LAWRENCE, Kan. – Four Jayhawks scored in double figures as Kansas women’s basketball defeated Central Arkansas 69-48 on Saturday evening inside Allen Fieldhouse.
Kansas extended its winning streak to three, improving to 6-4 on the season, while Central Arkansas fell to 6-5.
Ryan Cobbins and Zakiyah Franklin scored 11 points apiece to lead the Jayhawks, while Taiyanna Jackson and S’Mya Nichols added 10 points each. For Jackson, she recorded her sixth double-double of the season and 33rd of her Kansas career by adding 11 rebounds.
Cobbins and Franklin also both reached career milestones in the game.
For Cobbins, a fifth-year player in her first season at Kansas, she pulled down her 500th career rebound in the first half before scoring her 1,000th career point during the fourth quarter.
“I’m really excited for Ryan,” Kansas head coach Brandon Schneider said postgame. “I know the decision for her to come here for her fifth year wasn’t an easy one. She plays a position that was a real need for us and it’s great to see her having such an impact on our team and then also be rewarded with the individual accomplishment.”
With her 11 points, Franklin passed Crystal Kemp (2002-06) for 10th on KU’s all-time scoring list. Franklin has scored 1,645 career points in her time at Kansas and she joins Holly Kersgieter in the Top-10 in career scoring. Kersgieter is ninth on the list with 1,666 career points.
Kansas now has four players on its current roster who have scored more than 1,000 career points, with Cobbins joining Kersgieter, Franklin and Wyvette Mayberry.
The Jayhawks scored the first seven points of the game on the strength of two Franklin three-pointers and KU led 10-2 just over three minutes into the game. Central Arkansas answered, using a 7-0 run of their own to tie the game at 12-12 before Laia Conesa recorded her first points as a Jayhawk, scoring the last four points of the quarter to give Kansas a 16-12 lead.
A 10-4 spurt by the Jayhawks to open the second quarter put KU up 10 for the first time in the game at 26-16. During that run, Cobbins pulled down her 500th career rebound and immediately laid it back in for her first basket of the game. The Jayhawks pushed their advantage as high as 11 in the first half and settled for a 10-point advantage of 34-24 at the break.
After the Sugar Bears scored the first points of the second half with a layup, Kansas responded with an 8-0 run off of three-straight makes to extend the lead to 42-26. A defensive steal by Paris Gaines pushed the Jayhawks downcourt, and Cobbins connected on a three, extending the lead to 47-29 with 5:16 left in the third. Kansas continued to roll, holding Central Arkansas scoreless for the last 2:05 of the quarter as they doubled up the Sugar Bears 20-10 in the third to take a 54-34 lead into the last period.
With 8:46 left in the game, Cobbins reached her season high with 11 points, which also met the 1,000-point milestone for her career. The Jayhawks would keep Central Arkansas scoreless until they hit a three-pointer at 6:04 in the fourth. UCA would only score two more baskets in the fourth as Kansas pushed ahead for the 21-point victory.
Next Up
Kansas will continue its three-game home stretch on Wednesday, Dec. 20, at Allen Fieldhouse. It will be the last non-conference game for KU before heading into Big 12 play. Last season, Kansas split a pair of games between Nebraska, ultimately defeating the Huskers in the third round of the WNIT.
