Kansas welcomes No. 21 Oklahoma State Wednesday

Freshman forward Michaela Wilson 

 LAWRENCE, Kan. — Kansas women’s basketball hosts its second-straight nationally-ranked opponent when No. 21 Oklahoma State comes to Allen Fieldhouse on Wednesday, Feb. 21 at 7 p.m.

Around the Arena
The Jayhawks are going back in time with a 90’s themed game against the Cowgirls. Fans are invited to wear their best 90’s clothes for a costume contest where the winners will be announced at halftime. Additionally, hot dogs are $1 while supplies last.

Fast Breaks

• The Jayhawks are 14-15 when facing the Cowgirls inside Allen Fieldhouse and own a 32-36 overall record against Oklahoma State.
• Kansas and OSU played each other three times in the 2016-17 campaign with KU going 1-2. The two games that the Jayhawks lost to the Cowgirls were decided by four points each. Oklahoma State won the first matchup of the 2018 series, 92-63.
• Through 26 games, Kansas sits third among Big 12 teams in field goal percentage defense. The Jayhawks are holding their opponents to shooting 38.8 percent from the field, trailing only Baylor and West Virginia in the category.
• KU has held its opponents to 30.9 percent shooting from behind the 3-point line this season, matching the 3-point field goal percentage defense of the Cowgirls.
• Redshirt-sophomore center Tyler Johnson registered her first start of the 2017-18 season at West Virginia. She netted her first double-digit scoring performance of league play with 10 points, while grabbing six rebounds against the Mountaineers.
• Junior guard Christalah Lyons continues to lead the Jayhawks offensively, scoring 14.7 points per game. The Dallas, Texas native has registered double-digit scoring efforts in 23 of KU’s 26 games this season, including three 20-point performances.
• Junior guard Kylee Kopatich is tied for fifth in the league with 31 3-point field goals made in 15 Big 12 contests.
• 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.

About the Jayhawks
Kansas’ game against Oklahoma State marks the eighth time that the Jayhawks will face an opponent ranked in the top-25 polls. Kansas enters the contest with the Cowgirls with an 11-15 overall record and a 2-13 mark in Big 12 Conference action.  KU looks to end its 12-game losing skid, while earning its first win over a ranked opponent since 2014.

A trio of Jayhawks are leading the way for Kansas, averaging double figures on the season. Junior guard Christalah Lyons is netting a team-best 14.7 points per game. She has notched double-digit scoring performances in 23 of KU’s 26 games in 2017-18. Lyons is also connecting on 43.0 percent of her attempts from the field and a team-best 42.7 percent from the field in conference play. Junior guard Kylee Kopatich is sinking 35.4 percent of her shots from long range and averaging 13.3 points on the year. Kopatich has started every game this season alongside Lyons and leads the team in minutes played with 913. Junior guard Brianna Osorio started Big 12 Conference play on a hot streak and has notched 10 double-digit scoring performances in 15 conference matchups. The Las Vegas, Nevada native is averaging 10.6 points per game, while connecting on a team-leading 36.1 percent from long range.

Collectively, Kansas is averaging 61.9 points and has a scoring margin of -5.0. The Jayhawks are shooting 38.0 percent from the field and 28.7 percent from the 3-point line.

Kansas remains one of the league’s best defensive teams, holding its opponents to shooting 38.8 percent from the field for the season, which is third in the league. The Jayhawks are fourth in the Big 12 in 3-point field goal percentage defense, keeping their opponents to connecting on just 30.9 percent of their long-range attempts during the 2017-18 campaign. KU has held its opponents to 66.9 points per game, which is fifth-lowest in the league.

Scouting the Cowgirls
Oklahoma State enters Wednesday night’s matchup with a 9-6 record in Big 12 play, tied for third with Oklahoma in the Big 12 standings. OSU is looking to bounce back from a two-game losing streak with back-to-back home losses to No. 3 Baylor and No. 6 Texas.

Three Oklahoma State players are averaging double figures in 2018. Senior center Kaylee Jensen and graduate guard Loryn Goodwin are leading the league in scoring, averaging 21.5 and 19.7 points per game for first and second in scoring in the conference. Jensen also leads the Big 12 in rebounding grabbing 11.7 rebounds per game through 15 conference contests. Goodwin has snagged 46 steals (3.1 per game) to lead the Big 12 and sits second in the league for minutes played with 37.9 minutes per game. Oklahoma State boasts the third-best offense in the league, averaging 75.1 points per game. The Cowgirls connect on 77.1 percent of their free throw attempts as a team which is the most in the Big 12.

Oklahoma State’s defense ranks near the bottom of the Big 12 statistical standings, coming in ninth (44.8 percent) for field goal percentage defense and 10th (35.5 percent) for 3-point field goal percentage defense.

Series Breakdown
Record
Oklahoma State leads the overall series 36-32.

Overview
Kansas’ series against Oklahoma State is in its 46th season. Wednesday meeting is the second of the season and the 69th in program history. KU lost the first meeting in 1976 before going on to win 10 of the next 11 meetings. Kansas has won one of the last three contests with OSU.

Last Time Out
Oklahoma State proved why it boasts one of the most efficient offenses in the Big 12 Conference scoring 90 or more points for the seventh time in the 2017-18 season in their 92-63 victory over the Jayhawks. Junior guard Christalah Lyons led Kansas, netting her third 20-point game with 21 points behind 7-of-10 shooting from the field.

This Day in KU Women’s Basketball History
Record on Feb. 21: 6-9
Kansas owns an 6-9 mark on the 21st day of February and will play for the 16th time in program history on Wednesday night. In 2012, Angel Goodrich recorded eight assists to break the school’s 24-year-old single-season assist record while also scoring a team-high 20 points to help lead the Jayhawks to a 69-64 victory at Texas Tech.

Nearing 1,000
With 346 points so far in her junior campaign, Kylee Kopatich is just 74 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.

Every Minute Counts
Three Jayhawk starters rank in the top-25 for minutes played in the Big 12 Conference. Junior guards Kylee Kopatich and Christalah Lyons are averaging 35.3 minutes and 35.1 minutes played per game, respectively. Kopatich ranks eighth in the Big 12 for minutes played, while Lyons comes in right behind her in ninth. Junior guard Brianna Osorio is averaging 30.0 minutes played in league games (23rd).

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 travel west on I-70 to Manhattan to face Kansas State for the second installment of the 2018 Dillons Sunflower Showdown on Saturday, Feb. 24 at 3 p.m., inside Bramlage Coliseum. The game will be broadcast on the Fox Sports Network and the Jayhawk Radio Network.

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