LAWRENCE, Kan. — Zakiyah Franklin matched her career high of 26 points and the Jayhawks received double-doubles from Ioanna Chatzileonti and Taiyanna Jackson to earn an 81-62 victory and a perfect 10-0 record to begin the season. The 10-0 mark to start the season matches the third-best start to a season and the fourth time ever to begin 10-0 in school history.
Chatzileonti recorded her first double-double of the season and the fifth of her career with season highs of 13 points and 12 rebounds. Meanwhile, Jackson notched her sixth double-double of the year with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
After an 11-11 start to the game, Kansas went on a 9-0 run over the next 1:51 of the contest. The run included a jumper by Franklin with 3:00 remaining in the period to give her 1,100 career points. Franklin finished the quarter with 11 points, including three three-pointers.
The Jayhawks held a 25-17 lead at the end of the first quarter, finishing the period on a 15-6 run over the final 4:14 seconds.
Tulsa would answer back to begin the second quarter. The Golden Hurricane went on a 15-1 run to take a 32-26 lead. The teams traded baskets the remainder of the quarter and ended with a Mayberry basket at the buzzer. Tulsa led 39-34 at the break.
Kansas was held to only nine points in the second quarter, which marked a season low. The deficit at half was the first of the season for the Jayhawks.
KU flipped the script in the third quarter. A 12-0 run over a stretch of four-plus minutes gave the Jayhawks a lead that they would not relinquish the rest of the way. Kansas outscored Tulsa by 14 points in the third quarter and held a 59-50 edge heading into the fourth.
The Jayhawks continued to extend their lead, eventually building the advantage to a game-high 19 points on a free throw by Franklin. The free throw got Franklin to 26 points to tie her career high.
Kansas was dominant on the boards, outrebounding Tulsa 54-28. The Jayhawks also shot 86.4 percent (19-of-22) from the free throw line and 40.0 percent (6-of-15) from beyond the arc.
Up Next
Kansas concludes non-conference play on Wednesday, Dec. 21, with a visit to Lincoln, Neb., to face former conference foe Nebraska. That game will tip off at 6 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on Big Ten Network+.
NOTES
Senior Zakiyah Franklin scored 26 points, tying her career-high (vs. Iowa State, 2/17/21) and surpassing 1,100 points scored in her career. Her 26 points were the most points scored by a Jayhawk this season. She also hit a season-high three three-point field goal’s.
Junior Ioanna Chatzileonti scored a season-high 13 points and corralled a season-high 12 rebounds in 34 minutes, leading to her first double-double of the season and fifth of her career.
Senior Chandler Prater scored 13 points, scoring her first three-pointer of the season with 3:45 minutes to go in the fourth. She also shot a perfect 4-of-4 from the charity stripe.
Senior Taiyanna Jackson finished the night with 17 points and 11 rebounds, earning her sixth double-double of the season and 10th of her career. Jackson has scored in double-figures in all but one game this season (vs. Wichita State, 12/11/22).
