Kansas victorious in exhibition finale over Washburn
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LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas women’s basketball continued to highlight its up-tempo offense in its 2016-17 exhibition finale, as the Jayhawks downed Washburn, 81-57, on Sunday afternoon inside Allen Fieldhouse. With the victory, KU improved to 7-0 against Washburn in exhibition play and 16-1 overall.
Scoring double digits for the second-straight game, redshirt junior guard Jessica Washington continued to be an offensive asset for the Kansas squad. Washington led all scorers with 21 points, hitting 7-of-15 field goals. She also tallied two assists and two rebounds on the day.
Sophomore guards Kylee Kopatich and Aisia Robertson also found themselves with double-digit scoring efforts against the Ichabods. Robertson tallied 14 points behind 5-of-7 shooting, while Kopatich contributed 12 points, including a pair a makes from beyond the arc. Robertson also added four rebounds, four assists and three steals to make her presence known on both sides of the floor.
A team effort was the theme for Washburn, as Felisha Gibbs, Reagan Phelan and Alyxis Bowens each finished the game with 10 points to lead the Ichabods. After a slow start, Kansas battled basket-for-basket with Washburn as both teams looked to gain momentum and take the lead. Despite putting the first points on the board, the Jayhawks went down 12-11 before going on a 10-point run, seven of which came from Washington. The spark in Kansas’ offense put the Jayhawks ahead of Washburn, 21-14, at the end of the first quarter.Sophomore guard Aisia Robertson
Momentum continued for KU as it opened the second quarter with 11 unanswered points, holding Washburn scoreless in the first five minutes. At the half, the Jayhawks headed to the locker room with a 40-28 advantage over the Ichabods. Washington closed out the opening half with 12 points, while Robertson added seven in the first 20 minutes.
Coming off of a Washburn timeout early in the third quarter, Washington found her groove yet again, scoring eight-straight points to force another Washburn timeout, an attempt to slow the Jayhawks’ momentum. Kansas proved to be solid on the defensive end of the court as well, forcing two shot clock violations for the Ichabods. Kansas outscored Washburn 27-16 as the third quarter came to a close and took a 67-44 lead into the final quarter.
The fourth quarter resembled the beginning of the game with both teams trading baskets back and forth, with Kansas only outscoring Washburn by two points. Kansas closed out the final quarter and improved to 2-0 in exhibition play this season with the 81-57 victory over Washburn.
UP NEXT: The Jayhawks tip off the 2016-17 season against Missouri State on Sunday, Nov. 13 at 2 p.m., inside Allen Fieldhouse. The game will air on the Jayhawk IMG Radio Network and Jayhawk Television Network/ESPN3.
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