Kansas returns to the Lone Star State, Faces Texas Tech

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Following a midweek contest in the state of Texas, Kansas women’s basketball heads south once again to the Lone Star State for its first meeting against Texas Tech on Saturday, Jan. 30. Tipoff against the Lady Raiders is slated for 5 p.m., on FOX Sports Southwest and the Jayhawk Radio Network.
 
Following the Jayhawks
Kansas’ match-up with Texas Tech will be broadcast on FOX Sports Southwest and the Jayhawk Radio Network, along with audio streaming via KUAthletics.com. For the most up-to-date information, follow Kansas women’s basketball on Twitter (@KUwbball).
 
Kansas FastBreaks

• Kansas trails Texas Tech in the overall series, 16-9, but has won the last four meetings against the Lady Raiders.
• KU is 3-8 when traveling to Texas Tech and has won the past three contests in Lubbock. The Jayhawks have won six of the last eight games versus TTU.
• The Jayhawks own a 119-202 all-time record against Big 12 Conference foes.
• Kansas has a record of 364-407 away from Allen Fieldhouse.
• KU connected on a season-high 45.5 percent (5-of-11) of its shots from the three-point arc at Iowa State (1/9). The Jayhawks have shot 40 percent or better from beyond the arc six times in 2015-16.
• When Brandon Schneider-coached teams are leading with less than five minutes to play, his overall record is 351-12, and 5-0 at Kansas.
• During her career, sophomore guard Lauren Aldridge has hit 36.3 percent of her attempts from behind the arc, which ties Shandy Robbins (1998-99) for eighth all-time in three-point field percentage.
• Freshman guard Kylee Kopatich is averaging 32.7 minutes per game during her rookie season. Her minutes per game rank sixth in the Big 12 and are the highest among freshmen in the league.
• Junior forward Caelynn Manning-Allen has swatted away a team-high 31 blocks this season, averaging 1.5 per game, for 73 blocks in her career. She needs 22 more to crack Kansas’ top-10 season list and 11 to etch her name into the junior record.
• Freshman guard Jayde Christopher has dished out three or more assists on seven occasions, including a career-high mark of six against Northern Illinois (11/27).  She is tied with sophomore guard Lauren Aldridge for the most assists on the season with 40 each.

 
About the Jayhawks
The Jayhawks (5-15, 0-9 Big 12) continue their road trip on Saturday, Jan. 30 when they head to Lubbock, Texas, for a matchup with Texas Tech. In their last outing, Kansas fell to No. 6 Texas, 70-46. Facing off against the Big 12’s leader, Kansas couldn’t find an answer in the first half. Sixteen turnovers and 31.5 percent shooting over the first two quarters of action left the Jayhawks in a 24-point hole at the intermission. Kansas got things going in the second half, matching the Longhorns shot for shot, but could not put a dent in the deficit.
 
As the Jayhawks’ leading scorer for the 11th game this season, sophomore guard Lauren Aldridge posted 15 points in the loss to Texas. The Marshfield, Missouri, native has recorded double-digit scoring in 14 games this season, the most of any Jayhawk. Aldridge shot 5-of-8 from beyond the arc, tying her career high for most made three-pointers in a game.
 
Junior forward Caelynn Manning-Allen posted the best Big 12 scoring performance of her career with 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting. Manning-Allen also pulled down a team-high six boards, grabbed two steals and blocked one shot. As Kansas’ most consistent threat in the paint this season, Manning-Allen leads the team in rebounds per game (5.9) and blocks per game (1.6)
 
The second half of Wednesday’s loss at Texas provided some encouraging moments for young Jayhawks to get quality Big 12 minutes. Freshman guard Aisia Robertson grabbed five rebounds, one block, one steal and dished out three assists. Freshman forward Chelsea Lott tied her career high with two points and grabbed a rebound. Freshman guard Kylee Kopatich drained two triples in the game, both coming at times that the Jayhawks desperately needed scoring.
 
The Jayhawks now look to end an 11-game losing streak and earn their first Big 12 victory of the season against the Lady Raiders, who sit just above them in the Big 12 standings. Kansas has prevailed in the last four contests against Texas Tech, and holds a 6-3 record over the last five seasons.
 
Scouting the Lady Raiders
Texas Tech is 10-10 on the season, and 1-8 in the Big 12 after falling to No. 4 Baylor in Waco by a score of 69-43 on Wednesday, Jan. 27. Like Kansas, the Lady Raiders will look to bounce back from a rout at the hands of the Big 12’s best. Texas Tech posted a season-low 24.6 percent field goal percentage against the Lady Bears, connecting on just 15-of-61 attempts.  
 
The Lady Raiders are picked to finish ninth in the Big 12 by the coaches’ preseason poll, after a last-place finish a season ago, with a 5-13 record in conference play. Texas Tech’s lone Big 12 win this season came against Iowa State in a 69-66 overtime victory. Both Kansas and Texas Tech are 1-0 in overtime games this season.
 
Redshirt junior guard Ivonne CookTaylor is Texas Tech’s leading scorer and rebounder, averaging 14.1 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. CookTaylor ranks ninth in the Big 12 in scoring and 20th in rebounding, and has started every game for the Lady Raiders this season.
 
Freshman guard Japreece Dean and senior guard Rayven Brooks pick up the bulk of the team’s minutes and production along with CookTaylor. Dean averages 12.0 points per game while Brooks contributes 10.1 points per contest. Dean and Brooks rank 13th and 14th in the Big 12 in assists, with 3.35 and 2.90 per game, respectively. Dean is a sharpshooter from the free throw line, making 79.3 percent of her attempts, the second-best mark among freshmen behind Kopatich. Dean is seeing 31.1 minutes per game, while Brooks is playing 29.4 minutes per game; other than CookTaylor, no other Lady Raider is averaging more than 22 minutes of action.
 
Texas Tech ranks one spot ahead of Kansas in terms of scoring offense with 67.4 points per game, but just behind the Jayhawks in scoring defense, allowing 65.5 points from opponents this season. Texas Tech and Kansas claim the two lowest assist/turnover ratios in the Big 12, and will look to take better care of the ball when they face off on Saturday.  The winning team might be whichever squad can spark more production from its bench. Kansas’ bench tallied just nine points in the loss to Texas, while Baylor outscored the Lady Raiders 22-4 in bench points. 
 
This Day in KU Women’s Basketball History
Record on Jan. 30: 5-5
Kansas women’s basketball will play on the 30th day of January for the 11th time in program history. The last meeting on Jan. 30 came in 2013 and resulted in a 78-75 overtime win against nationally-ranked Iowa State. In 2010, Freshman forward Carolyn Davis recorded a career-high 20 points and pulled down nine rebounds in a 72-69 victory over Missouri.
 
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.
 
One – Two – Three!
On the season, Kansas is connecting on 30.7 percent of its shots from beyond the arc. Both redshirt junior guard Timeka O’Neal and sophomore guard Lauren Aldridge are shooting above average, making 38.1 and 37.9 percent of their long-range shots, respectively. Both Jayhawks rank among the top 11 in the Big 12 and Aldridge’s career mark of 36.3 ties for eighth all-time in Kansas’ career three-point field goal percentage.
 
Up Next
Kansas returns to Allen Fieldhouse to conclude the 2016 series with Iowa State on Tuesday, Feb. 2. Tipoff against the Cyclones is slated for 7 p.m., on the Jayhawk Television and Radio Networks. The Jayhawks will celebrate Student Fandemonium where prizes will be given away to Kansas students in attendance at each media timeout.
 
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