Jayhawks Host Cyclones for Regular Season Finale

Kansas vs. Iowa State
Date Monday, March 2
Time 7 p.m.
Location Lawrence, Kan.
Arena Allen Fieldhouse
Series Kansas leads 46-32
Television Jayhawk TV Network/ESPN3
Radio Jayhawk Radio Network
Live Stats KUAthletics.com
Notes Kansas
Stats at a Glance KU ISU
Record 14-16, 5-12 18-10, 9-8
Rankings
Points/GM 63.6 70.1
FG% 43.1 40.9
Rebounds/GM 36.0 39.3
Assists/GM 14.3 16.1
Blocks/GM 4.5 3.0
Steals/GM 6.1 5.2

LAWRENCE, Kan. Kansas women’s basketball concludes the 2014-15 regular season with Senior Night against Iowa State on Monday, March 2 at 7 p.m., inside Allen Fieldhouse. The home finale is the last chance to see the Jayhawks in action in Lawrence this year and an opportunity to honor the careers of KU’s four seniors. The game will air on the Jayhawk Television and Jayhawk Radio Network.
 
ABOUT THE JAYHAWKS
Kansas returns home for Senior Night and looking for its second-straight victory to conclude the 2014-15 regular season. A Jayhawk win would give KU a sweep over the Cyclones for the first time since 2006. In the first meeting, Kansas ended a 10-game win streak for the Cyclones at home, with a 61-56 victory in Ames in late January. KU hopes to build on the momentum sparked after upsetting Oklahoma, 65-58, who recently defeated Big 12 leader Baylor.
 
Senior forward Chelsea Gardner is averaging a team-high 16.6 points per game, the third-best average in the league, while shooting 52.9 percent from the field. Senior guard Natalie Knight has stayed consistent for the Jayhawks connecting on 38.2 percent of her shots from beyond the arc. She is second on the team with 12.7 points and 3.8 assists per game. Knight has scored in double figures in all but six games this year, while Gardner has posted 26 games this season with 10 or more points.
 
Freshmen guards Lauren Aldridge and Chayla Cheadle are making an impact in KU’s lineup averaging 7.9 and 5.7 points, respectively. Aldridge has started every game this season at point and is third in the conference in assists per game with 4.9. She has played the most minutes (1,043) among the Jayhawks in 2014-15. Cheadle is connecting on 32.4 percent of her shots from long range. Sophomore forward Jada Brown is the final member of Kansas’ starting lineup. The Las Vegas, Nevada native is grabbing 2.8 rebounds per contest, which is sixth-best on the team. She is also averaging 2.0 points per game in 30 starts.
 
The Jayhawks are averaging 63.6 points per game with a +1.5 scoring margin over their opponents. KU is shooting 43.1 percent from the field, while holding its opponents to shooting 38.2 percent. Kansas has connected on 35.3 percent of its attempts from the three-point line, which is the third-best mark in the Big 12. The Jayhawks are averaging 36.0 rebounds, 14.3 assists, 6.1 steals and 4.5 blocks per game.
 
KANSAS FAST BREAKS
• The Jayhawks will honor the careers of their four seniors following Monday night’s contest. The four captains helped Kansas to a pair of Sweet 16 appearances in 2012 and 2013, while collecting 48 wins in the last four years.
• Kansas women’s basketball had three student-athletes earn a spot on the 2015 Big 12 Academic All-Conference Teams. Sophomore Caelynn Manning-Allen was named to the first team, while sophomore Jada Brown and senior Natalie Knight were selected to the second team.
• Three or more Jayhawks have netted double-figure scoring performances in 21 of Kansas’ 30 games this season. KU had four reach double-digit scoring in three-straight games and in a total of eight contests. Senior forward Chelsea Gardner has scored 10 or more points in 26-of-30 games in 2014-15, including eight-straight, while senior guard Natalie Knight has contributed double figures in all but six games this season. For the first time this season, Kansas had five players in double figures against Texas Tech (2/4).
• Kansas’ all-time record is 784-566 while the program has an all-time conference record of 242-261. Head coach Bonnie Henrickson is 343-232 all-time and 185-170 at KU.
• Gardner, a Preseason All-Big 12 selection, joined the 1,000-point club after scoring 24 points in the season opener against South Dakota (11/16). Knight also etched her name on to the list of Jayhawks to score over 1,000 points in their career this season. An 11-point performance vs. Texas (2/14) elevated her past the 1,000-point milestone. With Gardner and Knight both reaching the 1,000-point achievement, it marks the first time since 2012-13 that multiple Jayhawks have reached the 1,000-point milestone in the same season.
• Rookie Lauren Aldridge is one of two freshmen in the Big 12 Conference starting at the point guard position. The Marshfield, Missouri native is third in the league in assists per game with 4.9 and has dished out five or more assists in nine of her last 12 outings, including a career-best 10 assists at TCU (2/17).
 
SCOUTING THE CYCLONES
Iowa State comes into the 2014-15 regular-season finale with a 18-10 overall record and a 9-8 mark in Big 12 Conference action. The Cyclones sit in a three-way tie with Oklahoma State and TCU for third place in the league standings with one game to play before the Big 12 Championship. A win against the Jayhawks could edge them past the Cowgirls and Horned Frogs for sole possession of the No. 3 seed. The Cyclones have won two-straight games after defeating Texas Tech (Feb. 24) and No. 3 Baylor (Feb. 28).
 
All together, the Cyclones average 70.1 points per game, behind a +7.3 scoring margin over their opponents. ISU is shooting 40.9 percent from the field and is connecting on 34.3 percent of shots from long range. It boasts the best free throw shooting percentage in the Big 12 at 77.4 percent. Iowa State averages 39.3 rebounds, 16.1 assists and 5.2 steals per game.
 
Three Cyclones are averaging in double figures, with senior guard Nikki Moody leading the way with 14.0 points per contest. Senior guard/forward Brynn Williamson is averaging 11.6 points per game, second-most on the squad, and posted 17 points in the win against No. 3 Baylor. Sophomore guard Seanna Johnson, who logs 11.4 points and 9.2 rebounds per contest, is the final Cyclone averaging double-figures scoring efforts. Senior guard/forward Fallon Ellis led the floor against the Lady Bears with 18 points.
 
SERIES BREAKDOWN
Record
Kansas leads the overall record with Iowa State, 46-32, and is 26-9 against the Cyclones in Lawrence.
 
Overview
A win for Kansas would be the first back-to-back wins over ISU since 2006, the last time KU swept the Cyclones.
 
Last Time Out
For the first time in nine years, Kansas went into Ames and knocked off Iowa State on the road, 61-56, to extend its win streak to three games. The Jayhawk victory inside Hilton Coliseum ended a 10-game win streak for the Cyclones at home. After shooting only 33 percent in the first half, the Jayhawks came back and shot 52 percent (13-for-25) in the second frame. Senior Natalie Knight sank a pair of free throws giving KU a three-point advantage, forcing ISU to shoot from long range to tie the game, but senior Chelsea Gardner grabbed the board sealing the victory. Gardner led the way for KU posting her 24th-career double-double and sixth double-double this season with 23 points and 11 rebounds.
 
SENIOR SALUTE: ONCE A JAYHAWK, ALWAYS A JAYHAWK 
Following Kansas’ home finale in Allen Fieldhouse on Monday evening, the Jayhawks will honor  the careers of the 2015 senior class, which consists of Asia Boyd, Chelsea Gardner, Natalie Knight and Bunny Williams. The senior foursome helped KU to back-to-back Sweet 16 appearances in 2012 and 2013, while collecting 48 victories heading into their final game at Allen Fieldhouse. The seniors combined for 3,543, points, 1,904 rebounds and a 46.6 shooting percentage while making their mark on Kansas women’s basketball’s record book. Gardner and Knight joined the 1,000-point club becoming the  27th and 28th Jayhawks to reach the feat, respectively.
 
THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
Kansas is set to play 19 games in the comfort of Allen Fieldhouse in 2014-15, 12 of which come during the non-conference slate. KU is 11-7 at home this season, while the Jayhawks compiled a 9-8 mark in Allen Fieldhouse in 2013-14. KU has a record of 131-65 (.686) in Allen Fieldhouse under head coach Bonnie Henrickson and an all-time home record of 405-166 (.715).
 
UP NEXT
Kansas heads to Dallas, Texas for the 2015 Big 12 Championship March 6-9. Match ups for the championship will be announced once the conference slate concludes. All of Kansas’ games will air on the Jayhawk Radio Network and the FOX Sports channels.
 
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