LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas Women’s Basketball secured its fourth-consecutive win with a 69-52 victory over Nebraska on Wednesday evening at Allen Fieldhouse.
With the win, Kansas concludes non-conference play with a mark of 7-4, while Nebraska falls to 9-3 on the season.
In defeating the Cornhuskers, the Jayhawks closed out non-conference with four straight wins, improved to 5-0 at home this season and increased their overall winning streak at Allen Fieldhouse to 12-straight games, dating back to last season.
Zakiyah Franklin led the charge for the Jayhawks tonight with 16 points, going 5-9 from the floor and 4-4 from the charity stripe. S’Mya Nichols was next in line with 13 points, while Taiyanna Jackson and Wyvette Mayberry each tabbed 12 points a piece. Jackson led the way on the boards with nine total, notching her 800th career rebound in doing so, while Holly Kersgieter was close behind with eight.
“I thought our energy was really good, particularly in the first half,” Kansas coach Brandon Schneider said after the game. “We outrebounded them in the first half, we defended without fouling, but didn’t quite do that the entire game, in the fourth quarter in particular. I would have liked to see us be consistent and carry that over, but that’s a good win because Nebraska is a good team.”
The game started slowly for both sides, but Kansas was able to get itself out to a 4-0 lead with back-to-back layups from Nichols and Mayberry to open the game. The Jayhawks kept Nebraska scoreless for the first 2:49, but the Huskers scored the next seven points to take a 7-4 lead with 4:53 to play in the quarter.
Kansas answered with a 7-0 run that included two baskets from Jackson and a three-pointer by Franklin that made it 11-7. Nebraska added a fastbreak layup with a minute left, but Kansas was able to hold the Huskers at bay for the rest of the quarter and held an 11-9 lead after 10 minutes of play.
The game was tied at 14-all two minutes into the third quarter when Kansas went on a run to take control of the game. Five different Jayhawks had a basket as KU scored the next 11 points and ended the half on an 18-3 run to lead 32-17 at halftime. Eight different players scored in the quarter, led by Kersgieter with five, including a three-pointer that moved her into sole possession of second place in career threes at KU with 229.
Nebraska tried to rally out of the break with two unanswered buckets, but Mayberry quickly responded with her first three of the game. The next four minutes of the quarter were fairly balanced as both teams traded baskets. Nebraska outscored the Jayhawks 17-14 in the third quarter, but KU still held a steady advantage at 46-34.
The Jayhawks started the fourth on fire with a 7-0 run, which began with another Mayberry three, to take a 53-34. Kansas held Nebraska scoreless for 2:54 before the Huskers knocked down a three that cut KU’s lead to 53-40. From there, the Cornhuskers looked for a late comeback, but it was to no avail. Kansas was able to hold off the visiting squad until the final whistle by shooting 53.8% from the floor in the fourth quarter, while limiting the visitors to 3-of-20 (15.0%) in the final 10 minutes of play.
Next Up
The Jayhawks will conclude their current three-game homestand on Saturday, Dec. 20, when they open Big 12 Conference play against West Virginia. Tipoff from Allen Fieldhouse is set for 12 p.m. CT and the game will be broadcast on Big 12 NOW on ESPN+.
