Super Jayhawks to Defend Allen Fieldhouse from Cowgirls

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas women’s basketball will host its annual Superhero Day inside Allen Fieldhouse when the Jayhawks host Oklahoma State on Sunday, Jan. 24, at 2 p.m. The game will be broadcast on the Jayhawk Television and the Jayhawk Radio Network.
 
AROUND THE GYM
Children under 13 that attend the game dressed as their favorite superhero will receive $3 admission and may partake in a superhero parade during halftime. All fans will receive a superhero mask. Superheroes of all ages can enjoy the fun zone and the Batmobile will be on site for photos and tours, weather permitting. For more information on Superhero Day, log on to KUAthletics.com.
 
ABOUT THE JAYHAWKS
The Jayhawks (5-13, 0-7 Big 12) face Oklahoma State on Jan. 24 at 2 p.m., on Superhero Day inside Allen Fieldhouse. In their last outing, Kansas fell to Kansas State in the Sunflower Showdown, 59-46. A 13-point first half on 13.6 percent shooting from the field left the home team trailing by 14 points at the break. Kansas drained eight three-pointers in the second half, but it was not enough to mount a comeback against Kansas State, which shot 57 percent from the field over the final 20 minutes of play. The Jayhawks look to end a nine-game losing streak and earn their first conference victory this season when hosting the Cowgirls Sunday. 
 
Redshirt junior guard Timeka O’Neal made her third-straight start in Wednesday’s game, and took advantage with a team-high nine points. All of O’Neal’s scoring came in the second half, with three long-range buckets. O’Neal went 3-of-7 from the field, with all of her attempts coming from beyond the arc, and continues to be one of the most accurate three-point shooters in the Big 12, making 40.4 percent of her attempts.
 
Freshman forward Tyler Johnson made an impact off the bench against the Wildcats, playing a career-high 24 minutes and logging eight points and four rebounds. Johnson has now averaged 23 minutes per game over the last three contests, and Coach Schneider is starting to favor the Leavenworth, Kansas product in the post.
 
Wednesday’s contest marked the first time this season that no Jayhawk reached double-figure scoring. Sophomore guard Chayla Cheadle grabbed a career-high three steals, and added eight points, three assists and three rebounds for a well-rounded game. Sophomore guard Lauren Aldridge connected on one field goal, a buzzer-beating triple at the end of the third quarter, and dished out three assists to tie Cheadle for the team high.
 
Kansas has dropped seven-straight contests against the Cowgirls, with the last victory coming in Stillwater on Jan. 18 of 2012, by a score of 65-60. The Jayhawks’ most recent win over Oklahoma State inside Allen Fieldhouse came on Jan. 22 of 2006, in a dominating 66-46 victory.
 
SCOUTING THE COWGIRLS
Oklahoma State is 14-4 on the season and 4-3 in the Big 12 after a 79-76 overtime thriller against Iowa State on Wednesday night. A four-point comeback in the fourth quarter forced Oklahoma State’s first extra period of the season, where the Cowgirls ultimately prevailed to split the season series with the Cyclones. Oklahoma State holds a 1-2 record in conference road games heading into Sunday’s matchup with the Jayhawks.
 
The Cowgirls finished last season tied for the third-best record in the Big 12 at 9-9, and are picked to finish eighth in the conference this year by the coaches’ preseason poll. Last season, Oklahoma State finished with a 20-12 overall record and earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament before falling to Florida Gulf Coast in the first round by a score of 75-67. The Cowgirls are led by senior guard Brittney Martin, who was selected to the Preseason All-Big 12 First Team after being a unanimous All-Big 12 selection a year ago.
 
Martin is the Big 12’s most prolific scorer this season, averaging 21.3 points per game. No other player in the league is averaging more than 18 points, and her mark currently ranks 19th in the nation. Grabbing a conference-best 10.7 rebounds per contest, Martin is one of only three Big 12 players to currently average a double-double. Martin is dynamic on the defensive end as well, tallying more steals (53) than any other Big 12 player.
 
Senior guard Roddricka Patton dishes out more assists than any other Cowgirl, and is proving to be one of the best in the Big 12 and the nation. After dropping 13 assists in the victory over Iowa State, Patton is now second in the conference and eighth in the country with 7.22 assists per game. The Palestine, Texas native is just behind her teammate Martin in the steals category, logging 2.44 takeaways per game.
 
Through 18 games, Oklahoma State is ranked ninth in the conference in scoring offense, averaging 68.0 points per game. The Cowgirls get things done on the defensive end, allowing the fourth-fewest points among Big 12 teams at just 55.7 points per contest. After Kansas relied on the three-ball for the bulk of its offense against Kansas State, the Jayhawks will face a tough test against Oklahoma State, which is holding opponents to just 27.4 percent shooting from long-distance. The experienced backcourt duo of Martin and Patton is largely responsible for the Cowgirls ranking second in the Big 12 in assists with 17.2 per game, fourth in steals with 8.9 per game and holding the third-best turnover margin at plus-2.1.
 
SERIES BREAKDOWN
Record
The overall series between the Jayhawks and Cowgirls is tied, 31-31.
 
Overview
Kansas looks to snap its seven-game skid against Oklahoma State that began in 2012. KU won 11 of the first 14 meetings between the two programs, a series that began in 1976.  The Jayhawks are 13-13 when hosting OSU inside Allen Fieldhouse.
 
Last Time Out
Three Jayhawks posted 10 or more points, including senior guard Natalie Knight, who had her second-straight game with 20 or more points, as Kansas dropped a another battle against Oklahoma State, 80-76. It was a one-point game with just under five minutes to play. The contest had been close for the 35 minutes leading up to this point, as neither team ever led by double digits. After 10 lead changes, Kansas couldn’t seal the final lead.
 
THIS DAY IN KU WOMEN’S BASKETBALL HISTORY
Record on Jan. 24: 4-8
Kansas women’s basketball will play on the 24th day of January for the 13th time in program history. The first meeting on Jan. 24 was in 1975 against Kansas State, while the last was against West Virginia in 2015. Last year, Chelsea Gardner posted a 20-point, 20-rebound performance, a feat that hadn’t been accomplished in 33 seasons, as she led the charge over West Virginia, 65-59. The DeSoto, Texas native already had 10 points and eight rebounds by the end of the first half on her way to totaling the most rebounds in a game by a Kansas player since 2012.
 
TOUGH AND TOGETHER
First-year head coach Brandon Schneider has brought a “tough and together” culture to Allen Fieldhouse and Kansas women’s basketball. The Jayhawks begin end every practice with t and t, which is short for tough and together. Schneider has vowed that his squads will compete and play together every day. Whether the Jayhawks are hitting the floor, flying over the scorers’ table or passing to a teammate, they will play tough and together.
 
THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS
The Jayhawks are the only team in the Big 12 without a senior on their roster. In fact, Kansas will not face another team during the regular season that does not have at least one senior on its squad. The last time a Kansas roster did not include a senior was the 2002-03 season. The Jayhawks, along with West Virginia, boast the most underclassmen on their respective rosters with 10 each.  
 
UP NEXT
Following a short two-game home stand, Kansas heads south for its second match-up with Texas on Wednesday, Jan. 27. The final game of the 2016 series with the Longhorns is slated for 7 p.m., inside the Frank Erwin Center. The game will air live on the Longhorn Network and the Jayhawk Radio Network.
 
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