LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas women’s basketball looks to bounce back from its first defeat of the 2023-24 season when the Jayhawks head to Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri, to face Kansas City on Saturday, Nov. 18.
Tipoff is set for 3:30 p.m. CT and the game will be streamed on KUAthletics.com. Audio on the broadcast will be provided by the Jayhawk Radio Network from Learfield, with Steven Davis calling the action.
The Jayhawks head to Kansas City with a 1-1 record on the year following a 91-85 defeat at Penn State on Nov. 13. Kansas had four players score in double figures, led by Holly Kersgieter with 24 points, while Taiyanna Jackson added 18 points and eight rebounds.
This is KU’s second of four consecutive games away from Allen Fieldhouse and the first of three straight which will be played at a neutral site. Kansas has won two straight and eight of its last nine games against Kansas City, with each of those games being played in Lawrence.
Kansas City is 1-2 on the year and coming off back-to-back two-point losses at UTEP and against Utah State, both of which came by the exact same score of 62-60. The Roos, who were picked to finish ninth in Summit League this season, opened the year with a 73-66 win over Bradley.
Kansas has been led by its four returning starters this season, while each player in the starting five is scoring in double figures. Unanimous Preseason All-Big selection Taiyanna Jackson is averaging 16.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.5 blocked shots per game while shooting 65.2% (15-23) from the field. On Nov. 14, Jackson was named to the Wooden Award Watch List, her third preseason watch list. She’s also been recognized by the Naismith Award and the Lisa Leslie Award.
Holly Kersgieter led the Jayhawks with 24 points at Penn State, which gives her exactly 1,600 career points. Kersgieter, who is 10th in career scoring at Kansas, is currently KU’s leading scorer at 20.5 points per game. Wyvette Mayberry is third on the team in scoring, averaging 13.0 points per game while hitting 5-of-9 three-pointers this season. Mayberry surpassed the 1,000-point milestone for her career in KU’s season-opening victory over Northwestern State.
Zakiyah Franklin totaled 17 points at Penn State and she’s averaging 11.5 points and 4.0 assists per game this season. Franklin became KU’s all-time leader in minutes played during the season opener against Northwestern State, then surpassed 4,000 career minutes during the game at Penn State. Kansas freshman S’Mya Nichols set a new career-high with 14 points against Penn State. She is averaging 10.5 points, 3.0 assists and 2.5 rebounds per game.
Up Next
Kansas heads to George Town, Cayman Islands next week for the Cayman Islands Classic, where the Jayhawks will meet a pair of highly ranked non-conference opponents. KU will play No. 9 Virginia Tech on Nov. 24, before facing No. 8 UConn on Nov. 25.
