Jayhawks continue homestand with Arizona

Game 10: Kansas vs. Arizona
Date Saturday, Dec. 17
Time 12 p.m. Central
Location Lawrence, Kan.
Venue Allen Fieldhouse
COVERAGE
TV Jayhawk Television Network/ESPN3
Radio Jayhawk Radio Network
Audio Jayhawk Radio Network
Stats KUAthletics.com
STATS KU UA
Record 4-5 7-1
Points/Gm 64.4 73.8
Field Goal % 35.1 44.8
3-Point Field Goal % 30.1 30.4
Free Throw % 63.4 73.4
Rebounds/Gm 44.2 41.5
Assists/Gm 13.0 14.9
Blocks/Gm 4.0 4.3
Steals/Gm 9.7 8.8

Game Notes // Buy Tickets

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas women’s basketball hosts Arizona on Saturday, Dec. 17, as its five-game homestand to end 2016 continues. Saturday’s game tips off at 12 p.m., inside Allen Fieldhouse, on the Jayhawk Television Network/ESPN3 and the Jayhawk Radio Network. 

Around the Arena
Saturday is public safety day inside Allen Fieldhouse with displays on the concourse and safety vehicles outside. Admission is $5 for all first responders. It’s also Jay Days where concessions will offer special pricing on popcorn and hot dogs. 

Fast Breaks

  • The Jayhawks and Wildcats meet for the sixth time in program history and just the second inside Allen Fieldhouse. Arizona leads the overall series, 3-2, while KU owns a 1-0 mark against UA in Lawrence. 
  • The Jayhawks have faced 10 of 12 programs from the Pac-12 Conference and are 49-48 against teams from that league. 
  • In the month of December, the Jayhawks own an overall mark of 187-83 (.679). Under head coach Brandon Schneider, Kansas is 3-7 in the 12th month of the year. 
  • Kansas has played three overtime games in 2016-17 and is 2-1 on the season in extended games. Under Schneider, the Jayhawks are 3-1 in overtime games.
  • KU is averaging 22.8 points off the bench this season. The Jayhawks’ reserves were responsible for a season-high 37 points in an overtime win over North Dakota (11/27). 
  • The Jayhawks recorded their best performance in the paint at Alabama (12/4) after scoring 34 points inside. On the year, Kansas is averaging 23.2 points in the paint. 
  • The Jayhawks outrebounded Rhode Island, 52-32, marking the fifth time this season and owns a 3-2 mark in those games.
  • The Jayhawks netted 26 second-chance points against the Rams, the most this season by Kansas. The previous season high was 16 at Alabama (12/4).
  • Defensively, KU held Rhode Island (12/11) to 17 points in the first half, marking the first time Kansas has held an opponent to under 20 points in a half since allowing TCU to score 18 on Feb. 29, 2016. The Rams ended the game with just 36 points, as Kansas held an opponent to under 40 points for the first time since upsetting then-nationally-ranked Cal in 2014.
  • Sophomore guard Kylee Kopatich notched her third double-digit scoring effort of the season with a career-high 19 points against Rhode Island (12/11). She also finished the afternoon with nine rebounds, one shy of her second career double-double.

About the Jayhawks
Kansas snapped its three-game losing skid last Sunday with a 72-36 victory over Rhode Island. The win over the Rams proved to be the largest margin of victory in the Brandon Schneider era, as the Jayhawks ran away with a 36-point win. Kansas improved to 4-5 on the season with the victory and evened its home record to 3-3. 

After nine nonconference games, the Jayhawks are averaging 64.4 points per game, while shooting 35.1 percent from the field and connecting on 30.1 percent of their attempts from beyond the arc. Defensively, Kansas is grabbing 44.2 boards per contest. KU is also recording 9.7 steals and 4.0 blocks per game.

Sophomore guard Kylee Kopatich is coming off of a career-best night after scoring 19 points against Rhode Island. Kopatich is averaging 8.4 points per game, a number that is increasing after her third double-digit scoring effort. The Olathe, Kansas, native is second on the team in rebounds per game with 4.7. Senior guard Timeka O’Neal continues to heat up from the 3-point line, and she is making 50 percent of her attempts from beyond the arc. Against the Rams, O’Neal connected on four of eight attempts from long range. Redshirt sophomore guard McKenzie Calvert and redshirt junior guard Jessica Washington are netting double figures on the season with 13.9 and 10.9 points per game, respectively.  

Scouting the Wildcats
Arizona has won seven of its first eight games of the 2016-17 season, including five in a row heading into the matchup inside Allen Fieldhouse on Saturday. The Wildcats are led by first-year head coach Adia Barnes, Arizona women’s basketball all-time leading scorer. Barnes returned to Tucson after five seasons as an assistant coach and a successful career in the WNBA. 

The Wildcats enter Saturday’s game with a perfect 3-0 record on the road so far this season. Arizona is averaging 73.8  points per game and has a +12.4 scoring margin. The Wildcats are connecting on 44.8 percent of their shots from the floor, while making 30.4 percent of their attempts from behind the 3-point line. Defensively, Arizona is averaging 41.5 rebounds, 8.8 steals and 4.3 blocks per game. 

After eight starts, senior forward LaBrittney Jones leads the Wildcats with 15.4 points per game behind a 48.9 shooting percentage. Jones also leads the team with 8.8 boards per contest. Senior guard Malena Washington and junior guard JaLea Bennett are each averaging double digits with 13.5 and 10.0 points per game, respectively. 

This Day in Kansas Women’s Basketball History
Record on Dec. 17: 3-0
Saturday’s game against Arizona is the fourth contest to be played on Dec. 17 in program history. Kansas looks to maintain its perfect record on the 17th of December. The last time KU played on Dec. 17 was in 2011, when KU defeated UMKC, 77-52, its third victory on Dec. 17. Forward Carolyn Davis scored a team-high 18 points and added nine rebounds just missing a double-double by one rebound. 

There’s No Place Like Home
Named in honor the late Dr. F.C. “Phog” Allen, the Jayhawks’ head coach for 39 years, Allen Fieldhouse is labeled by many as one of the best places in America to watch a college basketball game. This astounding basketball monument has been home to Jayhawk basketball for 63 years, including the inaugural year of KU women’s basketball (1969). In 48 seasons playing inside Allen Fieldhouse, Kansas women’s basketball has amassed a 413-179 (.698) record when playing in front of a home crowd. 

Kansas in the Spotlight
Kansas is among one of the most televised women’s basketball programs in the country. The Jayhawks will have 28 of 31 games air on television during the 2016-17 campaign. KU will have two contests broadcast on ESPN and one featured on FOX Sports Network, while every home game will be aired on the Jayhawk Television Network/ESPN3. 

Up Next
The Jayhawks continue their five-game homestand with UC Riverside on Wednesday, Dec. 21, at 7 p.m. The matchup will air on the Jayhawk Television Network/ESPN3 and the Jayhawk Radio Network. 

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