Jayhawks Gear Up for Road Bout With Iowa State

LAWRENCE, Kan. – After posting back-to-back victories last week, Kansas hits the road looking to extend its streak to three-straight wins over Big 12 foes. The Jayhawks head to Ames, Iowa for a tough road test at Iowa State on Wednesday, Jan. 28 at 7 p.m., inside Hilton Coliseum. The contest marks the first meeting between KU and the Cyclones this season and will air on the Jayhawk Radio Network.
 
ABOUT THE JAYHAWKS
Kansas snapped its five-game losing streak with a pair of come-from-behind victories over Texas Tech (1/21) and West Virginia (1/24). On the road against the Lady Raiders, senior guard Asia Boyd laid in the game-winning shot after helping KU regain possession of the ball by forcing a shot clock violation. Senior forward Chelsea Gardner’s historic performance of 20 points and 20 rebounds against WVU helped the Jayhawks overcome a 10-point deficit.
 
Gardner is averaging a team-high 16.2 points per game, the fourth-best average in the league, while shooting 55.6 percent from the field. Senior guard Natalie Knight has stayed consistent for the Jayhawks connecting on 39.4 percent of her shots from beyond the arc. She is second the team with 12.7 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. Both Gardner and Knight have scored in double figures in all but three games this year.
 
Freshmen guards Lauren Aldridge and Chayla Cheadle are making an early impact in KU’s lineup and are averaging 7.5 and 6.5 points, respectively. Aldridge has started every game this season at point and is fifth in the conference in assists per game with 4.5. She has played the most minutes (660) among the Jayhawks in 2014-15. Cheadle led the squad with 15 points at Kansas State (1/11) and is connecting on 34 percent of her shots from long range. Sophomore forward Jada Brown is the final member of Kansas’ starting lineup. The Las Vegas, Nevada native is grabbing 3.3 rebounds per contest, which is fifth-best on the team. She is also averaging 2.1 points per game in 20 starts.
 
The Jayhawks are averaging 64.3 points per game with a +3.8 scoring margin over their opponents. KU is shooting 43.9 percent from the field, while holding its opponents to shooting 37.1 percent. Kansas has connected on 36.4 percent of its attempts from the three-point line, which is the third-best mark in the Big 12. The Jayhawks are averaging 36.9 rebounds, 14.5 assists, 6.0 steals and 4.1 blocks per game.
 
KANSAS FAST BREAKS
• Three or more Jayhawks have netted double-figure scoring performances in 14 of Kansas’ 20 games this season. KU had four reach double-digit scoring in three-straight games and in a total of seven contests. Senior forward Chelsea Gardner has scored 10 or more points in 17-of-20 games in 2014-15, while senior guard Natalie Knight has also contributed double figures in all but three games this season.
• 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 37.1 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. KU’s defense has held seven opponents to under 50 points.
• Kansas’ all-time record is 781-559 while the program has an all-time conference record of 239-254. Head coach Bonnie Henrickson is 340-225 all-time and 182-163 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). Knight has 944 career points and needs 66 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 attempted more than 10 shots 40 times in her four-year career and with her 10-for-13 performance against TCU (1/14), Gardner averages an astounding 52 percent conversion rate in games she has attempted more than 10 shots.
• Rookie Lauren Aldridge is one of two freshmen in the Big 12 conference starting at the point guard position. The Marshfield, Missouri native is fifth in the league in assists per game with 4.5 and is in the top 10 in the Big 12 in assist-to-turnover ratio (seventh, 1.5).
 
SCOUTING THE CYCLONES
Iowa State returns home to host the Jayhawks on Wednesday night. The Cyclones are 14-4 on the year and 5-2 in Big 12 Conference play. ISU has a three-game winning streak heading into the matchup and has won five of its last seven games. The Cyclones were selected to finish the Big 12 race in sixth place, but currently sit in third place behind Baylor and Oklahoma.
 
Three Cyclones are averaging double figures this year. Senior guard Brynn Williamson leads the offensive charge with 12.7 points per game, while making 36.4 percent of her shots from beyond the arc. Senior guard Nikki Moody is dishing out 6.6 assists and 12.3 points per game, while shooting 40.4 percent from the field. Sophomore guard Seanna Johnson leads the team with 9.6 boards per contest while also knocking in 12.1 points per game.
 
After 18 games, ISU is averaging 74.5 points and has a +11.2 scoring margin over its opponents. From the field, Iowa State is connecting on 41.9 percent of its shots, while limiting the opposition to 38.6 percent from field goal range. ISU has the second-best three-point field goal percentage, sitting just ahead of Kansas, with a 36.6 percentage from long range. Defensively, the Cyclones average 40.2 rebounds, 4.8 steals and 3.4 blocks per game. 
 
SERIES BREAKDOWN
Record
Kansas leads the all-time series against the Cyclones, 45-32.
 
Overview
Wednesday evening marks the 78th meeting between the Jayhawks and Iowa State. A win at Hilton Coliseum would halt ISU’s four-game winning streak over KU. The last time Kansas was victorious in Ames was during the 2005-06 season. The series 83-64.
 
Last Time Out
The last time Kansas squared off with the Cyclones was the home finale of the 2013-14 season. CeCe Harper recorded her second-career double-double with 14 points and 10 assists as KU fell to Iowa State, 87-79.  Chelsea Gardner led the offensive charge with a game-high 19 points, along with 10 rebounds for her 13th double-double of 2013-14.
 
HOW THE JAYHAWKS STACK UP NATIONALLY
Kansas also stacks up well with the rest of the country and is represented in the top half of several categories in 2014-15 as of Jan. 15. The Jayhawks are currently ranked 70th in the country in field-goal defense after limiting opponents to 37.1 percent shooting. Offensively, KU is 19th in three-point field goal percentage (36.4). Senior forward Chelsea Gardner ranks 24th in the country with a field goal percentage of 55.6, while senior guard Natalie Knight is 38th in three-point field goal percentage (39.4).
 
A SPARK OFF THE BENCH
The Jayhawks’ bench is providing a spark offensively in 2014-15 and is averaging 19.9 points per game. Kansas’ bench has scored in double figures in 18 of KU’s 20 games this year, including a season-high 49 against Iona (11/30). KU’s bench has scored 20 or more points on nine occasions. Senior Asia Boyd is one of the first players head coach Bonnie Henrickson calls upon off the bench and she is the Jayhawks’ third-leading scorer with 9.3 points per game.
 
UP NEXT
The Jayhawks stay on the road for their second-straight test away from Allen Fieldhouse. Kansas heads south to face No. 3 Baylor for the final time during the regular season on Sunday, Feb. 1 at 1 p.m., on FSN.
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