KU opens exhibition play with Lady Hornets
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LAWRENCE, Kan. — Kansas women’s basketball begins its 207-18 exhibition slate with Emporia State on Sunday, Oct. 29 at 2 p.m., inside Allen Fieldhouse. The game will be broadcast on the Jayhawk Television Network/ESPN3 and the Jayhawk Radio Network.
Around the Arena
Goblins and ghouls, come one, come all to Allen Fieldhouse on Oct. 29, as Kansas women’s basketball celebrates Halloween at its first exhibition game of the season. All youth wearing costumes will receive $5 admission, while parents will get $8 admission. Kids will get the opportunity to trick-or-treat in the fun zone before tip off and participate in costume parade during halftime.
Fast Breaks
- Kansas is 48-9 in exhibition play dating back to the 1986-87 season and enters Sunday’s match up with a 24-game winning streak against opponents in exhibition action. Inside Allen Fieldhouse, the Jayhawks are 27-1 when hosting an exhibition game.
- The Jayhawks are 6-0 against Emporia State in exhibition play dating back to 2005.
- Lady Hornets connection: head coach Brandon Schneider led ESU for 12 seasons and guided Emporia State to a national championship in 2010. Additionally, graduate student manager Gylan Geissert is an ESU graduate who worked with the Lady Hornets women’s basketball program.
- Kansas Athletics is celebrating the 50-year milestone of women’s varsity sports, including one of the original six sports, women’s basketball. KU enters its 50th season after becoming a varsity sport in 1968-69 and has compiled a 799-614 overall record.
- The Jayhawks return seven letterwinners from a season ago and welcome seven newcomers to the 2017-18 roster.
- Kansas played four overtime games in 2016-17 and was 3-1 on the season in extended games. Under Schneider, the Jayhawks are 4-1 in overtime games.
- When Brandon Schneider-coached teams are leading with less than five minutes to play, his overall record is 357-12, and 11-0 at Kansas.
About the Jayhawks
Kansas returns seven letterwinners from last season’s squad that finished the 2016-17 campaign with an overall record of 8-22. Additionally, KU welcomed seven newcomers to the 2017-18 roster, including three freshmen and four transfers. Coming off a solid junior season, guard Jessica Washington was posed for an All-American campaign in 2017-18, but a knee injury during the first week of practice will sideline the 2017 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year for the season.
With Washington out for the season, the Jayhawks will look to fill that scoring role with a combination of veterans and newcomers. Among the returners who will play a bigger role are senior forward Chayla Cheadle and junior guard Kylee Kopatich. Cheadle led the team in rebounds a year ago, averaging 4.7 boards. She started all 30 games, shooting 30 percent from the field. Kopatich also started every game of the 2016-17 campaign, averaging 9.5 points and 4.4 rebounds.
The incoming class of newcomers brings a wealth of experience and success to the program. Numerous players have won national or state titles or appeared in national or state title games. Many of these new Jayhawks have helped lead their former programs to great heights. In addition to success, the newcomers bring a great deal of length, size and athleticism that head coach Brandon Schneider has been looking for.
Scouting the Lady Hornets
Emporia State enters the 2017-18 season selected to finish the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) in third place behind Central Missouri and Pittsburg State, respectively. The Lady Hornets are coming off of a 29-5 campaign, including a 15-4 mark in league play, that concluded in the regional title game.
The Lady Hornets have finished in the top three of the MIAA or advanced to the MIAA Tournament Championship in each of the last 15 years and 19 of the past 20 seasons.
Emporia State returns three senior starters along with five other players who saw action in at least 14 games in 2016-17. All-MIAA selection Addie Lackey averaged 12.9 points per game last season. Fellow senior Kyrstie Miller averaged 9.8 points and 6.4 rebounds per game, while Jacee Kramer rounds out the returning seniors. She is the MIAA Tournament record holder for consecutive free throws made and has a streak of 22-straight makes from the line dating back to last season.
The three seniors are joined by returners Tiana Moala, Tatum Graves, Brittany Kramer, Jessica Wayne and Morgan Laudan. Newcomers Tyra Jones, Emily Miller, Daley Handy, Madison Ralston and Kali Martin round out the roster.
This Day in Kansas Women’s Basketball History
Record on Oct. 29: first exhibition to be played
Since 2010, Kansas has played four exhibition contests in the month of October. Sunday’s game against Emporia State marks the fifth exhibition game to be played in October and the earliest that the Jayhawks have begun their exhibition slate.
A Look Back At Exhibitions
Dating back to the 1986-87 season, Kansas owns a 48-9 record in exhibition games. The Jayhawks have a 24-game winning streak and haven’t lost an exhibition game since 2004. The largest margin of defeat in an exhibition game for Kansas was 97 points after earning a 136-39 victory over the Monterrey Tigers on Aug. 30, 2003. Since 2003, the Jayhawks have posted a 27-1 exhibition mark inside Allen Fieldhouse.
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.
Celebrating 50 years of Kansas Women’s sports
The intercollegiate women’s sports department was created by the University in 1968 and began with six sports: women’s basketball, softball, volleyball, swimming, gymnastics and field hockey.
An annual budget of $2,000 was provided in 1968 when Marlene Mawson was tasked with initiating a women’s intercollegiate athletics program. This budget was expected to cover all expenses for sports equipment, uniforms and travel. Mawson’s job duties involved coaching, administering the program and teaching in the Physical Education department. By 1975, the University had handed out its first athletic scholarships to women
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 inaugural year of KU women’s basketball (1969). In 49 seasons playing inside Allen Fieldhouse, Kansas women’s basketball has amassed a 417-186 (.693) record when playing in front of a home crowd.
Kansas in the Spotlight
Kansas is among one of the most televised women’s basketball programs in the country. The Jayhawks will have 26 games air on television during the 2017-18 campaign. KU will have two contests broadcast on FOX Sports Network, while every home game will be aired on the Jayhawk Television Network/ESPN3.
Up Next
The Jayhawks conclude exhibition action against Pittsburg State on Sunday, Nov. 5 at 2 p.m., inside Allen Fieldhouse. The final tuneup ahead of the 2017-18 season will air on the Jayhawk Television Network/ESPN3 and the Jayhawk Radio Network.
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