Kansas drops regular season finale at No. 19 Iowa State
AMES, Iowa – Despite staying within single digits for 33 of the 40 minutes, Kansas women’s basketball couldn’t close out an upset over No. 19 Iowa State as the Jayhawks fell, 69-49, on Monday night, inside Hilton Coliseum.
Entering the regular season finale, Kansas got out to a hot start, taking a six-point lead over the nationally-ranked Cyclones just two and a half minutes into the game. The Jayhawks maintained that lead throughout the first period, owning an 18-17 advantage at the end of the first quarter.
A 9-0 Iowa State run gave the Cyclones a 10-point lead at the midway point through the second quarter, but despite being outscored 17-8 in the second period, Kansas trailed by just eight points at the half, 34-26.
Kansas was within seven of Iowa State early in the fourth quarter, but another 9-0 Cyclones run put ISU ahead by 16 and ended KU’s attempt at an upset on the road.
The Jayhawks were led by senior Christalah Lyons with 13 points, while tying her season-best mark of seven rebounds. Senior Austin Richardson contributed 11 points and eight rebounds, while freshman Aniya Thomas added 11 points.
Iowa State had four double-digit scoring performances and two double-double efforts against the Jayhawks. Senior Bridget Carleton led the Cyclones with 20 points and 11 rebounds, while sophomore Kristin Scott added 12 points and 14 rebounds. Freshman Ashley Joens and sophomore Madison Wise chipped in 13 points and 11 points, respectively.
NOTABLES
- The Jayhawks led the Cyclones, 18-17 after the first quarter, marking the first time since Feb. 17 that Kansas had led an opponent after the first 10 minutes of play.
- With 41 rebounds as a team, the Jayhawks have grabbed at least 40 rebounds on seven occasions this season.
- Senior Kylee Kopatich became just the seventh Jayhawk in Kansas history to reach 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 200 steals and 200 assists after hitting the 200 mark in both steals and assists against the Cyclones with three steals and two assists.
- Redshirt-freshman Brittany Franklin tied her career-best seven rebounds for the fourth time this season and the first time since November.
- Freshman Aniya Thomas’ 11 points mark the fifth time this season that she has notched a double-figure scoring effort.
- In three of the last six contests, senior Austin Richardson has grabbed at least eight rebounds.
UP NEXT
The Jayhawks travel to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma for the Big 12 Championship set for March 8-11. The Big 12 Championship will be broadcast on Fox Sports Networks, while all KU matchups will also be broadcast on the Jayhawk Radio Network.
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