🏀 Women’s Basketball to Host Texas Tech on Saturday
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas Women’s Basketball returns to Allen Fieldhouse on Saturday, Jan. 22, as the Jayhawks continue Big 12 play against Texas Tech. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. CT and the game will be televised on Big 12 NOW on ESPN+.
Kansas enters the matchup with a record of 11-4 following a 69-61 defeat at Kansas State on Wednesday in the Dillons Sunflower Showdown, which dropped the Jayhawks to 2-3 in Big 12 play. The Jayhawks are receiving votes in the latest AP Poll after defeating No. 13/12 Texas 70-66 in overtime on Jan. 12, before falling late to No. 14/13 Baylor, 82-79, on Jan. 16.
Aniya Thomas led the Jayhawks with 16 points at K-State while also filling up a stat sheet with five rebounds, three assists, three steals and one blocked shot. Thomas has now led the Jayhawks in scoring three times this season and she’s third on the team with a scoring average of 10.6 points per game for the year.
Taiyanna Jackson finished one blocked shot shy of the Kansas single-game record as she swatted eight KSU attempts on Wednesday. Jackson has recorded at least one blocked shot in every game this season and she has had two or more in nine consecutive games. For the year, Jackson ranks second in the Big 12 and No. 13 in the nation with 40 blocked shots, an average of 2.7 per game.
The Jayhawks leading scorer, Holly Kersgieter, reached double figures for the 10th straight game as she put up 14 points at Kansas State. In the game, Kersgieter crossed the 900-point plateau for her career and hit three three-pointers, giving her 120 in her time as a Jayhawk. She is currently 10th on KU’s all-time three-point field goal list, five shy of Suzi Raymont (125; 1996-2000) in ninth place.
Texas Tech is 9-8 on the year and 2-4 in Big 12 play following a 51-50, last-second loss at TCU on Wednesday night in Fort Worth. The Lady Raiders previously defeated Kansas State, 64-45, on Jan. 15 in Lubbock. The Lady Raiders rank eighth in the Big 12 in scoring offense, averaging 64.9 points per game, while allowing 62.1 points per game, which ranks sixth in the league. Texas Tech alum Krista Gerlich is in her second season leading the Lady Raiders.
The series between Kansas and Texas Tech dates back to 1978, with 36 of the 37 meetings between the programs taking place since the formation of the Big 12 Conference prior to the 1996-97 season. Texas Tech leads the all-time series 25-12 and the Lady Raiders are 11-7 in games played in Lawrence. TTU has won three straight in the overall series, with the last Jayhawk victory coming on Jan. 18, 2020 in Lawrence by a score of 67-50.
Up Next
Kansas plays on the road twice next week, beginning with a trip to Ames, Iowa, on Wednesday, Jan. 26 to face Iowa State at 6:30 p.m. The Jayhawks then travel to Stillwater, Okla., on Saturday, Jan. 29, to face Oklahoma State at 1 p.m.
