Kansas Continues Homestand with Texas Southern

Game Notes (Texas Southern)

LAWRENCE, Kan. –Kansas women’s basketball welcomes Texas Southern (3-4) to Allen Fieldhouse on Dec. 8 at 2 p.m. It is the second of five-straight games that the Jayhawks (4-4) are set to play at home in December. KU faces Texas Southern for the second time in program history. Kansas leads the overall series 1-0. The game will air live on the Jayhawk Television Network/ESPN3 and Jayhawk Radio Network.
 
KANSAS FAST BREAKS
• The Jayhawks boast a 328-152 (.686) record all-time versus non-conference opponents and are 91-26 in non-conference play under head coach Bonnie Henrickson.
• KU has a record of 117-50 (.704) in Allen Fieldhouse under Henrickson and an all-time home record of 393-151 (.723).
• In the month of December, the Jayhawks have an overall mark of 179-78 (.695) and are 45-17 (.737) during the Bonnie Henrickson era in the final month of the year.
• Senior guard CeCe Harper led the Jayhawks against Arkansas with 19 points. She finished the game with season-bests in assists (seven), rebounds (six) and tied a career-high with five steals.
• Junior forward Chelsea Gardner led the team with seven rebounds and added 14 points. She has scored in double figures in all eight games this season.
• In 2013, KU finished 4-3 in the month of November. The Jayhawks have an overall mark of 114-29 (.797) and are 45-8 (.849) under Bonnie Henrickson in the 11th month of the calender year.
 
ABOUT THE JAYHAWKS
Kansas (4-4) continues its six-game homestand with Texas Southern. The Jayhawks conclude 2013 with five-straight games in Allen Fieldhouse and kick off 2014 with their Big 12-opener against West Virginia on Jan. 2 to end the homestand. After eight games, KU averages 63.6 points per game, while shooting 40.5 percent from the field. Kansas averages 35.4 rebounds per game and has outrebounded opponents in five of eight games.
 
After eight starts, junior forward Chelsea Gardner leads KU in scoring and rebounding with 15.1 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. She has recorded three double-doubles this season and has nine in her career. She has scored in double figures every game this season. Senior guard CeCe Harper has led the team in scoring in three of the last five games. She recorded a season-high 19 points the last time out against Arkansas on Dec. 4. She is averaging 10.3 points per game.
 
Junior guard Natalie Knight is averaging a team-high 31.4 minutes per game and leads the team with 14 steals and 25 assists. She is shooting 88.9 percent (8-9) from the free throw line which is second best on the squad. Senior guard Markisha Hawkins worked her way into KU’s starting lineup after scoring 16 points against Central Michigan on Nov. 28. Junior forward Bunny Williams averages 2.3 points and 2.6 rebounds after eight games.
 
Junior guard Asia Boyd scores 10.3 points per contest and leads the team with 11 three-pointers. She also has recorded 36 rebounds and seven steals. Sophomore Lamaria Cole (4.3 ppg, 1.8 rpg) is third on the team with 18 assists and 11 steals. Freshman Keyla Morgan leads the newcomers with 6.5 points per contest. She scored a career-high 11 points in 16 minutes against No. 2 Duke. Freshman forward Caelynn Manning-Allen is second on the squad with seven blocks and is averaging 13.3 minutes per game, which is the most among the freshmen.
 
KANSAS VS. Texas SOUTHERN: THE SERIES
The Jayhawks and Tigers have met once prior to Sunday’s match up and KU came away with the win to lead the overall series 1-0. It is the first time that Kansas head coach Bonnie Henrickson will face the Tigers. The first meeting between the Jayhawks and Texas Southern was during the 2002-03 season and KU won, 83-45. The win extended Kansas’ win streak to four games. KU was led by Aquanita Burras who scored 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Every Jayhawk that saw action on the hardwood against the Tigers recorded points.
 
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Texas Southern has an overall mark of 3-4 heading into Sunday’s game. The Tigers have lost their last three games after starting the season 3-1 and are 1-4 on the road. Texas Southern lost to Maryland, 100 59, and University of Illinois at Chicago, 70-66, last week at the San Juan Shootout. The Tigers average 70.0 points per game, while allowing opponents to score 73.6. Junior guard Jazzmin Parker leads the nation in scoring with 26.8 points per game. She has scored 30 or more points in three games. Junior forward Morgan Simmons leads the squad with 8.6 rebounds per game, while Alexus Johnson recorded a team-high four blocks and 14 steals.
 
THIS DAY IN KANSAS WOMEN’S BASKETBALL HISTORY
The Jayhawks scored over 100 points in their game against Avila College on Dec. 8, 1985. Kansas secured a 108-49 win over Avila inside Allen Fieldhouse. KU recorded 14 steals and committed only eight turnovers in the victory. Vickie Adkins led all scorers with 35 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double, while Toni Webb added 18 points. Kansas has an 11-3 record playing on Dec. 8 and the last time the Jayhawks played on the eighth day of December was in 2011.
 
KANSAS BENCH MARKS THE SPOT
The Jayhawks bench has added an extra spark averaging 19.5 points per game and scoring a season-high 24 points against Central Michigan on Nov. 28. KU’s bench has scored in double figures in all eight games and reached the 20-point mark in five games. Seniors CeCe Harper and Markisha Hawkins came off the bench and have led the team in scoring on two different occasions. Harper delivered 17 points on the road against Minnesota (11/20), while Hawkins scored 16 against CMU. Freshman Keyla Morgan recorded a career-best 11 points off the bench against No. 2 Duke.
 
NOT IN OUR LEAGUE
The Jayhawks boast a 328-152 (.686) record all-time versus non-conference opponents. The Jayhawks’ best non-conference record came during the 2005-06 season when they posted a perfect 11-0 mark during the regular season. KU is 67-13 (.862) in non-conference games since the 2007-08 season.
 
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