Kansas shoots past GMU with 77-56 victory
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas’ senior duo of Jessica Washington and Kylee Kopatich lifted the Jayhawks to a 77-56 victory over George Mason with hot shooting and a record-setting night in Allen Fieldhouse on Wednesday night.
The Jayhawks got off to a hot start with a 14-2 run behind four-straight three pointers from Washington. The Tulsa native ended the first quarter with 12 of KU’s 24 points.
Washington added 18 more points for the third 30-point game of her career. After hitting two more threes and starting the game 4-for-4, Washington finished the night shooting 60 percent from beyond the arc.
Kopatich came into the night needing just nine points to be the 29th Kansas women’s basketball player to reach 1,000 points. Finishing the night with 14 points, Kopatich’s name can go down in the record books with 1,005 points and counting.
Redshirt freshman Brittany Franklin highlighted the defense with a career and team-high seven rebounds along with two blocks.
Kansas was quick to reach a double-digit advantage, leading by as many as 35 throughout the game. After outscoring the Patriots in three of four quarters, the Jayhawks coasted to a 77-56 victory and a 4-0 record to start the season.
NOTABLES
- KU’s 47.8 percent (11-of-23) shooting from 3-point range is the best 3-point field goal percentage since Dec. 31, 2017 when the Jayhawks shot 54.5 percent (6-of-11) against TCU.
- The Jayhawks’ 43.9 percent shooting from the field is the fourth game in a row that KU has connected on 40 percent or higher from the field.
- Kansas held George Mason to shooting just 20 percent from long range, which is the lowest 3-point field goal percentage that an opponent has recorded since holding Texas to 13.3 percent last season in Austin (1/13).
- The Jayhawks swiped a season-best 14 steals against the Patriots, the most since Kansas recorded 15 against Oklahoma on Feb. 10, 2018.
- Kansas forced a season-high 24 turnovers against George Mason.
- The Jayhawks 77-56 victory over the Patriots was their largest margin of victory of the 2018-19 season.
- Senior Kylee Kopatich became the 29th Jayhawk to net 1,000 career points with nine points in the first half.
- Kopatich’s 14 points mark her 26th double-digit scoring performance of her career and first of her senior campaign.
- Jessica Washington’s game-high 30 points marks the third 30-point performance of her career.
- Brianna Osorio surpassed two career-high marks tonight, dishing out five assists to tie her career-best and snagging four steals, the most of her career.
- Redshirt-freshman Brittany Franklin grabbed a team-best and career-high seven rebounds.
UP NEXT
Kansas concludes its five-game homestand against Iona on Sunday, Nov. 25 at 2 p.m. inside Allen Fieldhouse. Fans can watch all of the action on the Jayhawk Television Network/ESPN+ or listen on the Jayhawk Radio Network.
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