops the Big 12, on 43.4% shooting from the field and she grabs 10.7 rebounds a game. Junior forward/center Kristen Scott follows with 14.2 points per game on 46.4% shooting.
The Cyclones come into the match-up with a 16-11 record on the year. ISU is 1-3 in its last four games and is coming off a win against West Virginia at home, 61-58, on Feb. 29.
LAST TIME OUT
KANSAS 77, OKLAHOMA STATE 69 | SATURDAY, FEB. 29; LAWRENCE, KAN.
The Jayhawks came out firing on all cylinders in the first quarter Saturday evening in Allen Fieldhouse. The team started with a 12-5 run in the opening three minutes of the game against Oklahoma State.
Senior forward Mariane De Carvalho hit a 3-pointer to spark a 16-0 run with 7:52 remaining in the opening quarter and it was capped off by a fast break layup from sophomore Aniya Thomas.
The Cowgirls were able to get within seven points with 3:27 remaining, but junior Tina Stephens hit a 3-pointer to bring the lead back to double digits. The team closed out the remainder of the game thanks to jump shot and two free throws from freshman Zakiyah Franklin.
KU will play its last regular-season game against Kansas State on Sunday, March 8, in Manhattan, Kan. at 7 p.m. CT and can be watched on Big 12 NOW on ESPN+.
