Jayhawks fall to Creighton on the road, 69-49
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OMAHA, Neb. – Kansas women’s basketball suffered its first road loss of the season after Creighton maintained its lead for four quarters, and defeated the Jayhawks, 69-49, on Wednesday night inside D.J. Sokol Arena.
Kansas (3-3) recorded its lowest offensive output of the 2016-17 season after netting just 49 points. Junior guard Chayla Cheadle led Kansas with 12 points, her second double-digit scoring effort of the season. Both of Cheadle’s double-figure performances have come on the road. Redshirt sophomore guard McKenzie Calvert and sophomore Aisia Robertson added nine points each.
Creighton (3-3) handed the Jayhawks their first road loss of the year after hosting just its second home game of the season. Each time Kansas attempted to mount a comeback and came within a possession, the home team stormed back ahead. Senior guard Marissa Janning led all scorers with 15 points, as four Bluejays ended the night in double figures. Sophomore forward Audrey Farber added 13 points, while senior guard MC MCGrory and senior forward Brianna Rollerson contributed 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Early in the opening period, Kansas and Creighton traded basket as both teams worked to gain an advantage. At the first media timeout of the ballgame, the Bluejays owned a 9-6 lead with just under five minutes to play in the quarter, and no matter how hard the Jayhawks fought to come-from-behind the Bluejays wouldn’t relinquish their lead. Coming out of the timeout, Creighton went on a 7-2 run over the next three and half minutes extending its lead, 16-8.
After five unanswered points by the Bluejays, Robertson ended the run with a jumper on the left side of the key. At the end of the first period, the Jays had mounted a 19-10 advantage over the Jayhawks. KU shot just 31 percent from the field as Calvert and Cheadle finished the opening period with four points each to lead Kansas’ offense.
In the opening minutes of the second quarter, Kansas outscored the Bluejays, but Creighton soared ahead with another short run and led by as many as 12 points in the second period. The Jayhawks chipped away at the Bluejays advantage in the final minutes of the half as Creighton lead 30-22 at the halfway point. Cheadle netted 10 points in the opening half to lead KU’s offense. Kansas finished the first half shooting 31 percent from the field and didn’t make a 3-pointer in the first 20 minutes. Despite the lower-than-average shooting percentage, the Jayhawks capitalized on opportunities when the clock was stopped, making all four attempts from the charity stripe.
After not making a 3-pointer in the first half, Calvert opened the second half with KU’s first trey of the night. Senior forward Sydney Umeri extended the run to 5-0 with a jumper, as Kansas cut Creighton’s lead to three, 30-27. After pulling within a possession of the Bluejays, Creighton regained a 37-29 advantage halfway through the third period. Back-to-back buckets from Cheadle and sophomore guard Kylee Kopatich cut Creighton’s lead, 42-37, in the waning minutes of the third quarter. Creighton closed out the third period with a 6-2 run to extend its lead over Kansas, 48-39.
In the fourth quarter, redshirt junior guard Jessica Washington sank a 3-pointer, Kansas’ second trey of the night, from the left side of the arc, cutting KU’s deficit to seven with eight minutes to play. Following Washington’s 3-pointer, Creighton scored five unanswered points to regain a double-digit lead. After making timely 3-pointers, the Bluejays pulled away and out of reach for the Jayhawks to mount a comeback, as Kansas fell to Creighton on the road, 69-49.
Up Next
Kansas heads south for a date with the SEC’s Alabama in the 2016 installment of the Big 12/SEC Challenge on Sunday, Dec. 4. Tipoff between the Jayhawks and the Tide is slated for 11 a.m., CT on the SEC Network and the Jayhawk Radio Network.
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