Kansas closes out 2018 series with West Virginia

LAWRENCE, Kan. — Kansas women’s basketball travels to Morgantown to conclude the 2018 series with West Virginia on Wednesday, Feb. 14 at 6 p.m. (CT), inside WVU Coliseum. The game will be broadcast on the Jayhawk Radio Network.

following the Jayhawks
Jayhawk fans can listen to all of the action on the Jayhawk Radio Network and follow live stats at wvusports.com. Additionally, fans can follow Kansas women’s basketball on Twitter (@KUwbball).

Fast Breaks

• The Jayhawks are 2-4 when facing the Mountaineers inside WVU Coliseum and own a 4-9 overall record against West Virginia.
• Kansas’ last win over the Mountaineers came in the 2014-15 season, inside Allen Fieldhouse. Since then, WVU has won the last six matchups against the Jayhawks.
• Through 24 games, Kansas continues to sit in second among Big 12 teams in field goal percentage defense. The Jayhawks are holding their opponents to shooting 37.8 percent from the field, trailing only Baylor in the category.
• While four Jayhawks are shooting 30 percent or better from beyond the arc in conference play, KU has held its opponents to 30.1 percent from behind the 3-point line this season. Kansas ranks second among Big 12 programs for 3-point field goal percentage defense through 24 games to date.
• Junior guard Brianna Osorio has been KU’s most consistent offensive presence throughout Big 12 play, netting 10 double-digit scoring efforts in the Jayhawks’ 13 league games thus far. Osorio scored a career-high 28 points against Texas Tech (1/17) for her first 20-point game as a Jayhawk.
• Junior guard Christalah Lyons continues to lead the Jayhawks offensively, scoring 14.8 points per game. The Dallas, Texas native has registered double-digit scoring efforts in 21 of KU’s 24 games this season, including three 20-point performances.
• When Brandon Schneider-coached teams are leading with less than five minutes to play, his overall record is 366-15, and 21-3 at Kansas.

About the Jayhawks
The Jayhawks nearly completed comeback attempts in four of their last six games, but fell short in each matchup. After winning two of its first three conference matchups, Kansas looks to pick up its third Big 12 Conference win of the season after a 10-game losing streak to surpass last year’s two conference win at West Virginia on Wednesday, Feb. 14. 

Junior guards Christalah Lyons, Kylee Kopatich and Brianna Osorio lead the Kansas offense as KU’s only players to average double-figure scoring. Osorio has impressed fans and opponents alike throughout Big 12 play, averaging 13.5 points in league contests, while shooting a team-best 45.4 percent from the field. The Las Vegas, Nevada native trails Kopatich by just one triple with 25 in 13 Big 12 games to date. Kopatich’s 26 treys are the sixth-most in the conference. The Olathe, Kansas native is averaging 11.5 points in league action and is 102 points away from becoming KU’s 29th 1,000-point scorer. Lyons is leading Kansas with 15.5 points in Big 12 contests and has notched double-digit scoring performances in all but three games in her first season donning the Crimson and Blue.

The Jayhawks have boasted impressive performances from long range in Big 12 action with four Kansas juniors connecting on 30 percent or better of their 3-point attempts. Osorio’s 42.4 3-point field goal percentage leads the Jayhawks, followed by Kopatich with 33.3 percent. Lyons and forward Austin Richardson are connecting on 30.4 percent and 30.2 percent of their shots beyond the arc, respectively.

Kansas remains one of the league’s best defensive teams, holding its opponents to shooting 37.8 percent from the field for the season, which is second to only Baylor through 24 games. The Jayhawks are also second in the Big 12 in 3-point field goal percentage defense, keeping their opponents to connecting on just 30.1 percent of their long-range attempts in the 2017-18 campaign. KU has held its opponents to 65.6 points per game, which is fifth-lowest in the league.

Scouting the Mountaineers
After starting the season off a perfect 12-0, the Mountaineers are 6-7 in Big 12 Conference games so far. After picking up a win at TCU to begin conference play, WVU suffered two losses at No. 6 Texas and against Kansas State. West Virginia bounced back from its three-game losing skid on Saturday, Feb. 10 (18-7, 6-7 Big 12) with a 74-60 win at Texas Tech and looks to nab its first win at home since Jan. 7.

The Mountaineer offense is paced by four starters averaging double digits. Senior forward Teana Muldrow boasts a team-leading 19.5 points per game, while grabbing a team-best 9.0 rebounds per game. Junior guard/forward Naomi Davenport is averaging 16.5 points per game and connecting on a team-best 41.0 percent of her long-range attempts. Junior guard Katrina Pardee and senior guard Chania Ray round out WVU’s double-figure scorers, averaging 12.0 and 10.9 points, respectively.

Defensively, West Virginia trails only Baylor and Kansas in both field goal percentage defense and 3-point field goal percentage defense, holding its opponents to 37.9 percent from the floor and 29.6 percent from long range. The Mountaineers’ scoring defense is the second best among Big 12 foes, allowing their opponents to score just 60.6 points per game through 24 games.

Series Breakdown
Record
West Virginia leads the overall series over the Jayhawks, 9-4.

Overview
KU’s series with WVU dates back to 1992, but the Jayhawks didn’t start playing West Virginia every year until the Mountaineers joined the Big 12 in 2013.

Last Time Out
The Jayhawks came within four points of West Virginia in the third quarter, but an 11-0 run by the Mountaineers gave them a double-digit lead that was never relinquished as Kansas fell, 72-52, in its first matchup with WVU. Kylee Kopatich and Austin Richardson led the Jayhawks with 17 points and 10 points, respectively.

This Day in KU Women’s Basketball History
Record on Feb. 14: 5-7
Kansas owns an 5-7 mark on games played on Valentine’s Day and plays on the 14th day of February for the 13th time in program history. In 1990, the Jayhawks beat Missouri, 60-59, in Columbia on a last-second bucket from Michelle Arnold. Misti Chennault led the Jayhawks with 15 points, followed by Lisa Braddy who contributed 13 points.

Campus Connections
West Virginia Associate Head Coach Chester Nichols previously served as an assistant coach at Kansas from 2010-12. KU senior guard Eboni Watts and WVU junior guard Tynice Martin both hail from the state of Georgia. Watts is from Macon, which is 84 miles southeast of Martin’s hometown of Atlanta. Kansas freshman center Brittany Franklin shares her home state of North Carolina with West Virginia sophomore Lucky Rudd and senior forward Kristina King. Both the Jayhawks and the Mountaineers have two players each that dwell from Texas. Junior guard Christalah Lyons and junior center Chelsea Lott are from Dallas and Fresno, respectively, while WVU’s junior forward Anja Martin and junior guard Katrina Pardee come from San Antonio and Cedar Park.

Long Range Leaders
Junior guard Brianna Osorio is connecting on a team-best 42.4 percent of her attempts from the 3-point line in league play, which is the third-best 3-point field goal percentage in the Big 12. Junior guard Kylee Kopatich ranks sixth in the league with 26 3-pointers in conference play, averaging 2.0 treys per game. Kopatich has connected on 33.3 percent of her long-range baskets in league play. Junior guard Christalah Lyons and junior forward Austin Richardson are also connecting on at least 30 percent of their 3-point attempts in Big 12 play, shooting 30.4 percent and 30.2 percent from beyond the arc, respectively.

The Jayhawks recorded a season-high 10 3-pointers in the first meeting of the season against K-State (1/28). Osorio and Kopatich netted four 3-pointers each, while Richardson scored two baskets from long range. Kansas’ 10 triples are the most by a KU team since the Jayhawks made 11 against Iowa State during the 2017 Big 12 slate. 

Around the League
The Jayhawks’ defense has ranked among the top in the Big 12 so far throughout the 2017-18 season. Kansas ranks second in field goal percentage defense and 3-point field goal percentage defense, holding its opponents to 37.8 percent from the field and 30.1 percent from beyond the arc through 24 games this season. Individually, several Jayhawks rank in the top-25 across multiple categories in the Big 12. Junior guards Christalah Lyons, Brianna Osorio and Kylee Kopatich all rank in the top-25 for scoring in conference play. Lyons leads the Jayhawks with 15.5 points per game (ninth), while Osorio and Kopatich follow with 13.5 (16th) and 11.5 (25th) points per game, respectively.

Every Minute Counts
Three Jayhawk starters rank in the top-25 for minutes played in the Big 12 Conference. Junior guards Kylee Kopatich and Christalah Lyons are each averaging 35.5 minutes played per game. Kopatich ranks eighth in the Big 12 for minutes played, while Lyons comes in at 10th. Junior guard Brianna Osorio is averaging 30.8 minutes played in league games (21st).

Up Next
The Jayhawks wrap up their two-game series with No. 3 Baylor on Saturday, Feb. 17 at 1 p.m., inside the Ferrell Center. The game will be broadcast on Fox Sports Southwest and the Jayhawk Radio Network. 

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