LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas Women’s Basketball visits a long-time conference rival on Saturday, Jan. 21, as the Jayhawks head to Ames, Iowa to face No. 18 Iowa State.
Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. CT and the game will be televised on Big 12 NOW, with B.J. Schaben and Chelsea Poppens on the call. Fans can also listen to the game on the Jayhawk Radio Network from Learfield, with Steven Davis calling the action.
Kansas brings momentum into the game following a come-from-behind 77-58 victory over West Virginia on Wednesday, Jan. 18. The Jayhawks overcame a 14-point halftime deficit to get the win after scoring 57 points in the second half, a new season-high for points in a half.
The victory over West Virginia snapped a three-game slide for the Jayhawks, who are now 13-4 on the year and 3-3 in Big 12 Conference play. KU is one of eight teams in the Big 12 that has a league record at or above .500 six games into conference play.
Zakiyah Franklin and Wyvette Mayberry led the Jayhawks with 19 points apiece against West Virginia. It was the third double-figure scoring game of league play for Franklin, who also set a new season-high with seven assists. Mayberry has scored 19 or more points now in three of the past five games, improving her scoring average to 10.9 points per game for the year.
Taiyanna Jackson recorded her 11th double-double of the season and 15th of her career with 13 points and 16 rebounds against WVU. Jackson added three blocked shots, giving her 146 for her career. She needs four blocks to move into third place on KU’s career list.
Holly Kersgieter scored 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds against WVU. With her offensive output, she moved up to 16th on KU’s career scoring list and took over the team lead in scoring at 15.1 points per game.
Iowa State will be the fourth ranked team that Kansas has faced this season and third in the past five games. The Jayhawks defeated No. 12 Arizona, 77-50, on Dec. 8, before falling to No. 23 Baylor, 75-62, and No. 19 Oklahoma, 80-74, during league play.
No. 18 Iowa State is 12-4 on the year and 4-2 in Big 12 play following a 69-64 victory over Oklahoma State on Jan. 18 in Ames. The Cyclones were the preseason pick to win the conference after going 28-7 and finishing second in the league last season. ISU is led by returning All-American Ashley Joens, who averages 19.1 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. Joens is joined by Lexi Donarski, the reigning Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, and Emily Ryan, who leads the conference in assists.
Iowa State is Kansas’ second-most played opponent in women’s basketball, with 94 meetings between the programs dating back to 1978. The all-time series is deadlocked at 47-47, with ISU on a 15-game win streak in the series. KU’s last victory over the Cyclones came on March 2, 2015, in Lawrence, while the last victory in Ames was on Jan. 28, 2015.
Up Next
Kansas has eight days to prepare for the first installment of the Dillons Sunflower Showdown in 2023 as the Jayhawks will host Kansas State on Kansas Day, Jan. 29. That game will tip off at 5 p.m. CT and be televised nationally on ESPNU.
