Kansas hits the road to face No. 7 Texas

Game 17: at Texas
January, 13
1 p.m. (CT)
Frank Erwin Center
Longhorn Sports Network
Listen
Live Stats
Game Notes
 Stats  KU  UT
Record 11-5 13-2
Points/GM 65.6 85.6
Field Goal % 39.9 47.7
3-PT Field Goal % 28.0 33.0
Free Throw % 64.4 71.0
Rebounds/GM 41.5 45.2
Assists/GM 12.4 17.9
Blocks/GM 3.8 3.9
Steals/GM 6.5 9.1

LAWRENCE, Kan. — Kansas women’s basketball concludes its trio of games against ranked opponents at No. 7 Texas on Saturday, Jan. 13 at 1 p.m., inside the Frank Erwin Center.

Fast Breaks

  • The Jayhawks are 4-11 when facing the Longhorns in Austin and 10-24 overall against Texas.
  • KU won three-straight games over the Longhorns from 2011 to 2013. The Jayhawks last win against Texas was a 76-38 victory on Jan. 23, 2013 inside Allen Fieldhouse. Kansas’ last win in Austin was on Jan. 4, 2012 when the Jayhawks topped the Longhorns, 72-67.
  • The Jayhawks’ last victory over a ranked opponent came in the 2014-15 season over then-No. 10 Cal. Kansas handed the Golden Bears their first loss of the season, 62-39.
  • The last time Kansas beat a ranked Big 12 foe was in the 2013-14 season when the Jayhawks snapped then-No. 7 Baylor’s 53-game conference winning streak, 76-60. 
  • A win over No. 7 Texas would give KU its first victory over a ranked opponent in the Brandon Schneider era.
  • Kansas’ increase in winning percentage from last season’s 8-22 (.267) mark to 2017-18’s 11-5 (.687) record so far is fifth among Division I programs and second among autonomy conference teams.
  • KU opened the 2017-18 season with a seven-game winning streak, marking just the eighth time in program history to begin a season 7-0.
  • KU ranks 16th in the nation for field goal percentage defense, holding its opponents to shooting 34.7 percent from the field. 
  • Junior guard Christalah Lyons leads the Jayhawks, averaging 15.0 points and 3.6 assists per game in Big 12 play, ranking her 15th in scoring and sixth in assists in the league. The Dallas, Texas native has netted 14 double-digit scoring efforts in KU’s 16 games thus far in the 2017-18 season.
  • Junior guard Kylee Kopatich has netted 11 3-pointers in conference play, placing her fourth in the Big 12 for long-range baskets.
  • When Brandon Schneider-coached teams are leading with less than five minutes to play, his overall record is 366-14, and 21-2 at Kansas.

About the Jayhawks
Prior to two-straight losses to top-15 opponents, No. 6 Baylor and No. 15 West Virginia, Kansas women’s basketball notched a Big 12 win away from Allen Fieldhouse at Texas Tech, 60-47 (1/3), which was the first Big 12 road win in the Brandon Schneider era. The Jayhawks have matched their conference win total from the 2016-17 season in just the first four games of league play this season. After falling to Iowa State, 71-69, in overtime on Dec. 28, the Jayhawks bounced back to win back-to-back league games for the first time under Schneider.

The Jayhawks continue to make their presence known as one of the best defenses in the Big 12 and the nation. KU has held its opponents to just 60.8 points per game, ranking third in the conference in scoring defense. Additionally, the Jayhawks are third in the league in field goal percentage defense, holding their opponents to 34.7 percent shooting from the field. Kansas’ field goal percentage defense ranks among the top defenses in the country, sitting at 16th in the nation in the category. The Jayhawks have held six opponents below a 32 percent shooting percentage, including a season low against Texas Southern (.250). Kansas has also limited its opponents to shooting 28.5 percent from long range which is fourth in the Big 12.

Kansas is averaging 65.6 points per game and is shooting 39.9 percent from the field through 16 contests. Junior guards Kylee Kopatich and Christalah Lyons lead the Jayhawks offensively, averaging 14.9 and 14.4 points per game, respectively. Junior guard Brianna Osorio has started Big 12 play off strong, notching double figures in three of KU’s five conference games so far. Osorio is averaging 11.4 points per game in Big 12 Conference play.

Scouting the Longhorns
The No. 7 Longhorns enter Saturday’s matchup with Kansas with just two losses on the season, coming off of their first Big 12 loss at TCU, 79-77. Prior to its loss to the Horned Frogs, Texas had won four-straight conference matchups, including wins over No. 15/15 West Virginia and No. 20/22 Oklahoma State.

Texas trails only Baylor in the league, owning a 4-1 record over Big 12 foes. The Longhorns are one of the conference’s best rebounding teams, leading the Big 12 with 248 offensive rebounds (16.5 per game) and trailing only Baylor with 430 defensive rebounds (28.7 per game). UT is tied with UCLA for 12th in the nation for offensive rebounds per game and comes in at 40th for total rebounds with 678 through its first 17 games.

Offensively, the Longhorns are averaging 85.6  points per game and beating their opponents by an average of 21.6 points. UT owns the third-best field goal percentage in the league, shooting 47.7 percent from the field and 33.0 percent from long range. The Longhorns sit just below the middle of the pack in sixth for 3-point field goal percentage.

Texas has four players averaging double-digit scoring so far in the 2017-18 season. Junior guard Lashann Higgs leads the way for the Longhorns, netting a team-best 14.9 points per game on 83-of-140 shooting from the field. Higgs owns the best field goal percentage for UT, connecting on 59.3 percent of her attempts from the floor. Senior guard Ariel Atkins follows closely behind with 14.1 points per game, while snagging a team-best 41 steals (2.4 per game). Senior guard Brooke McCarty and junior forward/center Jatarie White notch an average of 13.9 and 10.7 points per game, respectively. Additionally, White leads the team in rebounds, grabbing 6.0 rebounds per game for the Longhorns.

This Day in Kansas Women’s Basketball History
Record on Jan. 13: 3-6
Kansas women’s basketball will play on the 13th day of January for the 10th time in program history. In 1998 on January 13, Kansas topped Big 12 foe Texas, 76-71, inside Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks had four players score in double figures in the conference victory. Lynn Pride led the way with 19 points, followed by Suzi Raymant who finished with 15 points. Jaclyn Johnson and Nakia Sanford rounded out the double-digit scorers with 14 and 11 points, respectively.

Big 12 Bri
Junior guard Brianna Osorio has started Big 12 play off strong, netting three double-digit scoring efforts in Kansas’ five conference games thus far. The Las Vegas, Nevada native is averaging 11.4 points per game in conference play and is shooting 40.4 percent from the field against Big 12 foes. Osorio nailed four 3-pointers in KU’s road victory over Texas Tech (1/3), notching a career-high 19 points in the win, with 11 coming in the opening 10 minutes of action. In her first season donning the Crimson and Blue, Osorio has made 34.8 percent of her attempts from behind the 3-point line in league play.

RCW: Filling her role: Christalah Lyons’ transition to Kansas
Christalah Lyons has had no problem making a name for herself in her first season donning the Crimson and Blue for the University of Kansas women’s basketball team. While opponents and fans know her as Christalah, those closest to her – family, friends and teammates – know her by the affectionate nickname: Stank.
 
Stank was a nickname given to Lyons by her mother, Mikie Dean, when she was just a baby and the humorous nickname has stuck around, even now, in her junior year of college at the University of Kansas. Continue reading: rockchalkweekly.com

Up Next
Kansas women’s basketball returns home to conclude its two-game series with Texas Tech. The Jayhawks and Lady Raiders tip off at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 17 inside Allen Fieldhouse. The game will be broadcast on the Jayhawk Television Network/ ESPN3 and the Jayhawk Radio Network.