🏀 Horned Frogs Outlast Jayhawks in Overtime

FORT WORTH, Texas. – The Kansas Jayhawks took TCU to overtime Sunday afternoon at Schollmaier Arena, but fell to the Horned Frogs 81-78 in the extra session.

Kansas dropped to 5-4 on the season and 1-2 in Big 12 play. TCU improved to 6-5 and 1-5 in the league.

The Jayhawks had five players score in double figures in the entertaining game, led by sophomore Holly Kersgieter’s 16 points and nine rebounds. Zakiyah Franklin added 13 points and four assists, while Julie Brosseau had 11 points and Chisom Ajekwu and Tina Stephens each had 10 points.

The Jayhawks trailed by 10 after the opening quarter, but quickly cut into the Horned Frogs lead in the second quarter. Kansas cut it to six at 25-19 less than two minutes into the second quarter thanks to back-to-back layups from Ajekwu.

It turned into a five-point game with six minutes to go in the first half on a Stephens jumper. TCU responded with a mini-run of its own and got the lead back up to nine with less than two minutes before halftime.

The Jayhawks cut into the lead right before the break on an Emma Merriweater layup and a Franklin free throw to make the score 36-30 at the half. Kansas relied on its rebounding to battle with TCU in the first half, outrebounding the Horned Frogs 26-18 in the game’s first 20 minutes.

Kansas continued to cut into the lead in the third quarter. Kersgieter scored two baskets in the first 53 seconds of the half to cut the TCU lead to two at 36-34. Kersgieter, who had 20 points and nine rebounds against Texas last time out, was held to just four points in the first half before coming out aggressive in the second.

Aniya Thomas then canned a 3-pointer to make it a one-point game at the 6:43 mark of the third quarter.

TCU stretched its lead back to five with just more than three minutes left in the quarter. But Kansas then picked up the pace with a 3-pointer from Kersgieter and a layup from Franklin to tie the game at 49 with 2:39 left in the quarter.

The Jayhawks then took their first lead since the 6:27 mark of the first quarter when Kersgieter converted an and-one to make it 52-49 Kansas with two minutes to play in the third.

Stephens added a layup to make it 54-49 and cap a 10-0 run for Kansas to end the third quarter and give the visitors a five-point lead heading into the final quarter. All total in the third, Kansas outscored TCU 24-13 and shot 53 percent from the floor, while the Horned Frogs shot just 33 percent at 4-of-12 from the floor.

Kansas made it a 12-0 run when it scored the first basket of the fourth to make it a seven-point game. But TCU tied it up at 58 with 5:25 remaining in regulation to set up the back-and-forth ending. Leading 68-66, TCU tied the game up with less than 10 seconds remaining. Kersgieter had an attempt at a 3-pointer near the buzzer, but it didn’t fall, setting up overtime.

The Horned Frogs grabbed the lead with 3:10 remaining in overtime and never gave it back.

NOTES

  • Five Jayhawks finished with double-digit points – Kersgieter (16), Z. Franklin (13), Brosseau (11), Tina Stephens (10) and Ajekwu (10). The last time Kansas had five players in double figures was against New Mexico State Dec. 29, 2020.
  • Merriweather led the Jayhawks with a career-high 10 rebounds in 17 minutes off the bench.
  • Kansas finished with a 10-0 run to end the third quarter, shooting 53 percent from the floor and outscoring TCU 24-13.

UP NEXT

Kansas will return to action Wednesday, Jan. 20 at 7 p.m. (CT) in Allen Fieldhouse against Texas Tech. The game will be broadcast on the Big 12 Now on ESPN+.