Jayhawks fall to West Virginia on Senior Night
LAWRENCE, Kan. – On a day celebrating the Jayhawk seniors, Kansas women’s basketball couldn’t complete its fourth quarter comeback attempt, falling to West Virginia, 71-59, on Saturday night inside Allen Fieldhouse.
The Jayhawks (12-16, 2-15 Big 12) were able to stay within single digits for the first quarter, never letting WVU’s lead grow larger than nine. However, Kansas scored just nine points in the second quarter, as KU trailed West Virginia, 40-24, after 20 minutes of play with 22 of its 24 points coming from the senior class.
Despite Kansas outscoring the Mountaineers, 25-17, in the fourth quarter, WVU held off the Jayhawks down the stretch to clinch the victory.
Kansas was led by the senior duo of Christalah Lyons and Kylee Kopatich, who each finished with 17 points. Lyons dished out five assists and three steals, while Kopatich added four steals. The Kansas seniors combined for 48 of the Jayhawks’ 61 points.
The Mountaineers (20-8, 11-6 Big 12) were led by four players, who notched double digits. Senior Naomi Davenport posted a team best 19 points, followed by redshirt-junior Tynice Martin’s 13 points. Freshman Kari Niblack and senior Katrina Pardee chipped in 11 points each.
QUOTES
Head Coach Brandon Schneider
Opening statement:
“Obviously disappointed in the result, but not at all disappointed in the effort our players gave. I think in particular in the fourth quarter. I thought they showed a lot of fight. I believe we forced 10 or 11 turnovers in the fourth quarter. I’m so proud of how they represented themselves, particularly our seniors.
On the mark the senior class is making, what he will remember down the road about this class:
“Their character. The bond they formed. It’s going to be a lifetime thing for them, that’s how close they are. We never had to be gimmicky with them, they really approached even these last six weeks with a great deal of maturity. Continuing to show up every day, to work hard and get better. They had great attitudes. I think that says a lot about them. We didn’t have to trick them to stay engaged, they were that way on their own.”
NOTABLES
- After scoring six triples tonight, Kansas has made 190 3-pointers this season, which is the third-most in a single season in KU history. The Jayhawks are just nine treys away from having the second-most threes in Kansas history.
- For the 10th time this season, senior Christalah Lyons dished out at least five assists in a game.
- With four steals on the night, senior Kylee Kopatich is now just three steals away from moving into 10th in the Kansas record book with 198 career steals to date.
- Senior Austin Richardson fell just one point and one rebound shy of notching her fourth double-double of the season, ending the night with nine points and nine rebounds.
- Richardson’s nine rebounds mark the seventh time this season that she has had at least eight boards in a game.
UP NEXT
The Jayhawks close out the regular season at No. 20 Iowa State on Monday, March 4 at 6:30 p.m., inside Hilton Coliseum. The game will be broadcast on the Cyclone.TV and the Jayhawk Radio Network.
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