Kansas downs Texas Tech on the road, 60-47
LUBBOCK, Texas – For the first time in the Brandon Schneider-era, Kansas women’s basketball was victorious on the road in Big 12 Conference action, topping Texas Tech, 60-47, on Wednesday night inside United Supermarkets Arena.
In a game where the Jayhawks never relinquished the lead, Kansas (11-3, 2-1 Big 12) held the Lady Raiders (6-8, 0-3 Big 12) to just seven points, owning a 24-7 lead after the first 10 minutes. After allowing Texas Tech to cut the lead to six in the third quarter, KU outscored the Lady Raiders 16-10 in the fourth quarter to earn its first Big 12 road win in Schneider’s tenure.
Three Jayhawks netted double-figures on the road. Junior guard Brianna Osorio led all scorers with a career-high 19 points, including four 3-pointers. Junior guard Christalah Lyons added 15 points, six rebounds and seven assists, tying her career high. Junior guard Kylee Kopatich rounded out KU’s double-digit scorers, notching 14 points with three coming from long range.
The Lady Raiders were led by sophomore center Erin Degrate, who notched a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Senior forward Brielle Blaire added 11 points and six rebounds in Texas Tech’s third-straight Big 12 loss.
After two minutes without a bucket from either side, Kopatich nailed a 3-point basket from the left side to give Kansas a 3-0 lead. Sophomore forward Brittany Brewer answered with the next three points to tie the game up.
Kansas went on a 7-0 run to take control of the game with a 10-3 lead. Kopatich sank her second three of the night followed by a Lyons charge on the defensive end to keep the momentum going for the Jayhawks. Senior forward Chayla Cheadle and Lyons each added a pair of buckets to complete the run, before Degrate knocked in two free throws to put the Lady Raiders within five.
The Jayhawks defense was in full force in the first 10 minutes, allowing Texas Tech to score just seven points in the opening period. Kansas finished the quarter on a 14-2 run with 11 of the 14 points coming from Osorio who knocked in three 3-pointers, including two to end the period with a 24-7 lead.
Junior forward Austin Richardson tipped off the quarter for the Jayhawks netting a jumper in the first 20 seconds of the period. Following Richardson’s basket, the Jayhawks went cold from the floor, not making another field goal until the three-and-a-half-minute mark when Lyons sank a jumper.
A second jumper from Lyons pushed the Kansas lead back to 18. A pair of baskets from Brewer and Blaire cut the lead back to 14, but Kopatich ended the half with her third 3-pointer of the night to keep the Jayhawks on top by 17.
Despite shooting just 22.2 percent from the floor in the second quarter, the Jayhawks held Texas Tech to nine points in the period and went into the locker room with a 33-16 lead.
The Lady Raiders settled into an offensive rhythm in the third period outscoring the Jayhawks, 21-12. Texas Tech jumped out to a 9-2 run to start the quarter with Kansas’ only basket in the first four minutes coming from a Kopatich jumper.
Lyons held her own offensively for the Jayhawks knocking in KU’s next six points to put Kansas back on top by double figures, 41-31. Osorio extended the Jayhawks lead back to 12 with a layup before Texas Tech made six-straight points to cut the lead to six, KU’s smallest lead of the night.
Lyons ended the period making 1-of-3 from the free throw line after being fouled on a last-second 35-foot 3-point attempt to give Kansas a 44-37 lead going into the final 10 minutes.
The Jayhawks started the fourth quarter with six unanswered points with three apiece from Kopatich and Osorio to give KU a 50-37 lead. Senior guard Eboni Watts split a pair of Degrate layups, but a jumper from Brewer put Texas Tech within nine with just under six minutes to play.
Redshirt sophomore Tyler Johnson extended the Jayhawks lead back to double figures, netting a jumper from the foul line to give Kansas a 54-43 lead. Senior center Jada Terry narrowed the margin to single digits with a layup, but a 3-pointer at the two-minute mark all but sealed the victory for Kansas as the Jayhawks won 60-47.
UP NEXT
The Jayhawks return home for a two-game homestand with No. 6 Baylor and No. 12 West Virginia. Kansas tips of with the Lady Bears on Saturday, January 6 at 2 p.m., inside Allen Fieldhouse. The game will be broadcast on the Jayhawk Television Network/ESPN3 and the Jayhawk Radio Network.
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