🏀 No. 21 Jayhawks Welcome No. 23 Baylor for Top 25 Showdown
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Allen Fieldhouse will be the site of a Top 25 Women’s Basketball showdown for the first time in nearly a decade on Saturday, Jan. 7, as the No. 21 Kansas Jayhawks host the No. 23 Baylor Bears.
Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. CT and the game will be televised on Big 12 NOW, with Brenda VanLengen and Jill Dorsey-Hall on the call. Fans can also listen to the game on the Jayhawk Radio Network from Learfield, with Steven Davis and David Lawrence calling the action.
Kansas is now 12-1 on the year and 2-0 in Big 12 play following a 77-59 victory over Texas Tech on Wednesday in Lawrence. The Jayhawks are now 2-0 in Big 12 play for only the fourth time since the formation of the conference, and first time since 2012-13.
KU has been in the national polls for the last four weeks and the Jayhawks are ranked No. 21 in the Associated Press Top 25 and No. 25 in the USA Today Coaches Poll this week. Baylor is No. 23 in the AP Poll, which makes Saturday’s showdown the first women’s basketball game at Allen Fieldhouse featuring two ranked teams since the No. 17 Jayhawks dropped an 82-60 contest to No. 1 Baylor on January 13, 2013.
Baylor is 11-3 and winners of three straight games as the Bears have opened Big 12 play 2-0 with wins over TCU and No. 17 Oklahoma. All three of Baylor’s defeats have come against nationally-ranked opponents as they lost to No. 19 Maryland, No. 22 Michigan and No. 20 Arizona in non-conference play.
The Jayhawks got 67 points against Texas Tech from the senior trio of Holly Kersgieter, Zakiyah Franklin and Taiyanna Jackson. Kersgieter and Franklin each scored 26 points, marking the first time since December 2016 that KU had a pair of teammates both score at least 25 points.
Kersgieter matched her career-high with five three-pointers and set a new season-high with 26 points against TTU. She’s opened Big 12 play with back-to-back games scoring 20+ points, a feat she’s accomplished for the first time. Franklin matched Kersgieter with 26 points for her third game with 25+ points in the past four. She’s now averaging 15.5 points per game for the year and has a team-leading four games with 20+ points this season.
Jackson was named the Big 12 Player of the Week on Tuesday and followed that award with 15 points and 18 rebounds against Tech. She’s third in the nation with 12.6 rebounds per game for the year, while averaging 16.0 points, 18.5 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game in Big 12 play.
Tickets
Single-game and season tickets for the 2022-23 Kansas Women’s Basketball season are on-sale now. For as low as $80, fans can lock in seats for the year, with single-game tickets ranging from $8-$15. To purchase today, visit KUAthletics.com or call 800-34-HAWKS.
Up Next
The Jayhawks hit the road next week for a pair of conference road trips. KU will first visit Austin, Texas, on Tuesday, Jan. 10, to face Texas in a game that tips off at 7 p.m. CT on Longhorn Network.
