Kansas welcomes Yale to Allen Fieldhouse

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LAWRENCE, Kan. — Kansas women’s basketball continues nonconference action with its second meeting with Yale in program history on Sunday, Nov. 19 at 1 p.m., inside Allen Fieldhouse. The game will be broadcast on the Jayhawk Television Network/ESPN3 and the Jayhawk Radio Network. 

Around the Arena
Jayhawk fans can enjoy Jay Days with $2 hot dogs, $2 popcorn and $1 fudge bars as well as a performance by the Rock Chalk Dancers at halftime of the game.

Fast Breaks

• Sunday’s matchup marks the second time that Kansas has faced Yale in program history. Both games have been played in Lawrence, where KU owns a 2-0 record against the Bulldogs.
• The Jayhawks return seven letterwinners from a season ago and welcome seven newcomers to the 2017-18 roster.
• The Jayhawks reached their 800th program win on Nov. 12 with a victory over Campbell to tip off the 50th season of Kansas women’s basketball.
• Junior guard Kylee Kopatich has netted back-to-back double-figure scoring efforts to start her third season in the Crimson and Blue. The Olathe, Kansas native leads the team with 20 points per game. 
• Kopatich clinched three career-high marks in the 2017-18 season opener against Campbell on Nov. 12. Kopatich scored 21 points, knocked down five 3-pointers and dished out five assists.
• Three Jayhawks are averaging double figures after the first two games of the season, Kopatich leads the way with 20.0, while junior guards Christalah Lyons and Brianna Osorio are averaging 15.0 and 12.0 points per game, respectively.
• After two games, KU has turned the ball over just 20 times, while forcing its opponents to turn the ball over 37 times.
• Kansas Athletics is celebrating the 50-year milestone of women’s varsity sports, including one of the original six sports, women’s basketball. KU enters its 50th season after becoming a varsity sport in 1968-69 and has compiled a 801-614 overall record.

About the Jayhawks
After two successful exhibition games, Kansas opened the 2017-18 season with back-to-back victories over Campbell and Texas Southern. It marks the second time under head coach Brandon Schneider that the Jayhawks have gotten off to a 2-0 start to the season. 

Junior guard Kylee Kopatich leads a trio of Jayhawks averaging double figures in 2017-18 with 20.0 points per game, while connecting on 56.0 percent of her shots from the field. She is also shooting 53.3 percent from long range and averaging four 3-point field goals per game. Additionally, junior guards Christalah Lyons and Brianna Osorio are netting 15.0 and 12.0 points per game, respectively. 

Kansas is shooting 41.8 percent from the field and five Jayhawks are sinking 40 percent or higher of their shots. Redshirt-sophomore forward Tyler Johnson leads the team after making 71.4 percent of her attempts from the floor. 

Defensively, KU is holding its opponents to just 42.5 points per game and limiting the opposition to a 27.3 field goal percentage, which is the second-best defensive shooting percentage in the Big 12.

Scouting the Bulldogs
Yale is off to a 2-0 start to the year after opening the season with a pair of victories over LIU Brooklyn and Colgate. The Bulldogs return 10 letterwinners from last season’s roster, which helped Yale record its highest win total (15) since the 2011-12 campaign, including two victories during the Ivy League Tournament. 

Among the veterans returning in 2017-18 are the Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year senior guard Tamara Simpson and All-Ivy honorable mention honoree Jen Berkowitz. Simpson is averaging 15.5 points per game, while recording a team-high six steals and two blocks. Last season, Simpson averaged 9.6 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.9 steals per game. Berkowitz is just behind netting 15.0 points per game in 2017-18 and leads the team with 7.5 rebounds per game. In 2016-17, Berkowitz led the Bulldogs with 13.4 points per game on 50.8 percent (123-of-242) shooting from the field, while grabbing a team-best 187 rebounds. 

Additionally, Yale brings back key leadership in senior captain Mary Ann Santucci. She is averaging 4.0 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. 

This Day in Kansas Women’s Basketball History
Record on Nov. 19: 2-0
When playing on Nov. 19, KU has compiled a 2-0 record. During the 2015-16 season on Nov. 19, the Jayhawks topped Memphis, 72-63, with three players scoring in double figures, including guard Kylee Kopatich, who led the team with 14 points and six rebounds. Forward Tyler Johnson added six points and 10 rebounds against the Lady Tigers.

D-D-D-Defense
After two games in 2017-18, Kansas’ tough defense has been on display inside Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks have limited their first two opponents of the season to under 50 points total and 17 points in the first half. KU has also held its opponents to just 27.3 percent shooting from the field, which is the second-best defensive shooting percentage in the Big 12, and has taken three charges. 

800 wins
The 2017-18 season-opening victory over Campbell (11/12/17) marked the 800th victory in Kansas women’s basketball history, dating back to the start of the program in the 1968-69 season. Seven head coaches and more than 250 student-athletes played a role in the Jayhawks’ path to 800 program victories. 

Tough and Together 
Head coach Brandon Schneider has brought a “tough and together” culture to Allen Fieldhouse and Kansas women’s basketball. Schneider has vowed that his squads will compete and play together every day. Whether the Jayhawks are hitting the floor, flying over the scorers’ table or passing to a teammate, they will play tough and together until the final whistle blows.

Celebrating 50 years of Kansas Women’s sports
The intercollegiate women’s sports department was created by the University in 1968 and began with six sports: women’s basketball, softball, volleyball, swimming, gymnastics and field hockey.

An annual budget of $2,000 was provided in 1968 when Marlene Mawson was tasked with initiating a women’s intercollegiate athletics program. This budget was expected to cover all expenses for sports equipment, uniforms and travel. Mawson’s job duties involved coaching, administering the program and teaching in the Physical Education department. By 1975, the University had handed out its first athletic scholarships to women.

There’s No Place Like Home
Named in honor the late Dr. F.C. “Phog” Allen, the Jayhawks’ head coach for 39 years, Allen Fieldhouse is labeled by many as one of the best places in America to watch a college basketball game. This astounding basketball monument has been home to Jayhawk basketball for 63 years, including the last 44 years for Kansas women’s basketball. Prior to 1973, KU women’s hoops played in Robinson Gymnasium. Over the last 49 seasons, Kansas women’s basketball has amassed a 417-186 (.693) record when playing in front of a home crowd. 

Kansas in the Spotlight
Kansas is among one of the most televised women’s basketball programs in the country. The Jayhawks will have 28 games air on television during the 2017-18 campaign. KU will have two contests broadcast on FOX Sports Network, while every home game will be aired on the Jayhawk Television Network/ESPN3. 

Up Next
The Jayhawks continue their nine-game homestand against Delaware State on Wednesday, Nov. 22 at 7 p.m., inside Allen Fieldhouse. KU’s matchup with the Hornets will air on the Jayhawk Television Network/ESPN3 and the Jayhawk Radio Network.

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