Newcomers lift Jayhawks over Emporia State, 69-49
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas women’s basketball tipped off its 2017 exhibition lineup with a 69-49 victory over the Emporia State Lady Hornets on Sunday afternoon inside Allen Fieldhouse.
KU fans saw five of head coach Brandon Schneider’s additions to the team, with the newcomers scoring 47 out of the Jayhawks 69 points in Kansas’ exhibition matchup with Emporia State.
The Jayhawks were led by junior forward Austin Richardson who scored 16 points, while grabbing five rebounds and dishing out one assist in her first game in a Kansas uniform. Newcomers, Brianna Osorio and Christalah Lyons followed closely behind scoring 14 and 12 points, respectively.
Emporia State trio of senior Jacee Kramer and juniors Emily Miller and Tyra Jones led the Lady Hornets in in exhibition play after each netting double figures. Kramer led all scorers with 17 points, followed by Miller with 15 points and six assists. Jones fell just shy of a double-double scoring 10 points and grabbing nine rebounds.
After a slow start for both teams, a layup by Lyons at the six-minute mark tied the game up at four to diminish the Lady Hornets only lead of the game. Despite its impressive defense in the first quarter, Kansas wasn’t able to get its offense rolling until Osorio nailed her first 3-pointer as a Jayhawk.
The Jayhawks continued impressive defense in the second quarter, holding the Lady Hornets to just five points in the second period. Emporia State’s seven-minute scoring drought allowed Kansas to take control of the game, going on a 13-0 run over a six-minute period. Without an answer for the Jayhawks offensive pace, ESU went into the locker room trailing 31-16.
Kansas struggled to settle into a groove in the second half, allowing Emporia State to cut the lead to 10 points. Richardson sparked the Jayhawks 7-0 run late in the third quarter with 3-pointer to put Kansas back on top. Senior forward Chayla Cheadle completed the run with back-to-back layups to put KU ahead by as many as 18 in the third period.
KU’s newcomers carried the momentum throughout the final quarter as the Jayhawks continued to stretch their lead. A series of turnovers by the Lady Hornets allowed KU to reach their largest lead of the afternoon at 23 with Osorio and senior guard Eboni Watts finishing on the plays to put the stamp on the Jayhawks’ 69-49 exhibition victory.
UP NEXT
Kansas concludes its pair of exhibition games welcoming Pittsburg State to Allen Fieldhouse on Sunday, November 5 at 2 p.m.
FOLLOW
KUAthletics.com: The official online source for Kansas Athletics, Williams Education Fund contributions, tickets, merchandise, multimedia, photos and much, much more.
