Kansas heads to Creighton for road tilt

Game 6: Kansas at Creighton
Date Wednesday, Nov. 30
Time 7 p.m. Central
Location Omaha, Nebraska
Venue D.J. Sokol Arena
COVERAGE
Radio Jayhawk Radio Network
Audio Jayhawk Radio Network
Stats GoCreighton.com
Notes Kansas Notes
STATS KU CU
Record 3-2 2-3
Points/Gm 67.0 61.8
Field Goal % 34.7 37.7
3-Point Field Goal % 32.0 29.9
Free Throw % 63.1 76.0
Rebounds/Gm 41.6 36.6
Assists/Gm 12.6 15.2
Blocks/Gm 5.2 2.8
Steals/Gm 11.8 6.2

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas women’s basketball heads to Creighton for the first of two road games in a row on  Wednesday, Nov. 30. The Jayhawks and Bluejays tipoff at 7 p.m., inside the D.J. Sokol Arena on the Jayhawk Radio Network.

Fast Breaks

  • Kansas owns a 26-13 record against Creighton and a 10-8 mark when playing the Bluejays on the road. 
  • The Jayhawks have faced eight teams from the Big East Conference and are 35-20 against programs from that league. 
  • With a pair of overtime victories last week, Kansas has extended its win streak to three games in a row and improves to 3-2 on the season.
  • In the month of November, KU is 124-45 all time and has won 10 of its last 15 contests in the 11th month of the year. Under head coach Brandon Schneider, KU is 6-4 in the month of November.
  • After completing the 2015-16 season with the youngest team in the Big 12, Kansas enters 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  and one of two teams in the nation without a freshman on their roster.
  • Redshirt junior guard Jessica Washington netted 19 points, one shy of her career-best mark, to lead all scorers against North Dakota (11/27). Senior Caelynn Manning-Allen and senior guard Timeka O’Neal contributed season-best marks with 14 and 12 points, respectively.
  • The Jayhawks began the game against North Dakota with 23 points behind 67 percent (8-of-12) shooting from the field in the opening quarter, marking first-period-highs in points and shooting percentage this season. 
  • Kansas finished the game against the Fighting Hawks with 13 assists, marking the second game in the last three played which the Jayhawks have dished out 13 or more assists.

About the Jayhawks
After a 0-2 start to the season, Kansas heads into Wednesday night’s game with a three-game win streak to improve to 3-2 in 2016-17. Prior to the meeting with Creighton, KU won back-to-back games in overtime, as head coach Brandon Schneider moved to 3-0 in overtime games in his two years at the helm of Kansas women’s basketball. 

The backcourt duo of redshirt sophomore McKenzie Calvert and redshirt junior Jessica Washington are averaging double digits for the Jayhawks with 17.0 and 12.5 points per game, respectively. Both guards are coming off near career-high performances last week after Calvert tied her career best of 21 points against Oral Roberts (11/23) and Washington was one point shy of her career-high mark of 20 against North Dakota (11/27). 

Seniors Timeka O’Neal and Caelynn Manning-Allen are also coming off season-best performances against the Fighting Hawks. Manning-Allen contributed a season-high 14 points, while O’Neal added 12 points behind 4-of-7 shooting from the 3-point arc. Additionally, Manning-Allen recorded four blocks Sunday, the most in a single game this year by the forward. 

The Jayhawks are averaging 67 points behind 34.7 percent shooting from the field and 32 percent from the 3-point line. Five Jayhawks are connecting on at least 40 percent of their shots taken from the floor. Defensively, KU is averaging 41.6 rebounds, 11.8 steals and 5.2 blocks per game.

Scouting the Bluejays
Like Kansas, Creighton opened the season with a pair of losses before recording its first victory of the 2016-17 campaign, an 80-77 win over Drake. The Bluejays have a 2-3 mark on the year and have won two of their last three games heading into the matchup with the Jayhawks. Wednesday night’s contest is just the second home game of the season for Creighton, who is 1-0 at Sokol Arena this year.

Head coach Jim Flanery enters his 15th season at the helm of Creighton women’s basketball with 13 of 14 letterwinners from last season returning in 2016-17, including Big East Player of the Year Marissa Janning. The Bluejays were selected to finish their conference slate in first place. Along with the first-place pick, three Bluejays earned Preseason All-Big East honors. Janning, a senior guard, senior guard MC McGrory and sophomore forward Audrey Faber each claimed preseason honors from the league.

After five starts, Faber leads the Bluejays with 11.8 points per game behind a 35.1 shooting percentage from the field. Senior forward Brianna Rollerson is also averaging double figures with 11 points per game, while making 56.4 percent of her attempts from the floor, and leads the squad with 8.6 rebounds per contest.

This Day in Kansas Women’s Basketball History
Record on Nov. 30: 8-3
Wednesday’s game against Creighton is the 12th contest to be played on Nov. 30 in program history. This is the first game KU has played on Nov. 30 since the 2014-15 season. In 1984, Kansas defeated Missouri State, 75-61, on Nov. 30. Four Jayhawks scored double figures against the Lady Bears, while the Jayhawks shot 43.7 percent shooting from the field. Vickie Adkins led KU with 22 points and 18 rebounds.

North Dakota Leftovers
Kansas women’s basketball overcame a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to claim its second overtime victory of the season after completing the comeback over North Dakota, 76-71, on Sunday afternoon in Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks’ (3-2) come-from-behind victory is the largest deficit overcome by Kansas this season and with the overtime victory KU improves to 3-0 in overtime under head coach Brandon Schneider.
 
Kansas’ offense and defense soared to new heights in the win over the Fighting Hawks (1-4).  KU recorded its most productive first quarter of the 2016-17 campaign. In the opening period, Kansas netted 23 points behind 67 percent shooting, both highs in the first quarter for the Jayhawks this season. Along with productive first and fourth quarters, senior guard Timeka O’Neal sank timely 3-pointers to aid in KU’s comeback. 

Redshirt junior guard Jessica Washington led all scorers with 19 points, just one shy of her career-best mark of 20 points set at North Carolina. Senior forward Caelynn Manning-Allen turned in her first double-digit scoring effort of the season with 14 points, while O’Neal contributed a season-best 12 points behind 4-of-7 shooting from the 3-point line.
 
Defensively, the Jayhawks forced North Dakota to turn the ball over 23 times, which KU was able to convert into 25 points on the scoreboard. Heading into Sunday’s game, KU averaged 4.5 blocks and against the Fighting Hawks swatted away eight shots, including four from Manning-Allen. Kansas’ defense also surpassed its average of steals per game after tallying 13 steals.

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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