Kansas hosts Wildcats on Senior Day

GAME 27 
 

Date Feb. 25, 2017
Time 2 p.m. (CT)
Location Lawrence, Kansas
Notes Game Notes

LIVE COVERAGE
TV JTV/ESPN3
Radio Jayhawk Radio Network
Audio Audio Stream
Stats Live Stats 

 HOW THEY COMPARE

 LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas women’s basketball hosts Kansas State on Saturday, Feb. 25, for the final edition of the Dillons Sunflower Showdown on the hardwood. Tipoff for the final home game of the season and Senior Day is set for 2 p.m., on the Jayhawk Television Network and the Jayhawk Radio Network. 

AROUND THE ARENA
On Saturday, Kansas will celebrate Senior Day and honor its six-member senior class following the game against K-State. Fans in attendance will receive a Sunflower Showdown roller banner, while supplies last. It’s also Jay Days in Allen Fieldhouse with special pricing on hot dogs and popcorn. 

FAST BREAKS

• Kansas concludes its 2016-17 home slate on Saturday afternoon with the 116th meeting against Kansas State. 
• The Wildcats have a 69-46 lead in the all-time series, which began in 1969. Kansas is 26-29 when playing K-State in Allen Fieldhouse.
• Six of Kansas’ first seven Big 12 Conference games of 2017 were against nationally-ranked opponents. Kansas is 0-8 against teams ranked in the top 25 this season.
• The Jayhawks are averaging 13.8 offensive rebounds per game, good for the third-best average in the Big 12.
• KU forced Texas (1/4) to turn the ball over 31 times, a season-high mark for the Jayhawks’ defense. Kansas leads the league in turnovers forced with 18.7 per game.
• Kansas has forced 20 or more turnovers in nine of 16 Big 12 contests this season. 
• Redshirt junior guard Jessica Washington scored a career-high 36 points against Iowa State (2/21), the most points netted by a Jayhawk since Carolyn Davis recorded 36 points against Nebraska in 2011. 
• Washington has led all scorers in 10 of her 16 Big 12 contests in 2017. Washington leads the league in scoring in Big 12-only games with 20.6 points per contest and is second in the conference in all games with 17.7 points per game.

ABOUT THE JAYHAWKS
Kansas concludes its home slate on Saturday with the final installment of the Dillons Sunflower Showdown. The Jayhawks look to even the 2017 series and snap a six-game losing skid to K-State with a victory on Senior Day. Entering the second meeting of the year between KU and the Wildcats, Kansas is 8-19 on the season with a 2-14 mark in Big 12 Conference action. 

The Jayhawks are averaging 62.1 points per game with a scoring margin of -10.4. KU is making 33.6 percent of its shots from the field, while converting 30.5 percent of its attempts from the 3-point line. Kansas is averaging 37.8 boards per game. The Jayhawks have also swiped 9.3 steals per contest, good for the second-most by any team in the conference. 

Redshirt junior guard Jessica Washington has stormed onto the hardwood and paced KU’s offense in 2016-17. Washington leads the league in scoring in conference play with 20.6 points per game, the only player in the league to average 20 or more points. She is coming off of a career-high night against Iowa State (2/21) after pouring in 36 points behind a 12-for-19 effort from  the field. Washington is second in the Big 12 in scoring on the season with 17.7 points per game. She has netted double figures in 21 games this season, including 15 of her 16 outings in conference play. 

Washington isn’t the only Jayhawk aiding KU’s offensive efforts in 2016-17. Sophomore guard Kylee Kopatich is also among the top scorers this season with 9.4 points per game. Junior guard Chayla Cheadle leads the team with 4.5 rebounds per game, while shooting 32.3 percent from the field. 

SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
Entering Saturday’s Dillons Sunflower Showdown, Kansas State has won three of its last four games, including an upset over nationally-ranked Oklahoma, 79-71. K-State is 20-8 on the season and has a 10-6 mark in Big 12 Conference play. 

The Wildcats are averaging 68.3 points per game heading into the matchup against the Jayhawks and have a +6.8 scoring margin. Kansas State is connecting on 42.8 percent of its shots from the field and 34.8 percent from long range. Defensively, K-State is averaging 37.5 rebounds, 8.0 steals and 4.4 blocks per game.

Senior guard Kindred Wesemann is pacing Kansas State’s offense with a team-high 14.2 points per game, while senior center Breanna Lewis is just behind, scoring 13.8 points per contest. Lewis is connecting on 56.6 percent of her attempts from the floor and also leads the team with 8.1 rebounds per game. Lewis not only makes her presence known on offense, but also defensively with a team-best 52 blocks. 

THIS DAY IN KU WOMEN’S BASKETBALL HISTORY
Record on Feb. 25: 6-8
Saturday’s contest is the 15th time in program history that Kansas has played on Feb. 25. On this day in 2009, three Jayhawks scored double figures, led by Danielle McCray’s 30-point effort, as Kansas defeated Oklahoma State, 67-52, inside Gallagher-Iba Arena.

NEW KID ON THE BLOCK
After sitting out a year to comply with NCAA transfer rules, redshirt junior guard Jessica Washington has made her presence known around the league. The Tulsa, Oklahoma native is averaging 17.7 points, second-most in the Big 12, behind a 35.5 shooting percentage from the floor. In Big 12 Conference action, Washington is the only player to average over 20 points per game with 20.6 point per contest. She has shot 40 percent or better in half her league outings this season, including a 71.4 percent mark at Kansas State (1/11). Washington scored a career-best 36 points against Iowa State (2/21), marking her 21st double-digit scoring effort and 10th with 20 or more points this season. 

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. 

UP NEXT
Kansas heads to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma for the 2017 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship. KU’s first-round matchup will air on FCS and the Jayhawk Radio Network on March 3, inside Chesapeake Energy Arena. 

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