Jayhawks and Cowgirls meet in Saturday matinee

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas women’s basketball and Oklahoma State tip off for the first time this season on Saturday, Jan. 19 at 12 p.m., inside Allen Fieldhouse.

The Jayhawks are looking to pick up their second Big 12 win of the season and a win over the Cowgirls for the third-straight year. Fans can follow the game on the Jayhawk Television Network/ ESPN+ and the Jayhawk Radio Network.

FAST BREAKS

• Kansas made a single-game record 14 3-pointers against the Lady Bears. Sixth year Jessica Washington and senior Kylee Kopatich combined for 11 of the 14 treys.
• KU’s 14 long range buckets mark the fifth time this season that Kansas has made at least 11 treys in a game.
• The Jayhawks shot 50 percent from the 3-point line against Baylor, marking the third time this season to connect on 50 percent or better from beyond the arc and the second time during Big 12 play.
• KU has been getting out to a fast start, outscoring its opponents 261-192 in the first quarter.
• Kansas has held its opponents to shooting only 25.2 percent from the 3-point line, which leads the Big 12 and ranks 13th best in the nation. The Jayhawks have limited their opponents to making just 55 total 3-pointers this season with the next closest Big 12 opponent allowing 80 treys.
• Kopatich’s 44.7 percent 3-point field goal shooting percentage is second in the Big 12 and the 25th best in the nation.
• Washington and Kopatich have each made 34 total 3-pointers this season to lead the Jayhawks offensively. The duo are averaging 2.6 and 2.4 treys per game, respectively.
• Senior Christalah Lyons is shooting a team-best 72.9 percent from the free throw line (min. 25 attempts). Lyons ranks eighth in the Big 12 from the charity stripe.

THIS DAY IN KANSAS WOMEN’S BASKETBALL HISTORY
Record on Jan. 19: 8-6
On January 19, 2008, Kansas withstood a late rally by Missouri to defeat the Tigers, 66-60, in Allen Fieldhouse. Danielle McCray notched a double-double, scoring 15 points and grabbing 12 rebounds to lead the Jayhawks.

ABOUT THE JAYHAWKS
After posting a record breaking 3-point performance against No. 2 Baylor, the Jayhawks are looking to notch a win over Oklahoma State for the third-straight season. Kansas’ offense is paced by senior guard Christalah Lyons who is dishing out 3.3 assists per game, ranking her 15th in the league through KU’s 15 games. Lyons has posted two 20-point performances in Big 12 play, averaging 15.8 points per game against conference opponents and 11.2 points overall. Two-time 2018-19 Big 12 Player of the Week Jessica Washington leads Kansas in scoring with 15.5 points per game, while connecting on 38.7 percent of her attempts from the floor and 42.5 percent of her shots from beyond the arc. Senior guard Kylee Kopatich is averaging 11.9 points and is shooting 45.5 percent from the floor and a team-leading 44.7 percent from the 3-point line. The Kansas’ defense is lead by sophomore center Bailey Helgren with 6.7 rebounds and 0.9 blocks, while Kopatich leads KU with 1.9 steals, the fourth-best in the conference. Senior Austin Richardson leads Kansas with 1.0 blocks per game and serves as KU’s second-leading rebounder with 5.8 rebounds per game, coming off of a double-double performance at K-State (1/13) with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

SCOUTING THE COWGIRLS
Oklahoma State jumped out to a 6-0 start in nonconference play before suffering a loss to ranked foe Tennessee. With a 2-2 conference record, a win over the Jayhawks would put the Cowgirls above the .500 mark in Big 12 play. OSU’s offense is led by sophomores Vivian Gray and Braxtin Miller who are averaging 18 points each. Miller also dishes out 3.9 assists per game, while Gray helps to protect the rim with a team-leading 1.3 blocks per game. The Gray and Miller duo lead the Cowgirls with steals, snagging 1.5 and 1.4 per game. Senior LaTashia Jones falls just shy of averaging double-figure rebounds with 9.1 rebounds per game. Collectively, Oklahoma State is scoring 69.3 points per game, while shooting 38.6 percent from the floor and 35.4 percent from long range. The Cowgirls boast the fourth-best scoring defense in the Big 12, limiting their opponents to just 58.7 points per game. OSU holds its opponents to shooting 36.4 percent from the field and 31.6 percent from beyond the arc.

BAYLOR LEFTOVERS
A record-breaking night from beyond the arc wasn’t enough for Kansas to upset nationally-ranked Baylor as the Jayhawks fell, 94-68, to the No. 2 Lady Bears on Wednesday night. The Jayhawks hit a single-game record 14 3-pointers on the night, 11 of which came from sixth year Jessica Washington and senior Kylee Kopatich. Both Jayhawks matched their season-high marks in 3-pointers made after Washington sank six treys and Kopatich added five makes from beyond the arc. Washington led Kansas in scoring with 18 points, while Kopatich ended the game with 17 points. Sophomore Bailey Helgren and freshman Aniya Thomas each grabbed a team-high five rebounds for the Jayhawks, while senior guard Christalah Lyons led the team with four assists.

COMEBACK KID
Sixth year Jessica Washington has had no problem finding her groove again after coming off a season-ending injury in 2017-18. The 2017 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year has garnered Big 12 Player of the Week honors twice already this season, most recently in week seven after being named Desert Division MVP at the Duel in the Desert Tournament. Washington has been named Big 12 Player of the Week three times in her career. The Tulsa, Oklahoma native leads the Jayhawks with 15.5 points per game, which is the eighth best in the Big 12 Conference. With 34 3-pointers to date, the 5-8 guard is tied with senior Kylee Kopatich for most treys on the Kansas team and eighth in the Big 12 for 3-pointers made, while her 3-point field goal percentage is second on the Kansas team and the fifth best in the league. Washington has posted 11 double-figure scoring efforts, including three 20-point performances this season in the 13 games that she’s appeared in.

BREAKING RECORDS
Kansas set a single-game 3-point record making 14 treys against the No. 2 Lady Bears. KU connected on 50 percent (14-of- 28) of its attempts from long range with five Jayhawks notching threes in the process. Sixth year Jessica Washington and senior Kylee Kopatich combined for 11 of the 14 triples, while sophomore Micaela Wilson and seniors Christalah Lyons and Austin Richardson added one 3-pointer each. Washington (6) and Kopatich (5) each tied their season highs for 3-pointers made in a single game.

THE FLOOR GENERAL
Coming off of an impressive junior campaign where she garnered All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honors, senior Christalah Lyons has settled into a groove leading the Kansas offense this season. The 5-5 guard posted a career- best 24 points against Iowa State (1/5) for her first 20-point performance of the year to begin Big 12 Conference play. Two games later, Lyons followed up with another 20-point performance scoring 20 points in KU’s first Big 12 win of the season against K-State (1/13). Lyons has posted double- figure scoring efforts in three of KU’s four league games to date and is averaging 15.8 points in Big 12 play and 11.3 points overall. Lyons is dishing out 3.3 assists per game so far this season. The Dallas native has 21 turnovers thus far and has had zero turnovers in three games this season. Lyons’ 21 turnovers are the second fewest in the Big 12 among players in the top 15 for assist to turnover ratio. Lyons has dished out a team-leading 49 assists this season, which places her 15th in the league. With an assist to turnover ratio of 2.3, Lyons is sixth in the Big 12 and 40th in the nation.

TURNOVER CENTRAL
The Jayhawks have forced an impressive 270 turnovers this season, including a season-high 22 forced turnovers at LSU (11/29). While Kansas has been forcing a lot of turnovers, the Jayhawks have limited their own. KU is one of three teams in the Big 12 with less than 210 turnovers on the season with 206. Baylor, who has 202 turnovers and Oklahoma State who has 209 on the season, are the only other teams with less than 210 turnovers. KU’s 13.8 turnovers per game are the 34th fewest in the nation, while Kansas is second in the Big 12. The Jayhawks boast the second-best turnover margin in the league (+4.2) and 36th best in the nation.

RAINING THREES
After a record-breaking 3-point performance with 14 treys, Kansas’ 115 triples to date continue to inch closer to surpassing last year’s total of 173. KU is averaging 7.7 3-pointers, which is second among Big 12 teams and 63rd in the nation, while connecting on 37.2 percent of their attempts from beyond the arc, which is second-best in the conference and 22nd-best in the nation. Senior Kylee Kopatich is shooting a team-best 44.7 percent from the 3-point line, while sixth year Jessica Washington is connecting on 42.5 percent of her attempts from beyond the arc. Kopatich’s 44.7 percent is second in the league and 25th in the nation, while Washington’s percentage places her fifth in the Big 12 and 37th in the nation. Kopatich (34) and Washington (34) are the only two Jayhawks with 30 or more 3-pointers. While Kopatich and Washington lead the way from beyond the arc, seven other Jayhawks have made a triple this season, including three that have made at least 10. Senior Austin Richardson has made 13 treys, while senior Christalah Lyons and junior Mariane De Carvalho each have made 11 3-pointers. Sophomore Micaela Wilson (5), senior Brianna Osorio (4), and freshmen Aniya Thomas (2) and Brooklyn Mitchell (1) have all made a long range bucket for the Jayhawks. Kansas has made 11 or more 3-pointers on five separate occasions this season, 11 against George Mason (11/21), 12 at LSU (11/29), 11 against Northwestern (12/20), 12 against Iowa State (1/5) and 14 against Baylor (1/16).

UP NEXT
The Jayhawks head to No. 11/11 Texas to face their third nationally ranked opponent of the season. Kansas and the Longhorns will tip off on Wednesday, Jan. 23 at 7 p.m., inside the Frank Erwin Center. The game will be broadcast on the Longhorn Network and the Jayhawk Radio Network.

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