Jayhawks Begin Two-Game Homestand with TCU

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas women’s basketball returns to Allen Fieldhouse looking to snap its three-game losing streak as TCU comes to Lawrence on Wednesday, Jan. 14, at 7 p.m. The game marks the start of a two-game homestand for the Jayhawks (9-7, 0-3), who welcome Baylor three days later to Lawrence. KU’s matchup with the Horned Frogs (10-4, 2-1) will air on the Jayhawk Television Network/ESPN3 and the Jayhawk Radio Network.  
 
ABOUT THE JAYHAWKS
Kansas is 9-2 in the comforts of Allen Fieldhouse in 2014-15 and suffered just its second loss at home in its last outing in Lawrence on Jan. 7 against Oklahoma, 69-57. The Jayhawks are looking to get back to their winning ways on their home court and snap their four-game Big 12 losing streak that dates back to final game of the 2014 Big 12 Championship.
 
Senior forward Chelsea Gardner is averaging a team-high 15.3 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, while shooting 52.4 percent from the field. Gardner started the season scoring double figures in the first 10 contests, but has alternated double-digit and single-figure scoring efforts the past six games. Senior guard Natalie Knight has stayed consistent for the Jayhawks connecting on 42.7 percent of her shots from beyond the arc. She is second the team with 12.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.
 
Freshmen guards Lauren Aldridge and Chayla Cheadle are making an early impact in KU’s lineup and are averaging 7.3 and 7.6 points, respectively. Aldridge has started every game this season at point and is fifth in the conference in assists per game with 4.2 and second on the roster in minutes played (502) behind Knight (509). In the Jayhawks’ last outing, Cheadle led the squad with 15 points at Kansas State (1/11).  Sophomore forward Jada Brown is the final member of Kansas’ starting five. The Las Vegas, Nevada, native is grabbing 3.6 rebounds per contest, which is tied for fourth-best on the team. She is also averaging 2.3 points per game in 16 starts.
 
The Jayhawks are averaging 64.2 points per game with a +5.8 scoring margin over their opponents.  KU is shooting 43.3 percent from the field, while holding its opponents to shooting 35.2 percent. Kansas has connected on 38.2 percent of its attempts from the three-point line, which is the second-best mark in the Big 12. The Jayhawks are averaging 37.7 rebounds, 14.4 assists, 6.1 steals and 4.4 blocks per game.
 
KANSAS FAST BREAKS
• Three or more Jayhawks have netted double-figure scoring performances in 11 of Kansas’ 16 games this season. KU had four reach double-digit scoring in three-straight games and in a total of six contests. Senior Chelsea Gardner has scored 10 or more points in 13-of-16 games in 2014-15, while senior Natalie Knight has also contributed double figures in 13 of the Jayhawks’ 16 games this year.
• For the first time in nearly 14 years, the Jayhawks shot 67 percent from three-point range on a minimum of 10 attempts against Incarnate Word (12/4), connecting on 8-of-12 shots from beyond the arc. It marked the highest completion rate from three since Dec. 2, 2000, when Kansas went 8-for-11 (72.7 percent) against St. Joseph in Allen Fieldhouse. KU followed that with a 7-for-11 effort from the three-point line against then-No. 10 Cal (12/7).
• KU has limited its opponents to 35.2 percent shooting from the field. The Jayhawks have held three opponents to less than 30 percent shooting, including holding the Cal Golden Bears to 25 percent from the field. Cal averaged 90 points coming into the match-up and KU kept the Bears under 40 points.
• Kansas’ all-time record is 779-557 while the program has an all-time conference record of 237-252. Head coach Bonnie Henrickson is 338-223 all-time and 180-161 at KU.
• Gardner, a Preseason All-Big 12 selection, joined the 1,000-point club after scoring 24 points in the season opener against South Dakota (11/16).  Natalie Knight has 888 career points and needs 112 more to join Gardner in the 1,000-point club, which she is on pace to reach by the end of February. It would mark the first time since 2012-13 that multiple Jayhawks have reached the 1,000-point milestone in the same season.
• Gardner has four double-doubles after 16 games this season and is fourth in the Big 12 Conference. She posted a Big 12-leading 13 double-doubles last year. Gardner’s 13 double-doubles were the most by a Jayhawk in a single season since Shyra Holden had 14 in 1978-79.
• Gardner has scored 20 or more points in four of Kansas’ 16 games, including a season-high 30 against Alabama (11/22). Gardner has netted double figures in 30 of her last 33 games.
 
SCOUTING THE HORNED FROGS
TCU travels to Lawrence with two-straight wins after defeating Oklahoma State, 70-66, and erasing a 24-point deficit against Iowa State to win, 86-84. The Horned Frogs’ lone Big 12 loss came at Texas Tech, 52-37. TCU is led by first-year head coach Raegan Pebley, who took over the Horned Frog women’s basketball program after Jeff Mittie left for Kansas State. TCU was selected to finish seventh in league play with 33 votes.
 
Junior guard Zahna Medley leads TCU’s offensive charge with 16.3 points per game, which is the third-best average in the Big 12. Medley, who was named the Phillips 66 Big 12 Player of the Week for the week of Jan. 12, averaged 19.0 points and shot 50 percent from the field in TCU’s pair of victories last week. She also leads the team in assists with 45. Senior forward Chelsea Prince is grabbing a team-high 6.2 boards per game and is second on the team in scoring, averaging 10.9 pointer per contest.
 
The Horned Frogs are shooting 39.8 percent from the field and 32.8 percent from the three-point line. TCU has three players shooting above 45 percent from the field. Defensively, TCU is averaging 36.9 rebounds, 10.6 steals and 3.8 blocks per game. Opponents are connecting on 41.7 percent of their shots and shooting nearly 35 percent from beyond the arc. The Horned Frogs are averaging 17.1 turnovers per contest.
 
SERIES BREAKDOWN
Record
Kansas leads the young series, 4-2, after just six meetings.
 
Overview
The Jayhawks have faced TCU once outside of Big 12 play, when the series began in 2009. The Horned Frogs won the series-opening contest, 74-69. Kansas won three-straight games over TCU before the Horned Frogs ended the streak last season with a come-from-behind win in Fort Worth, 52-50. KU won the second meeting, 62-53, to split the series in 2013-14. 
 
Last Time Out
Kansas defeated TCU the last timeout on Feb. 12 in Allen Fieldhouse, 62-53, behind a team-best 16 points from guard Natalie Knight. Of Knight’s 16 points, 12 came from beyond the arc as she made a game-high four three-point shots. Forward Chelsea Gardner grabbed a team-high 16 boards in the Jayhawk victory and contributed 13 points. KU shot 41 percent from the field, while holding the Horned Frogs to 29 percent shooting.
 
THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
Kansas is set to play 19 games in the comfort of Allen Fieldhouse in 2014-15, 11 of which come during the non-conference slate. KU is off to a 9-2 start at home this season, while the Jayhawks compiled a 9-8 mark in Allen Fieldhouse in 2013-14. KU has a record of 130-60 (.686) in Allen Fieldhouse under head coach Bonnie Henrickson and an all-time home record of 404-161 (.715).
 
A KNIGHT’S TALE
Senior Natalie Knight has had a consistent presence on the hardwood for the Jayhawks since she first stepped on to the court as a freshman in 2011. Knight is one game away from her 100th career start in the Crimson and Blue. She has started every game played since she arrived in Lawrence except the final 15 games of the 2012-13 season when she suffered a knee injury. The Olathe, Kansas native has played 3,210 minutes in her career and averages 31.8 minutes per game. During her senior season, Knight is averaging 12.4 points and 5.4 rebounds. She has shot 50 percent or better from the three-point line in nine of KU’s 16 contests. She recorded her first double-double with 13 points and a career-best 15 rebounds against Arkansas State (12/14).
 
THREE’S COMPANY
Senior guard Natalie Knight was among the top-10 three-point shooters in the Big 12 during the 2013-14 season. Last year, she shot 40.9 percent from beyond the arc, which was the best percentage in the league. In 2014-15, Knight is shooting 42.7 percent from the three-point line, which is once again one of the top percentages in the conference. She has shot 50 percent or higher from behind the arc in nine of KU’s 16 contests, including a season-high 74 percent (3-of-4) against then-No. 1 Notre Dame (11/30), then-No. 10 Cal (12/7) and Incarnate Word (12/4). In her career, Knight is shooting 39.4 percent, which is currently the second-best three-point average in KU women’s basketball history.
 
For the first time in nearly 14 years, the Jayhawks shot 67 percent from three-point range on a minimum of 10 attempts against Incarnate Word (12/4), connecting on 8-of-12 shots from beyond the arc. It marked the highest completion rate from three since Dec. 2, 2000, when Kansas went 8-for-11 (72.7 percent) against St. Joseph in Allen Fieldhouse.
 
JAYHAWKS FACE TOURNAMENT TESTED OPPONENTS
Kansas faces 14 opponents that advanced to the postseason last season, which is two more than the previous season. KU’s non-conference schedule included three conference champions and seven squads that reached the 20-win plateau. Kansas has a 4-5 record after facing seven programs that appeared in the 2014 postseason.
 
A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN
After 16 games during the 2014-15 campaign, Kansas has several players among the top of Big 12 statistical categories. Senior Chelsea Gardner is fifth in the league in scoring (15.3), fifth in rebounds (7.4) and sixth in field goal percentage (52.4). Gardner is also third in the Big 12 in blocks per game (2.1). Senior Natalie Knight is second in the conference in three-point field goal percentage (42.7). Freshman Lauren Aldridge is No. 5 in assists per game (4.2). Knight is right behind her with 3.8 assists per game, good for sixth in the league. The Jayhawks are second in the league in three-point percentage (38.2).
 
A SPARK OFF THE BENCH
The Jayhawks bench is providing a spark offensively in 2014-15 and are averaging 19.1 points per game. Kansas’ bench has scored in double figures in 14 of KU’s 16 games this year, including a season-high 49 against Iona (11/30). KU’s bench has scored 20 or more points on six occasions. Senior Asia Boyd is one of the first players head coach Bonnie Henrickson calls upon off the bench and she is the third leading scorer with 9.5 points per game.
 
UP NEXT
The Jayhawks continue their stretch of home games with No. 5 Baylor on Saturday, Jan. 17 at 2 p.m., inside Allen Fieldhouse. It marks the second top-five opponent for KU in past five contests. The game will air on the Jayhawk Television Network/ESPN3 and the Jayhawk Radio Network.
 
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