Kansas continues homestand with SMU on Wednesday

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LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas women’s basketball continues its four-game homestand against SMU on Wednesday, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m., inside Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks have won two of the last three meetings against the Mustangs. The game will air on the Jayhawk Television Network/ESPN3 and the Jayhawk Radio Network.
 
Around the Gym
Wednesday’s game is social media night at Allen Fieldhouse. Fans who share their photos on social media using #KUwbb will be entered to win an autographed basketball.
 
Fast Breaks

• Kansas and SMU meet on the hardwood for the sixth time in program history. KU owns a 3-2 advantage in the overall series that began in 1996.
• In the month of November, KU is 122-44 all time and has won eight of its last 13 contests in the 11th month of the year.
• Kansas has a record of 410-177 (.705) in Allen Fieldhouse. Over the last five seasons, Kansas has posted a 65-40 mark on its home court.
• After completing the 2015-16 season with the youngest team in the Big 12, Kansas will enter this season with one of the conference’s most experienced squads. The 2016-17 Jayhawk roster includes 12 returning players, more than any other Big 12 team, and nine upperclassmen.
• The Jayhawks are the only squad in the Big 12 without a freshman on their roster.
• KU swatted away six shots in its season opener against Missouri State, marking the first time since Feb. 2, 2016 that the Jayhawks have recorded five or more blocks in a game.
• In their first game of 2016-17, the Jayhawks scored seven of their first 11 points of the year off of Lady Bear turnovers and finished the game with 19 points off turnovers.
• Redshirt sophomore guard McKenzie Calvert was one point shy of her career best in her debut in the Crimson and Blue. She netted 20 points against Missouri State, one behind her career high of 21 recorded during her rookie campaign at USC.
• Redshirt junior Jessica Washington unofficially logged 15 points, eight rebounds and eight assists during exhibition action against Fort Hays State. She was two assists and two rebounds shy of a triple-double, which has only been achieved once in KU women’s basketball history. Angela Aycock recorded one during the 1994-95 season.

 
About the Jayhawks
Kansas’ (0-1) streak of season-opening victories came to an end with its 87-64 loss to Missouri State to start 2016-17, which makes the Jayhawks 1-1 in the first game of the season under head coach Brandon Schneider. The second year coach of the Jayhawks has instilled a more up-tempo offense, which was evident during KU’s 10-day trip to Europe and throughout the exhibition games. However, the high-flying offense cooled off in Kansas’ first game of the season, shooting 35.7 percent from the field, including 6-of-24 from 3-point range. The Jayhawks were plagued by lowing scoring outputs in three of four quarters against Missouri State, but shot 55.5 percent for 26 points to outscore the Lady Bears in the second quarter.
 
Despite cold shooting, Kansas was able to stay within a possession of MSU for most of the game after losing its lead in the opening period. It wasn’t until a late fourth quarter rally that Missouri State ran away with the victory.
 
In their Crimson and Blue debuts, redshirt sophomore guard McKenzie Calvert and redshirt junior guard Jessica Washington netted double figures with 20 and 15 points, respectively. Along with her 21 points, Calvert led the team with three steals and two blocks, while Washington dished out a team-best four assists. Junior guard Chayla Cheadle grabbed a team-high seven boards.
 
Scouting the Mustangs
After four seasons as the associate head coach at Texas, Travis Mays took over as the new head coach at SMU in April. He arrived in Dallas after 14 years as an assistant coach, where he served under three Hall of Fame coaches, and 11 years playing professionally. 
 
In his first season at the helm of the Mustang women’s basketball program, Mays and the Mustangs were selected to finish fifth in the conference by the league’s coaches, behind four-time defending national champion Connecticut, Temple, USF and Tulane, respectively. In addition to the preseason selection, junior forward Alicia Froling was named to the American Athletic Conference Preseason All-Conference team, earning a second-team selection. At the conclusion of 2015-16, Froling garnered second-team All-AAC honors after finishing the year averaging a double-double, scoring 12.3 points with 10.6 rebounds per game.
 
The Mustangs opened the 2016-17 season with a 64-56 win over Texas State. Despite the season-opening victory, the Mustangs’ offense only shot 29.2 percent from the floor, including 5-of-21 from 3-point range. Froling and sophomore forward Dai’ja Thomas began the season with double-doubles. Froling recorded 15 points and 15 rebounds, while Thomas contributed 11 points and 10 rebounds. Additionally, sophomore guard Mikayla Reese netted 11 points to round out the double-figure scorers.
 
This Day in Kansas Women’s Basketball History
Record on Nov. 16: 5-0
Wednesday’s game against SMU is the fifth contest to be played on Nov. 16 in program history. The first meeting on Nov. 16 was in 1997 and the Jayhawks defeated Creighton, 63-59, on the road. KU’s victory over the Bluejays opened its 1997-98 campaign on a good note. The Jayhawks were led by Lynn Pride who recorded a double-double after scoring 15 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.
 
Missouri State Leftovers
Kansas’ streak of season-opening victories came to a close as a late run in the fourth quarter proved to be enough for Missouri State to rally for an 87-64 win on Sunday afternoon. Prior to its 2016-17 season opener, KU had won 11-straight games to start the season dating back to 2004. The Lady Bears’ high-powered offense surged ahead late in the game after shooting 53.3 percent from the field. The Jayhawks, on the other hand, could only muster a 35 percent clip from the field, making only 6-of-24 3-point tries.
 
The Jayhawks were led by redshirt sophomore guard McKenzie Calvert and redshirt junior guard Jessica Washington with 20 and 15 points, respectively. Calvert’s 20 points were just one shy of her career high set during her rookie campaign at USC. Along with her 15 points, Washington also led the team with four assists.
 
Offensively, Missouri State had four end the day with double-figure scoring efforts, led by Lexi Hughes, who netted 22 points. Also scoring double digits was Liza Fruendt (18), Brice Calip (14) and Aubrey Buckley (10).
 
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 410-177 (.705) record when playing in front of a home crowd.
 
Up Next
Kansas hits the road for the first time in 2016-17 and travel to Memphis on Sunday, Nov. 20. Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m., on the Jayhawk Radio Network. KU returns to Allen Fieldhouse on Wednesday, Nov. 23 when hosting Oral Roberts at 6 p.m., on the Jayhawk Television Network and the Jayhawk Radio Network.
 
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