Jayhawks Host K-State in Final Sunflower Showdown of 2013-14

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas women’s basketball hosts Kansas State on Wednesday, Feb.26 inside Allen Fieldhouse for the final installment of the 2013-14 Sunflower Showdown. The Jayhawks (12-15, 5-10 Big 12) were victorious in the first meeting of the season in Manhattan and are looking to complete the sweep over the Wildcats (10-16, 4-11 Big 12). The game will be broadcast on the Jayhawk Television Network/ESPN3 and the Jayhawk Radio Network.
 
KANSAS FAST BREAKS

• Kansas has won the last three games against Kansas State and a win on Wednesday night would complete the sweep for second-consecutive season. The Jayhawks are 25-26 against the Wildcats when playing in Lawrence and 45-62 all-time against K-State.
• KU is fourth in the Big 12 in blocked shots per game (4.4) and has recorded four or more blocks in 18 games this season including the past five games.
• The Jayhawks  are averaging 29.4 points in the paint and have scored 40 or more points in the paint on five occasions in 2013-14.  Kansas has tallied a high of 44 points in the paint twice. The last game KU reached the 40-point mark was against Baylor on Jan. 19.
• Kansas’ all-time Big 12 record is 113-178, while KU is 56-107 in conference play under Henrickson.
• Junior forward Chelsea Gardner has posted a Big 12-leading 11 double-doubles on the season and recorded double-digit scoring efforts in 24 games this year, including the past 12 games. Gardner’s 11 double-doubles are the most by a Jayhawk in a single season since Vickie Adkins had 12 in 1983-84.
• Gardner is shooting 57.1 percent from the field, which is second-best in the Big 12. It also marks the fourth-best career field goal percentage in Kansas women’s basketball history. The top career percentage by a Jayhawk is 61.8 by Carolyn Davis (2010-13) and Vickie Adkins (1983-86).    
• CeCe Harper has 143 assists on the season, which is the ninth-most in a single season by Jayhawk. She needs 23 more to surpass Lynette Woodard for eight place on KU’s single-season record list.
• Natalie Knight has been Kansas’ most consistent threat from beyond the three-point line, making a team-high 51 shots from deep. She needs three more makes from behind the arc to move into 10th place for three-pointers in a single season. Knight has connected on 41.1 percent of her attempts, which is good for fourth in the Big 12 and has shot 50 percent or better in five of the last six games from beyond the arc.

 
KANSAS VS. KANSAS STATE: THE SERIES
Kansas has won three-straight contests over in-state rival Kansas State, but the Wildcats lead the all-time series 62-45. The Jayhawks look to sweep the yearly series for the second-consecutive season with a victory on Wednesday night. KU’s longest winning streak against K-State was seven games from 1992-95. Since the beginning of the series in 1969, the Jayhawks posted a 25-26 record when playing in Lawrence. Under head coach Bonnie Henrickson, Kansas is 5-15 against the Wildcats.
 
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
Kansas State sits in ninth place in the Big 12 standings with a 4-11 mark and an overall record of 10-16 in 2013-14. The Wildcats are ninth in the league in scoring with 61.4 points per game and eighth in the conference in rebounds per game with 38. The Wildcats have made the second-most three-point baskets in the league (170) and converting 37.7 percent from beyond the arc. K-State is led by freshman Leticia Romero, who averages a team-best 13.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.8 steals per game. The Las Palmas, Spain, native is the top freshman scorer and passer in the Big 12, while leading the team with a 37.6 percentage from behind the arc.  Junior Ashia Woods is also averaging double figures for K-State with 10.5 points per game. Woods is shooting 49.4 percent from the field and 35.6 from the three-point line, which is the second highest three-point percentage in the lineup.
 
DOUBLE TROUBLE
Junior Chelsea Gardner has posted 11 double-doubles during the 2013-14 season, which is the most in the Big 12 and 49th in the nation. The DeSoto, Texas, native is the 14th Jayhawk in Kansas women’s basketball history to record 10 or more double-doubles in a single season. Gardner’s 11 double-doubles are the most by a Jayhawk in a single season since Vickie Adkins recorded 12 during the 1983-84 season and are the ninth-most in a single season in Kansas history. Jayhawk legend Lynette Woodard holds the KU record with 36 double-doubles in 38 games during the 1978-79 season. 
 
THREE’S COMPANY
Junior guard Natalie Knight is among the top 10 three-point shooters in the Big 12. She is shooting 41.1 percent from beyond the arc, which is the fourth-best percentage in the league. She has shot 50 percent or better from the three-point line in five of the last six games and 11 times this season. Knight has the second-best three-point percentage in KU women’s basketball history at 38.5 percent. Freshmen Dakota Gonzalez and Keyla Morgan are  also shooting over 35 percent from the three-point arc at 37.1 and 47.1 percent, respectively. The Jayhawks are fourth in the Big 12 in three-point field goal percentage at 33.8 percent.
 
THIS DAY IN KANSAS WOMEN’S BASKETBALL HISTORY
Kansas is 7-5 when playing on Feb. 26 and 1-1 under head coach Bonnie Henrickson on the 26th day of February.
Feb. 26, 1994: In a nine point win, 65-54, over Kansas State, the Kansas women’s basketball team shot 49.1 percent and four players contributed double-digit scoring efforts. Angela Aycock led all Jayhawk scorers with 17 points and six assists to help complete the sweep of the Wildcats for the 1993-94 season.
 
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