Kansas hosts 'Jayhawks for a Cure' game Saturday

Beginning in August 2017, fans will be allowed to bring only one clear plastic bag no larger than 12 inches by 6 inches by 12 inches or a one-gallon, clear, resealable plastic storage bag per person inside Kansas athletics events.

Fans will also be allowed a small clutch purse not to exceed 5.5 inches by 8.5 inches.

More on new bag policy

LAWRENCE, Kan. — Kansas women’s basketball will support the fighters, admire the survivors and honor those taken by cancer during its annual ‘Jayhawks for a Cure’ game against Oklahoma on Saturday, Feb. 10 at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on the Jayhawk Television Network/ESPN3 and the Jayhawk Radio Network.

Jayhawks for a Cure
Each year, every sports program at Kansas designates at least one game to raise support and awareness for cancer of all kinds. This year, that event is Saturday for the women’s basketball program. Fans who wear pink to the game will receive $5 admission. Kansas Athletics will donate a $1 for every fan in attendance toward ‘Jayhawks for a Cure’ which benefits Lawrence Memorial Hospital and the KU Cancer Center.

Fast Breaks

• The Jayhawks are 14-17 when facing the Sooners inside Allen Fieldhouse and own a 30-39 overall record against Oklahoma.
• Kansas last topped the Sooners during the 2014-15 season in Norman. KU’s last victory over OU in Allen Fieldhouse came in the 2012-13 campaign.
• Junior guard Brianna Osorio has been KU’s most consistent offensive presence throughout Big 12 play, netting nine double-digit scoring efforts in the Jayhawks’ 12 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 20 of KU’s 23 games this season, including three 20-point performances.
• Junior guard Kylee Kopatich is sixth in the Big 12 with 25 3-pointers in league play. 
• 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.

‘Jayhawks for a Cure:’ A Year Round Event
For Kansas women’s basketball, its work with ‘Jayhawks for a Cure’ isn’t just one night a year at a game played inside historic Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks make numerous trips to LMH to spend time with patients. In 2017, KU visited cancer patients over the summer who were going through chemotherapy treatments. At the Holidays, the Jayhawks went back to LMH to spread cheer with the Crimson and Blue project. 

During the 2016-17 season, Kansas women’s basketball raised $4,500 for cancer awareness and research, which was delivered to LMH over the summer. These efforts were in addition to the Kansas Athletics donation of over $5,000 from the annual Jayhawks for a Cure game last season.

About the Jayhawks
After starting out the 2018 Big 12 slate with two wins in its first three games, Kansas looks to bounce back and end its nine-game losing skid, which included a loss at Oklahoma. The Jayhawks host the Sooners for the final regular-season meeting of the year between the two programs on Saturday night. Currently, KU is 11-12 on the season and 2-10 in Big 12 play.

The Kansas offense has been paced by impressive performances from junior guards Christalah Lyons, Kylee Kopatich and Brianna Osorio throughout Big 12 play. Lyons is leading the Jayhawks with 15.4 points per game in Big 12 play, including two 20-point performances at then-No. 7 Texas and at then-No. 23 Oklahoma. Lyons’ offensive efforts rank her 12th in the conference for scoring. In nine of KU’s 12 Big 12 games so far, Osorio has netted double-digit scoring efforts, including a career-high 28 points against Texas Tech (1/17). Osorio is averaging 13.8 points in league action. Kopatich rounds out the trio of Jayhawks averaging double digits with 11.6 points behind a 35.1 shooting percentage from the field in conference games. 

Collectively, the Jayhawks are averaging 63.5 points  on the season behind a 39.2 shooting percentage from the field through 23 games. From beyond the arc, Kansas is connecting on 29.7 percent of its attempts and has two Jayhawks shooting above 30 percent from the 3-point line on the year.

The Jayhawks are continuing their best defensive efforts, holding their opponents to shooting 37.2 percent from the field for the season. In its 23 games, Kansas is second in the Big 12 for field goal percentage defense, trailing only Baylor. The Jayhawks have held their opponents to 65.3 points per game, which is fifth-lowest in the league. Kansas is third in the Big 12 in 3-point field goal percentage defense, keeping its opponents to connecting on just 29.7 percent of their long-range attempts in the 2017-18 campaign. 

Scouting the Sooners
After winning just five games in nonconference play and suffering a four-game losing streak early on in the season, Oklahoma sits in the middle of the Big 12 standings in fifth place with an overall record of 12-12 and a Big 12 mark of 7-6.

Oklahoma’s 75.8 points per game are the fifth-most in the league. The Sooners are also fifth in both field goal percentage and 3-point field goal percentage, connecting on 44.0 percent of their shots from the floor and 33.8 percent of their shots from long range.

All five OU starters are averaging double digits in the 2017-18 campaign, led by senior center Vionise Pierre-Louis with 15.7 points per game. Pierre-Louis also leads the Sooners in both rebounding and blocked shots, grabbing 8.5 rebounds per game and swatting away 57 (2.5 bpg) to date. The Lake Worth, Florida native has recorded 196 rebounds, the fifth-most in the league and Pierre-Louis’ 57 blocks are the second-most by a Big 12 player. Senior guard Gabbi Ortiz averages 13.0 points, while netting 3.0 treys per game. Freshman guard Shaina Pellington, freshman guard Ana Llanusa and graduate-student guard Maddie Manning round out OU’s double-digit scorers with 12.8, 12.7 and 12.0 points per game, respectively.

Defensively, Oklahoma’s opponents are averaging 72.2 points per game, while shooting 41.3 percent from the field, which falls near the bottom of the league in eighth place.

This Day in KU Women’s Basketball History
Record on Feb. 10: 8-6
Kansas owns an 8-6 mark on Feb. 10 and plays on the 10th day of February for the 15th time in program history. In 1990, the Kansas defense forced Oklahoma State to commit 23 errors in a 62-57 win over the Cowgirls. Misti Chennault led the Jayhawks with 18 points, while Terrilyn Johnson grabbed a team-high 13 rebounds.

Long Range Leaders
Junior guar Brianna Osorio is connecting on a team-best 41.1 percent of her attempts from the 3-point line in league play, which is the sixth-best 3-point field goal percentage in the Big 12. Junior guard Kylee Kopatich ranks sixth in the league with 25 3-pointers in conference play and 10th in the league for 3-point field goal percentage, connecting on 35.7 percent of her attempts. Junior forward Austin Richardson and junior guard Christalah Lyons are also connecting on at least 30 percent of their 3-point attempts in Big 12 play, shooting 33.3 percent and 31.8 percent from beyond the arc.

The Jayhawks recorded a season-high 10 3-pointers in the first meeting of the season against K-State (1/28). Junior guards Brianna Osorio and Kylee Kopatich netted four 3-pointers each, while junior forward Austin 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. 

Nearing 1,000
With 308 points so far in her junior campaign, Kylee Kopatich is just 112 points away from the 1,000 point mark. Kopatich will be the 29th 1,000-point scorer in Kansas women’s basketball history should she achieve this accomplishment. The last Jayhawk to score 1,000 career points was fellow Olathe, Kansas native Natalie Knight, who ended her Jayhawk career with 1,081 points. Should Kopatich net 1,000, she would be the eighth Kansan to earn the accomplishment.

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.

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 last 44 years for Kansas women’s basketball. Prior to 1973, KU women’s hoops played in Robinson Gymnasium. Over the last 49 seasons, Kansas women’s basketball has amassed a 419-186 (.692) record when playing in front of a home crowd. 

Up Next
The Jayhawks begin a two-game road swing at West Virginia on Wednesday, Feb. 14 at 5 p.m., inside WVU Coliseum. The contest will be broadcast on the Jayhawk Radio Network.

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