November 13, 2015

Jayhawks Tip Off Schneider Era with Texas Southern

Sophomore guard Chayla Cheadle.

Game 1: Texas Southern at Kansas
Date	Sunday, Nov. 15
Time	2 p.m. (CT)
Location	Lawrence, Kan.
Stadium	Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)
Tickets	KUAthletics.com
Series	Kansas leads, 3-0
Radio	Jayhawk Radio Network Online: KUAthletics.com
Watch	Jayhawk Television Network/ESPN3
Live Stats	Sidearm Stats
Notes	Kansas

Stats at a Glance (Stats from 2014-15)	KU	TSU
Record	15-17	19-10
Points/GM	63.3	66.3
Field Goal %	42.6	42.5
3-point Field Goal %	35.6	29.1
Rebounds/GM	36.1	39.1
Assists/GM	14.2	14.3
Blocks/GM	4.7	3.3
Steals/GM	6.0	10.9

LAWRENCE, Kan. – The official start to the Brandon Schneider era of Kansas women’s basketball tips off against Texas Southern on Sunday, Nov. 15 at 2 p.m., inside Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks began the 2015-16 campaign with a 10-game season opener winning streak on the line. The match up will air on the Jayhawk Television Network and the Jayhawk Radio Network.

AROUND THE GYM
Kansas will honor all active and retired military personnel with Salute to Service on Sunday. A special Salute to Service flag will be given away to fans in attendance. All active and retired military personnel will receive $5 admission into the game against Texas Southern.

KANSAS FAST BREAKS

The Jayhawks are 37-10 in season openers since the inception of the women’s basketball program in 1968. Kansas has won 10-straight season openers dating back to 2005.
KU has a perfect 3-0 mark against Texas Southern, a series that began in 2002.
Kansas returns six letterwinners, including three starters, and welcomes nine newcomers to the squad in 2015-16.
A year ago, KU led the Big 12 Conference in three-point field goal percentage (35.6). Sophomores Chayla Cheadle and Lauren Aldridge combined for 33.8 percent from beyond the arc.
The Jayhawks’ roster features six local products that hail from Kansas or Missouri. Junior Sydney Benoit and freshmen Kylee Kopatich and Tyler Johnson are from the Sunflower State, while redshirt junior Timeka O’Neal and sophomores Lauren Aldridge and Chayla Cheadle are from the Show Me State.
In the month of November, the Jayhawks have an overall mark of 119-31 (.793). Kansas has won 22 of the last 25 games played in November dating back to the start of the 2010 season.
Kansas has a record of 406-166 (.715) in Allen Fieldhouse. Over the last five seasons, Kansas has posted a 61-29 mark on its home court.
The Jayhawks’ bench provided a spark offensively in 2014-15 and averaged 19.0 points per game. Kansas’ bench scored in double figures in 29 of 32 games.

ABOUT THE JAYHAWKS
Kansas kicks off the Brandon Schneider era with the start of 2015-16 and the new season brings a new mentality to the hardwood. The Jayhawks are playing tough and together basketball under the first-year head coach. KU returns six players from last year’s squad that went 15-17. Joining the veterans are nine new faces, who hope to make an immediate impact.

Among Kansas’ returning starters is 2015 All-Big 12 Freshman selection Lauren Aldridge. The Marshfield, Missouri native averaged 8.1 points and 4.9 assists per game as a freshman while connecting on 34.7 percent of her shots from beyond the arc. Sophomore Chayla Cheadle, who started every game of her rookie season, recorded 5.8 points and 3.3 rebounds per game.

The Jayhawks averaged 63.3 points per game behind 42.6 percent shooting from the field, but graduated their top three scorers at the conclusion of 2014-15. Chelsea Gardner, Natalie Knight and Asia Boyd accounted for 60 percent of KU’s offensive efforts last season. Defensively, Kansas held opponents to 38.2 percent shooting from the field with 150 blocks and 191 steals.

SCOUTING THE LADY TIGERS
The coaches’ favorite to win the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), Texas Southern finished the 2014-15 season with a 19-10 overall record and a 16-1 league mark. The SWAC regular season champions, TSU earned a bid to the Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT). The Lady Tigers lost, 79-69, to Southern Miss in the opening round of the WNIT.

TSU returns one of its top scorers from a year ago, as Briana Sidney hits the hardwood for her senior season. Sidney averaged 11.9 points and 3.9 rebounds per game, while shooting 41 percent from the field. Making her return after a season-ending injury in 2014-15 is Jazzmin Parker. Parker scored 34 points in Allen FIeldhouse during the 2013-14 meeting between the Jayhawks and Lady Tigers and finished the year as one of the top scorers in the nation.

In 2014-15, Texas Southern averaged 66.3 points, 39.2 rebounds and 14.3 assists per game. The Lady Tigers shot 42.5 percent from the field and 29.1 percent from three-point range. Defensively, TSU recorded 11 steals per game.

SERIES BREAKDOWN
Record
Kansas owns a 3-0 mark in the all-time series against Texas Southern. All three KU victories have occurred in Allen Fieldhouse, including one each of the last two seasons.

Overview
Sunday’s meeting between the Jayhawks and the Lady Tigers is just the fourth meeting in the young the series. The series began with a 83-45 KU victory in 2002. Last season, Kansas hosted TSU in Allen Fieldhouse for the second year in a row and defeated the Lady Tigers, 69-44.

Last Time Out
Sophomore guard Chayla Cheadle came off the bench and netted 4-of-5 attempts from beyond the arc during last year’s contest against Texas Southern. Cheadle led the floor with 15 points as Kansas cruised to a 69-44 victory over the Lady Tigers. Morgan Simmons (11) and Brianna Sidney (10) recorded double-digit efforts for Texas Southern. TSU was held to 24 percent from the field, going 15-for-62.

SEASON OPENER SUCCESS
Kansas is riding a 10-game winning streak in season openers heading into the first regular-season game of the 2015-16 campaign. The Jayhawks have a 37-10 mark in the first game of the year dating back to KU’s first year of varsity basketball in 1968. KU scored 122 points against Grambling State (11/18/00), which is the most points scored by Kansas in a season opener. The Jayhawks have posted five 100-point efforts during the first game of the season.

EXHIBITION REWIND
The Jayhawks completed a perfect 2-0 exhibition slate prior to tipping off the 2015-16 season with victories over Pittsburg State and Emporia State. Kansas opened its exhibition schedule with an 80-54 win over the Gorillas and concluded its exhibition test with a 68-57 win over the nationally-ranked Hornets. Sophomore Lauren Aldridge led KU in scoring in both games, averaging 19.5 points. Junior forward Caelynn Manning-Allen was the second Jayhawk to average double figures with 11.5 points per game.

KANSAS IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Kansas is among one of the most televised women’s basketball programs in the country. The Jayhawks have two games featured on FOX Sports Network, while every home game aired on the new Jayhawk Television Network/ESPN3. KU is scheduled to play 27 contests in 2015-16 on television, that’s two more than a year ago.

UP NEXT
The Jayhawks continue their four-game homestand to start the 2015-16 campaign on Thursday, Nov. 19 against Memphis at 7 p.m., inside Allen Fieldhouse. Kansas will offer $1 Coke floats during the Thursday night bout with the Tigers. The contest will air on the Jayhawk Television and Jayhawk Radio Networks.

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