Jayhawks’ Comeback Falls Short, 73-64

DALLAS, Texas – Kansas women’s basketball battled back from a 19-point first-half deficit against SMU on Saturday, Nov. 28, but ultimately fell to the tournament host Mustangs, 73-64, inside Moody Coliseum.

The Jayhawks(3-2) dominated inside the paint, outscoring SMU 38-18, but on the defensive end found themselves in foul trouble all game. The Mustangs’ (3-2) 30-of-35 shooting from the charity stripe made a huge impact, while head coach Brandon Schneider was forced to adjust lineups as five different Jayhawks logged four or more fouls.

Sophomore guard Chalya Cheadle came off the bench to lead the Jayhawks offensively, posting a season-high 17 points on 50 percent shooting and a team-high seven rebounds. Junior forward Caelynn Manning-Allen recorded a career-high 14 points on 4-of-6 from the field to earn all-tournament honors.

SMU’s McKenzie Adams entered the tournament averaging nine points per game, but caught fire on Saturday night with a game-high 24 points, including four three-pointers. Three other Mustangs posted double-figure scoring, including Alicia Froling, Morgan Bolton and Adams all shot a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line.

It took the Jayhawks nearly three minutes of game time to make their first field goal, after turning the ball over on their first four possessions. A layup from Cheadle at the 7:11 mark got Kansas on the board, but in the meantime SMU ran out to a 9-0 lead behind Adams.

Kansas had the answer, as Cheadle’s layup sparked an identical run from Kansas, capped off by a three-point basket from redshirt-junior Timeka O’Neal to tie the game at nine before the first media timeout of the quarter. However, SMU went back to work in the final five minutes of the quarter as the Jayhawks went cold. The Mustangs scored 13 points after the media timeout while Kansas shot 0-8 from the field; a free throw from Manning-Allen was the only make as the 13-1 run put the host team ahead by 12 points.Sophomore guard Chayla Cheadle led the team with 17 points and seven rebounds

The hot-shooting Jayhawks from the first game of the SMU Thanksgiving Classic cooled off and shot only 21.4 percent in the first period, netting 10 points, the lowest offensive output by the Jayhawks in the first quarter this season.

Despite making two of their first four field goals of the second quarter, the visitors could not put a dent in the deficit. SMU continued its hot streak and pushed the lead to 17 points before the seven-minute mark of the period. The Mustangs shot 4-of-5 to begin the quarter, including a second long-range basket from Adams. Turnovers again plagued Kansas, with four in a three-minute span allowed SMU to grow its lead to 20 points with yet another Adams three ball.

With Manning-Allen and freshman forward Tyler Johnson both finding themselves in early foul trouble, freshman forward Chelsea Lott stepped up with her first minutes in a Kansas uniform. She tipped an offensive rebound to Cheadle for an easy layup on the Jayhawks’ first possession after checking into the game. She also recorded a rebound, block and the first points of her career with a layup at the 1:35 mark of the quarter.

Foul trouble from multiple Jayhawks dictated the opening half. Five Kansas players, including starters Manning-Allen, junior forward Jada Brown and freshman guard Kylee Kopatich, headed to the locker room with three fouls. Cheadle recorded 10 points in the first 20 minutes of action, her first double-digit scoring performance of the year and ninth of her career, but also ended the half with three fouls. The Mustangs, in turn, made a living at the line, shooting 81 percent. Free throws accounted for 17 of SMU’s 43 first-half points, while Kansas only got to the line six times, converting on four attempts. At the half, the Jayhawks faced a steep challenge, trailing 24-43 to the tournament hosts.

Kansas put its first-half shooting problems behind them after returning to the court for the second half. A three-point play from Cheadle and an ensuing long-range basket from Kopatich cut the lead to 13 points and forced an SMU timeout less than two minutes into the third period.

SMU continued to feel the pressure from an inspired Jayhawk defense, as Kansas continued to cut into the lead. Outscoring the Mustangs 12-4 over the first five minutes of the third period, the SMU lead was cut to nine before a media timeout at the 4:46 mark.

Kansas’ zone defense caused fits for SMU in the third period, as the Mustangs committed seven turnovers after tallying the same amount in the entire first half. After shooting 46 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes, SMU shot just 29 percent in the third quarter. The Mustangs poor shooting allowed the Jayhawks to cut into the deficit, and a last second floater from Aldridge brought the score to 55-45 before the buzzer ended the third period.

The fourth quarter began much like the former, with Kansas chipping away at the Mustang lead. Layups from Aldridge and freshman guard Aisia Robertson left the Jayhawks trailing by only four points before SMU called another early timeout at the 7:33 mark. After the timeout, a three from Kopatich concluded a 7-0 run to begin the quarter for the visitors.

The Mustangs responded with a 7-2 run over the next five minutes of game time, pushing their lead back to eight points with two minutes remaining in the game. Kansas continued to fight, draining three of its final four shot attempts. SMU finished the game on 1-of-6 shooting, but remained solid from the free throw line, connecting on 11 of its final 12 attempts. As the final buzzer sounded, SMU held the 73-64 advantage to claim the championship trophy of the SMU Thanksgiving Classic.

POSTGAME NOTES
SMU 73, Kansas 64
Nov. 28, 2015 – DALLAS, TEXAS

SMU MOODY COLISEUM
Attendance: 782 (Capacity: 8,998)

SERIES INFORMATION

Kansas leads the all-time series against SMU, 3-2.
The Jayhawks have won three of four meetings with the Mustangs, including the last two contests.
KU won the first game of the series, 77-67, in 1996.
The Jayhawks are 2-0 against the Mustangs in Lawrence and 1-2 in Dallas.

TEAM NOTES

The last time that Kansas faced SMU inside Moody Coliseum was in the SMU Thanksgiving Classic in 2007. The Mustangs handed KU its first loss of the season, 68-56, to win the tournament. The Jayhawks are 2-2 when playing in the holiday tournament hosted by SMU and have two runner-up finishes.
Three Jayhawks finished the night in double-figures for the fourth time this season. Sophomore guard Chayla Cheadle (15), junior forward Caelynn Manning-Allen (14) and freshman guard Kylee Kopatich (10) each posted double digits.
The Jayhawks recorded two charges against the Mustangs. Sophomore guard Lauren Aldridge recorded her second of the season, while redshirt-junior Timeka O’Neal recorded her third.
In the first period, Kansas shot 21.4 percent for 10 points, which is KU’s lowest offensive output in the opening period during the 2015-16 campaign.

INDIVIDUAL

Junior forward Caelynn Manning-Allen posted a career-high 14 points behind 4-of-6 shooting from the field against SMU (11/28/15).
Sophomore guard Chayla Cheadle recorded a season-high 15 points at SMU (11/28/15). Cheadle’s 15-point performance against the Mustangs is the ninth double-figure scoring effort and the most points since she scored 10 against Iowa State in Allen Fieldhouse last season.
Cheadle completed a three-point play the old fashion way in the third quarter. Her layup and made free throw were the first points of the period for the Jayhawks.
Freshman guard Kylee Kopatich ended the night with 10 points, her second double-digit scoring performance of her career.
Freshman center Chelsea Lott made her debut in the Crimson and Blue against SMU (11/28/15). Lott recorded her first career points and rebounds as a Jayhawk with two and one, respectively.

POSTGAME QUOTES

Head coach Brandon Schneider

On Chelsea Lott’s performance:

“I thought she played great. We have to be smarter with our perimeter players, who put her in some bad spots offensively. You have to understand that she’s a young player; she’s not Caelynn (Manning-Allen). We tried to do some things with her that we might do for Caelynn and we just have to be smarter than that. I thought she battled really well. She blocked a shot, got some rebounds, finished under the basket and it’s nice to see her do that since she hasn’t had the opportunity.”

On Chayla Cheadle’s season-high 17 points:

“She really played well. We’re just up and down right now with our play, as a team. We’re inconsistent and we just have some individuals who are up and down. We just have to find some individuals who we can count on and that can have consistent play. It’s great that Chayla came out and played well tonight. I think it’s going to be really important that she plays well on Wednesday. Jada (Brown) struggled tonight and hopefully she comes out of that. We just need consistency. We’re not the type of team that is going to overrun you with talent. Our margin for error is really small. We just have to have our group show up and really play together as a team, and play smart. We had stretches in this tournament where we just didn’t play intelligently, and hopefully we can get back to practice and fix some of those things.”

On the upcoming schedule:

“Creighton is outstanding, and St. John’s is really, really good. No one is playing the non-conference schedule that we are. It’s a tremendous challenge for us, but hopefully we get a little more prepared for Big 12 play.”

NEXT UP
The Jayhawks return to Lawrence for a six-game homestand, beginning on Wednesday, December 2, against Creighton. The matchup is slated for 7 p.m. and fans can keep up with the action on Jayhawk Television or the Jayhawk Radio Network.

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