December 05, 2014

Kansas Hosts No. 10 Cal

Game 9: Kansas vs. No. 10 Cal
Date	Sunday, Dec. 7
Time	5 p.m.
Location	Lawrence, Kan.
Arena	Allen Fieldhouse
Series	Cal leads 4-1
Television	FS1
Radio	Jayhawk Radio Network
Live Stats	KUAthletics.com
Notes	Kansas Cal Big 12

Stats at a Glance	KU	Cal
Record	6-2	7-0
Rankings	—	10/12
Points/GM	69.1	90.3
FG%	44.9	50.7
Rebounds/GM	39.4	47.0
Assists/GM	15.6	23.6
Blocks/GM	3.6	5.3
Steals/GM	6.5	8.9

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas returned to its winning ways and head into Sunday’s match-up against Cal with victories in four of its last five games. The Jayhawks host the No. 10 Golden Bears on Dec. 7 at 5 p.m., inside Allen Fieldhouse. It marks KU’s second nationally-ranked opponent in the past three games. The contest will be broadcast on FS1 and the Jayhawk Radio Network.

ABOUT THE JAYHAWKS
Kansas bounced back from only its second loss of the season with a 68-46 victory over Incarnate Word (12/4). For the fourth time this year, four Jayhawks netted a double-figure scoring performance as KU earned its fifth win by double-digits in 2014-15. The Jayhawks have compiled a 6-2 record with the first month of the season in the books.

Eight games into the season, the Jayhawks are averaging 69.1 points per game, which is just below KU’s magic number of 70. Kansas has a 114-17 record when scoring 70 or more points. The Jayhawks have a +10.3 scoring margin over their opponents. KU is shooting 44.9 percent from the field, while holding its opponents to 34.4 percent shooting. From the three-point line, Kansas is connecting on 36.8 percent of its attempts. The Jayhawks are averaging 39.4 rebounds, 15.6 assists, 6.5 steals and 3.6 blocks per game.

Seniors Chelsea Gardner, Natalie Knight and Asia Boyd are averaging double digits through the first eight games with 19.0, 11.4 and 10.5 points per game, respectively. Gardner is also averaging 8.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per contest. She has recorded a double-double in three games this season to lead the Big 12 once again and has scored in double figures in every game this season. Knight has the top assist-to-turnover ratio in the league at 10.7. She has recorded 32 assists and just three turnovers in 220 minutes of play. From beyond the arc, Knight is shooting an impressive 44.7 percent and has shot 50 percent or higher in five-of-eight contests this year. Boyd came off the bench and knocked in a season-high 19 points against Iona (11/26) and was one of four Jayhawks to net double figures. She scored double figures against Incarnate Word (12/4) behind a 3-for-5 performance from the three-point line.

Sophomore Jada Brown is the last veteran in Kansas’ starting lineup. She is averaging 3.0 points and 4.1 rebounds per game, which is the third-most on the roster. Against the Alabama Crimson Tide, Brown recorded a career-high 12 points. Freshmen Lauren Aldridge and Chayla Cheadle round out the Jayhawks’ starting five. Aldridge is averaging 7.0 points per game and is tied for sixth in the Big 12 with 4.0 assists per game. Cheadle is averaging 6.6 points per game and is shooting 36.8 percent from beyond the arc.

KANSAS FAST BREAKS

Three or more Jayhawks have netted double-figure scoring performances in seven of Kansas’ eight games this season. KU had four reach double-digit scoring in three-straight games and a total of four. Senior Chelsea Gardner has scored 10 or more points in every game of 2014-15, while senior Natalie Knight has contributed double figures in seven of the Jayhawks’ eight 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.
Kansas shot better than average overall from the field against Incarnate Word (12/4) with a 57 percent field goal average, which is the highest percentage since Dec. 29, 2013, against Yale.
KU has limited its opponents to 34.4 percent shooting from the field. Against Georgetown (11/23), KU held the Hoyas to just 23 percent shooting, which is the lowest percentage against the Jayhawks since the 2010 season. GU’s low field goal percentage marked the second time in five games that the Jayhawks have held their opponent to less than 30 percent shooting.
Kansas’ all-time record is 776-554 while the program has an all-time conference record of 237-249. Head coach Bonnie Henrickson is 335-218 all-time and 176-156 at KU.
KU has a record of 130-59 (.684) in Allen Fieldhouse under Henrickson and an all-time home record of 401-160 (.714).
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 775 career points and needs 225 more to join Gardner in the 1,000-point club, which she is on pace to reach by the end of February.
Gardner, a DeSoto, Texas native, recorded Big 12 single-game highs with 13 field goals against Alabama (11/22) and 16 rebounds against Georgetown (11/23).
Gardner has three double-doubles after eight games this season and once again leads 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 three of Kansas’ eight games, including a season-high 30 against Alabama (11/22). Gardner has netted double figures in every game of 2014-15 and in 34 of her last 37 games.

SCOUTING THE GOLDEN BEARS
No. 10 Cal rolls into Lawrence with a seven-game winning streak and a pair of All-American candidates on Sunday. The Golden Bears are fresh off their third-straight NCAA Tournament appearance under three-year head coach Lindsay Gottlieb. Cal has an unblemished 7-0 record in 2014-15. Selected to finish the Pac-12 in second place, Cal has won five of its seven games by double-digit margins.

The Golden Bears average 90.3 points per game and have a +17.4 scoring margin. Cal is shooting 50.7 percent from the field and 37.4 percent from the three-point line, while holding its opponents to 36.4 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from beyond the arc. The Bears are averaging 47.0 rebounds, 23.6 assists, 8.9 steals and 5.3 blocks per game.

Individually, senior forward Reshanda Gray leads the squad with 22.6 points per game and has swatted 11 blocks on the year. She is averaging 6.1 rebounds per game and is 1-of-2 All-America candidates for the Golden Bears. Senior point guard Brittany Boyd is the other All-America candidate, who has dished out 69 assists in seven games for 9.8 per game. She is also averaging 13.4 points per game behind 41.0 percent shooting from the field. Cal has a total of four players averaging double figures in 2014-15.

SERIES BREAKDOWN
Record
Cal leads the series with an all-time mark of 4-1 against the Jayhawks.

Overview
The series began with a 74-68 Kansas victory in 1980. The Jayhawks look to snap a four-game losing streak to the Bears on Sunday with a win. KU has an overall record of 48-46 against programs in the Pac-12 after having played 9-of-12 teams on the hardwood. The Jayhawks have an advantage in the all-time series over four Pac-12 teams and have an even series with three others.

Last Time Out
Angel Goodrich was one of four players in double-digits with 21 points, but then-No. 19 Kansas could never get over the hump once then-No. 8 California took the lead in an 88-79 loss at Walter A Haas Jr. Pavilion on Dec. 21, 2012. Layshia Clarendon led the way for the Golden Bears with 28 points.

JAYHAWKS AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS
Kansas’ match-up with Notre Dame was the first time this season that KU faced a ranked opponent. It was also the first time that the Jayhawks squared off with the No. 1 team in the nation since 2012-13 when Kansas hosted Baylor in Allen Fieldhouse. The last time KU defeated a nationally-ranked foe was last season after defeating Baylor, 76-60. Since 2004, KU is 13-64 against opponents in the national polls and 3-28 against foes ranked in the top 10.

DOUBLE TROUBLE
Senior Chelsea Gardner posted 13 double-doubles during the 2013-14 season, which was the most in the Big 12 and 38th in the nation. She began her senior campaign with her 19th career double-double. Eight games into the 2014-15 season, Gardner once again leads the Big 12 with three double-doubles. She has scored in double figures in 57 games during her career and grabbed double-digit rebounds in 23 games.

THREE’S COMPANY
Senior guard Natalie Knight was among the top-10 three-point shooters in the Big 12 during the 2013-14 season. She shot 40.9 percent from beyond the arc, which was the best percentage in the league. Eight games into the 2014-15 season, Knight is shooting 44.7 percent from the three-point line. She has shot 50 percent or high from behind the arc in five of the eight games, including a season-high 74 percent (3-of-4) against No. 1 Notre Dame (11/30) and Incarnate Word (12/4). In her career, Knight is shooting 39.1 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, connecting on 8-of-12 shots from beyond the arc. Marking 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 includes three conference champions and seven squads that reached the 20-win plateau. Kansas has a 2-1 record, after defeating South Dakota and Texas Southern, in 2014-15 against programs that appeared in the 2014 postseason. The lone loss against programs that advanced to the postseason came against the 2014 National runner-up Notre Dame.

UP NEXT
The Jayhawks hit the road for just the second time this season on Thursday, Dec. 11 when Kansas heads to Purdue. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m., at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Indiana. Tune in to hear all the action live on the Jayhawk Radio Network.

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