Jayhawks fall at No. 23 Oklahoma State, 92-63
STILLWATER, Okla. — Kansas women’s basketball couldn’t slow No. 23 Oklahoma State’s offense as the hot-shooting Cowgirls topped the Jayhawks, 92-63, on Saturday night inside Gallagher-Iba Arena.
Oklahoma State (16-6, 7-4 Big 12) proved why it has one of the most efficient offenses in the Big 12 Conference on Saturday night, scoring 90 or more points for the seventh time this season. Kansas (11-12, 2-10 Big 12) couldn’t match OSU’s offensive pace in the first meeting of the season between the two programs.
Junior guard Christalah Lyons netted her third 20-point performance as a Jayhawk to lead Kansas with a team-high 21 points and two assists. Junior guards Kylee Kopatich and Brianna Osorio concluded the Jayhawks trio of double-figure scorers, netting 16 points and 13 points, respectively.
Each of the Cowgirls’ starters notched double-digit scoring efforts over the Jayhawks. Graduate transfer guard Loryn Goodwin led all scorers with 25 points, while adding nine rebounds and six assists. Senior center Kaylee Jensen followed closely behind with 23 points and nine rebounds. Freshman guard Braxtin Miller, redshirt freshman guard Jaden Hobbs and senior forward Mandy Coleman netted 17, 12 and 11, respectively,
The Jayhawks were the first on the board with a Kopatich layup, but OSU and Kansas remained evenly matched throughout the first five minutes of the game. The Jayhawks held onto a narrow 11-10 lead before the Cowgirls went on an 11-0 run to take a double-digit lead, 21-11. KU knocked in the next five points to cut the lead to five, but OSU ended the period on a 5-1 run to own a nine-point lead going into the second quarter.
Kopatich and Lyons led the way for the Jayhawks heading into the halftime break with the pair accounting for 24 of Kansas’ 33 points after the first 20 minutes. The duo knocked in all of KU’s points in the second quarter and while Kansas nearly narrowed OSU’s lead back to single digits halfway through the quarter, the Jayhawks couldn’t slow the Cowgirls offensive pace. Oklahoma State ended the period on an 11-2 run to take a 55-33 lead going into the locker room at the half.
Coming out of halftime, Kansas held the Cowgirls to shooting just 30 percent from the field in the third period, the lowest shooting period of the night for OSU. The Jayhawks ended the third on an 8-2 run, but KU headed into the final period with some ground to make up trailing, 73-46.
Lyons netted five points in the final period surpassing 20 points for the third time this season. Despite a closer fourth period where Oklahoma State outscored Kansas by two, the hot shooting early on from OSU was too great for the Jayhawks to overcome as the Jayhawks fell, 92-63..
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The Jayhawks return to Allen Fieldhouse to conclude the 2017-18 series with Oklahoma on Saturday, Feb. 10 at 7 p.m. Kansas will be celebrating the ‘Jayhawks for a Cure’ game and fans wearing pink will receive $5 admission. The game will be broadcast on the Jayhawk Television Network/ESPN3 and the Jayhawk Radio Network.
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