Jayhawks Welcome Iona To Allen Fieldhouse

Kansas vs. Iona
Date Wednesday, Nov. 26
Time 8 p.m.
Location Lawrence, Kan.
Arena Allen Fieldhouse
Series First Meeting
Television Jayhawk TV Network/ESPN3
Radio Jayhawk Radio Network
Live Stats KUAthletics.com
Notes Kansas
Stats at a Glance KU Iona
Record 4-1 1-3
Rankings
Points/GM 69.6 65.0
FG% 42.4 40.3
Rebounds/GM 41.0 37.8
Assists/GM 14.8 13.3
Blocks/GM 3.6 3.3
Steals/GM 6.0 7.5

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas hosts Iona to conclude a stretch of six games in 11 days to open the 2014-15 season. The Jayhawks six-game homestand comes to an end with the Gaels’ visit to Allen Fieldhouse on Wednesday, Nov. 26, at 8 p.m. The game will be broadcast on the Jayhawk Television Network/ESPN3 and the Jayhawk Radio Network.
 
ABOUT THE JAYHAWKS
Kansas is off to a 4-1 start to its 2014-15 campaign. The Jayhawks started the season with a pair of wins before suffering a five-point loss to Alabama (11/21). KU bounced back from the loss with a pair of victories over Temple (11/22) and Georgetown (11/23). After the match-up against Iona, the Jayhawks hit the road for the first time this season to face No. 2 Notre Dame in Connecticut to conclude the 2014 Naismith Hall of Fame Women’s Challenge.
 
Five games into the season, the Jayhawks are averaging 69.6 points per game and have a +12.2 scoring margin over their opponents. KU is shooting 42.4 percent from the field, while holding its opponents to 32.3 percent shooting. The Jayhawks are averaging 41.0 rebounds, 14.8 assists, 6.0 steals and 3.6 blocks per game.
 
Seniors Chelsea Gardner and Natalie Knight are averaging double digits through the first five games with 20.8 and 10.8 points per game, respectively. Gardner is also averaging 10.0 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per contest. She has recorded a double-double in three games this season to lead the Big 12 once again. Knight has the top assist-to-turnover ratio in the league at 18.0. She has recorded 18 assists and just one turnover in 149 minutes of play.
 
Sophomore Jada Brown is the last veteran in Kansas’ starting lineup. She is averaging 4.0 points and 5.4 rebounds per game, which is the second-most on the roster. Against the Crimson Tide, Brown recorded a career-high 12 points. Freshmen Lauren Aldridge and Chayla Cheadle round out the Jayhawks’ starting five. Aldridge is averaging 8.4 points per game and is tied for the lead among Big 12 freshmen with 4.0 assists per game. Cheadle is averaging 7.6 points per game and leads the team by shooting 40.0 percent from beyond the arc.
 
KANSAS FAST BREAKS

  • Three or more Jayhawks have netted double-figure scoring performances in each of Kansas’ five games this season. KU had four reach double-digit scoring in two-straight games. Seniors Natalie Knight and Chelsea Gardner have scored 10 or more points in every game of 2014-15.
  • KU has limited its opponents to 32.3 percent shooting from the field, which is the second-lowest in the Big 12 Conference. Against Georgetown (11/23), KU limited the Hoyas to just 23 percent shooting, which is the lowest percentage against the Jayhawks since the 2010 season. GU’s low field goal percentage marked the second time in five games that the Jayhawks have held their opponent to less than 30 percent shooting.
  • Three Jayhawks began the 2014-15 season scoring double figures. Gardner, Knight and freshman Lauren Aldridge all tallied a double-digit scoring effort against South Dakota (11/16). Gardner finished with 24, while Knight and Aldridge added 15 and 11 points, respectively.
  • Kansas’ all-time record is 774-553 while the program has an all-time conference record of 237-249. Head coach Bonnie Henrickson is 333-217 all-time and 174-155 at KU.
  • KU has a record of 128-59 (.684) in Allen Fieldhouse under Henrickson and an all-time home record of 400-160 (.714).
  • Gardner, a Preseason All-Big 12 selection, joined the 1,000-point club after a scoring 24 points in the season opener against South Dakota.
  • Knight has 738 career points and needs 262 more to join Gardner in the 1,000-point club, which she is on pace to reach by the end of February.
  • Gardner, a DeSoto, Texas native, recorded Big 12 single-game highs with 13 field goals against Alabama (11/22) and 16 rebounds against Georgetown (11/23).
  • Gardner has three double-doubles after five games this season and once again leads the Big 12 Conference. She posted a Big 12-leading 13 double-doubles last year. Gardner’s 13 double-doubles were the most by a Jayhawk in a single season since Shyra Holden had 14 in 1978-79.
  • Gardner has scored 20 or more points in three of Kansas’ five games, including a season-high 30 against Alabama (11/22). Gardner has netted double figures in every game of 2014-15 and in 31 of her last 34 games.
  • Freshman guard Chayla Cheadle had a breakout game against Texas Southern (11/18) after scoring a career-high 15 points off the bench. She connected on 4-of-5 shots from behind the arc and is shooting 40.0 percent from the three-point line in 2014-15.

SCOUTING THE GAELS
Iona College has a 1-3 mark four games into the 2014-15 slate. The Gaels opened the season with a 72-51 win at Fordham, but have lost three-straight games prior to Wednesday night’s game against the Jayhawks. Iona was selected by the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) coaches to finish the 2014-15 slate in third place. Senior guard Damika Martinez was named the MAAC Preseason Player of the Year for the second-straight season, while junior forward Joy Adams earned Preseason All-MAAC First Team honors.
 
Martinez hasn’t disappointed during her final season with the Gaels. She leads the roster with 25.8 points per game, which is the best average in the country, and became Iona’s all-time leading scorer earlier this season against Sacred Heart. Martinez is shooting 44.0 percent from the field and 36.7 percent from the three-point line. Adams is averaging a double-double four games into the season with 16.5 points and 11.8 rebounds per game. She is shooting 46.6 percent from the field and has tallied four blocks.
 
The Gaels are averaging 65.0 points per game and shooting 40.3 percent from the field. From beyond the arc, Iona is making 27.7 percent of its attempts. Adams leads the squad from the three-point line, sinking 40.0 percent of her shots. The Gaels have registered 37.8 rebounds, 13.3 assists, 3.3 blocks and 7.5 steals per game.
 
SERIES BREAKDOWN
Wednesday night’s match-up between the Jayhawks and the Gaels is the first in program history.
 
DEFENSIVELY SOUND
Head coach Bonnie Henrickson stresses the importance of defense and the Jayhawks are taking that to heart in 2014-15. On the season, Kansas has held its opponents to 32.3 percent shooting, which is the second-lowest mark in the Big 12 Conference. Against Georgetown (11/23), KU limited the Hoyas to just 23 percent shooting, which is the lowest percentage against the Jayhawks since the 2010 season. GU’s low field goal percentage marked the second time in five games that the Jayhawks have held their opponent to under 30 percent shooting. The Jayhawks have the second-best scoring defense in the Big 12, allowing only 57.4 points per game.
 
FRESHMEN MAKE AN EARLY IMPACT
Kansas added four freshmen to the 2014-15 roster during the offseason and several are making an impact already. Lauren Aldridge has started all five games at point guard and is fourth on the team in scoring with 8.4 points per game. She played two games in a row without a turnover while dishing out 13 assists. On the season, she is averaging 4.0 assists and 2.0 rebounds per game. Aldridge has scored in double figures twice, including a season-high 13 against Temple (11/22). Chayla Cheadle is fifth on the team with 7.6 points per game and scored a career-high 15 points against Texas Southern (11/18) after a 4-for-5 performance from the three-point line. After five games in 2014-15, Cheadle is shooting 44.8 percent, which is the seventh-best mark among the Big 12 Conference freshmen.
 
REMEMBER NOVEMBER
In the month of November, the Jayhawks have an overall mark of 118-30 (.797). Under head coach Bonnie Henrickson, KU is 48-10 (.827) in November. Kansas has won 25 of the last 28 games played in November dating back to the start of the 2010 season.
 
THAT 70’s SHOW
Kansas’ success during the Bonnie Henrickson-era has been pretty much based on 70 points. When the Jayhawks score 70 or more points, Kansas owns a 113-17 record (.869) during her tenure. When KU opponents score less than 70 points, the Jayhawks are 143-72 (.665) during that span.
 
NOT IN OUR LEAGUE
The Jayhawks boast a 335-154 (.685) record all-time versus non-conference opponents. The Jayhawks’ best non-conference record came during the 2005-06 season when they posted a perfect 11-0 mark during the regular season. KU is 76-17 (.817) in non-conference games since the 2007-08 season.
 
UP NEXT
Kansas hits the road for the first time in 2014-15. The Jayhawks conclude the 2014 Naismith Hall of Fame Women’s Challenge against No. 2 Notre Dame on Sunday, Nov. 30, at noon. The game will be played at the Mohegan Sun Arena, home of the WNBA’s Connecticut Suns. The game will be broadcast on ESPN3.
 
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