Kansas concludes exhibition play with Pittsburg State
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas women’s basketball finishes its 2017-18 exhibition slate with Pittsburg State on Sunday, Nov. 5 at 2 p.m., inside Allen Fieldhouse. The game will be broadcast on the Jayhawk Television Network/ESPN3 and the Jayhawk Radio Network.
Around the Arena
Jayhawk fans can receive $5 admission to Sunday’s women’s basketball exhibition matchup against Pitt State by providing their football ticket stub from Saturday’s game against Baylor. Attendees can also enjoy Jay Days with $2 hot dogs, $2 popcorn and $1 fudge bars.
Fast Breaks
- Kansas is 49-9 in exhibition play dating back to the 1986-87 season and enters Sunday’s match up with a 25-game winning streak against opponents in exhibition action. Inside Allen Fieldhouse, the Jayhawks are 28-1 when hosting an exhibition game.
- The Jayhawks are 6-0 against Pittsburg State in exhibition play dating back to 2005.
- Kansas Athletics is celebrating the 50-year milestone of women’s varsity sports, including one of the original six sports, women’s basketball. KU enters its 50th season after becoming a varsity sport in 1968-69 and has compiled a 799-614 overall record.
- The Jayhawks return seven letterwinners from a season ago and welcome seven newcomers to the 2017-18 roster. • Kansas played four overtime games in 2016-17 and was 3-1 on the season in extended games. Under Schneider, the Jayhawks are 4-1 in overtime games.
- When Brandon Schneider-coached teams are leading with less than five minutes to play, his overall record is 357-12, and 11-0 at Kansas.
- Kansas had a trio of newcomers in double-figures in their first exhibition matchup with Emporia State.
- Junior forward Austin Richardson led the Jayhawks with 16 points and five rebounds, followed by junior guards Brianna Osorio and Christalah Lyons who scored 14 and 12 points, respectively.
- Senior guard Chayla Cheadle added 11 points, two steals and a block in the Jayhawks’ 69-49 victory over Emporia State.
- Kansas made eight of its nine layups in the fourth quarter, missing only the last layup of the afternoon.
About the Jayhawks
Kansas returns seven letterwinners from last season’s squad that finished the 2016-17 campaign with an overall record of 8-22. Additionally, KU welcomed seven newcomers to the 2017-18 roster, including three freshmen and four transfers. Coming off a solid junior season, senior guard Jessica Washington was posed for an All-American campaign in 2017-18, but a knee injury during the first week of practice will sideline the 2017 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year for the season.
With Washington out for the season, the Jayhawks will look to fill that scoring role with a combination of veterans and newcomers. Among the returners who will play a bigger role are senior forward Chayla Cheadle and junior guard Kylee Kopatich. Cheadle led the team in rebounds a year ago, averaging 4.7 boards. She started all 30 games, shooting 30 percent from the field. Kopatich also started every game of the 2016-17 campaign, averaging 9.5 points and 4.4 rebounds.
The incoming class of newcomers brings a wealth of experience and success to the program. Numerous players have won national or state titles or appeared in national or state title games. Many of these new Jayhawks have helped lead their former programs to great heights. In addition to success, the newcomers bring a great deal of length, size and athleticism that head coach Brandon Schneider has been looking for.
Scouting the Gorillas
Pittsburg State enters the 2017-18 season selected to finish the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) in second place behind Central Missouri. The Gorillas are coming off of a 25-6 campaign, including a 16-3 mark in league play, earning them the title of MIAA regular-season league champions.
The Gorillas’ MIAA regular-season title in the 2016-17 campaign was their first since the 1996 season. Following their conference success, Pitt State qualified for the NCAA Division II National Tournament for the fourth-straight season (2014-17).
Pittsburg State returns 11 players from the 2016-17 roster including first-team All-MIAA and first-team All-American Mikaela Burgess. The senior guard averaged 16.6 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game as a junior. The Gorillas’ field goal percentage leader (54.9 percent) also returns to the starting lineup. Junior forward Madison Northcutt averaged 11.3 points and 8.6 rebounds in the 2016-17 campaign. All-MIAA honorable mention selection Shelby Lopez led the Gorillas from long range, shooting a team-leading 38.1 percent (69of-181) from behind the arc.
Pitt State’s stat leaders are joined by returners Maya Williams, Elena Flott, Athena Alvarado, Paige Imhoff, Morgan Brodie, Brenlee McPherson, Marina Bauza Rubert and Meghan Maher. Newcomers Josie Fortney and Taylor Holmes round out the roster.
This Day in Kansas Women’s Basketball History
Record on Nov. 5: first exhibition to be played on this date
Since 2010, Kansas has played 11 exhibition contests in the month of November. Sunday’s game against Pittsburg State marks the 12th matchup between the Gorillas and Jayhawks since the 2010 season and the earliest November exhibition game since 2013. KU has never played a game on Nov. 5 prior to this year.
Emporia State Leftovers
Kansas women’s basketball tipped off its 2017 exhibition lineup with a 69-49 victory over the Emporia State Lady Hornets last Sunday afternoon inside Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks were led by their newcomers, who scored 47 out of KU’s 69 points against ESU.
A Look Back At Exhibitions
Dating back to the 1986-87 season, Kansas owns a 49-9 record in exhibition games. The Jayhawks have a 25-game winning streak and haven’t lost an exhibition game since 2004. The largest margin of defeat in an exhibition game for Kansas was 97 points after earning a 136-39 victory over the Monterrey Tigers on Aug. 30, 2003. Since 2003, the Jayhawks have posted a 28-1 exhibition mark inside Allen Fieldhouse.
Tough and Together
Head coach Brandon Schneider has brought a “tough and together” culture to Allen Fieldhouse and Kansas women’s basketball. Schneider has vowed that his squads will compete and play together every day. Whether the Jayhawks are hitting the floor, flying over the scorers’ table or passing to a teammate, they will play tough and together until the final whistle blows.
Celebrating 50 Years of Kansas Women’s sports
The intercollegiate women’s sports department was created by the University in 1968 and began with six sports: women’s basketball, softball, volleyball, swimming, gymnastics and field hockey. An annual budget of $2,000 was provided in 1968 when Marlene Mawson was tasked with initiating a women’s intercollegiate athletics program. This budget was expected to cover all expenses for sports equipment, uniforms and travel. Mawson’s job duties involved coaching, administering the program and teaching in the Physical Education department. By 1975, the University had handed out its first athletic scholarships to women
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 49 seasons playing inside Allen Fieldhouse, Kansas women’s basketball has amassed a 417-186 (.693) 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 26 games air on television during the 2017-18 campaign. KU will have two contests broadcast on FOX Sports Network, while every home game will be aired on the Jayhawk Television Network/ESPN3.
Up Next
The Jayhawks begin nonconference action against Campbell University on Sunday, Nov. 12 at 2 p.m., inside Allen Fieldhouse. The 2017-18 season opener will air on the Jayhawk Television Network/ESPN3 and the Jayhawk Radio Network.
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