KAPOW! Jayhawks welcome Baylor for Superhero Day

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Game 15: vs. Baylor
January, 6
2 p.m.
Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)
JTV/ESPN3
Listen
Live Stats
Game Notes
 Stats  KU  BU
Record 11-3 13-1
Points/GM 67.6 91.8
Field Goal % 41.0 52.8
3-PT Field Goal % 29.5 43.2
Free Throw % 64.3 68.4
Rebounds/GM 42.8 49.4
Assists/GM 13.1 23.4
Blocks/GM 3.9 6.6
Steals/GM 6.6 8.1

LAWRENCE, Kan. — Kansas women’s basketball returns home for a two-game homestand with No. 6 Baylor and No. 11 West Virginia. The Jayhawks tip off with the Lady Bears on Saturday, January 6 at 2 p.m., inside Allen Fieldhouse. The game will air on the Jayhawk Television Network and the Jayhawk Radio Network. 

Around the Arena
Jayhawk fans are invited to participate in Superhero Day by dressing up as their favorite superhero. Youth (13 and under) will receive $5 admission. Throughout the game there will be face painters and balloon artists on the concourse in addition to Jay Days with $2 hot dogs, $2 popcorn and $1 fudge bars. The Marching Cobras will perform at halftime and youth in superhero costumes will be invited to participate in a parade on James Naismith court. 

Fast Breaks

  • The Jayhawks are 5-10 when facing the Lady Bears in Allen Fieldhouse and 8-27 overall against Baylor.
  • KU’s last win over the Lady Bears was a 76-60 upset in the 2013-14 season. 
  • Kansas notched its first Big 12 Conference road win in the Brandon Schneider era with a 60-47 victory at TTU on Wednesday, (1/3) to improve to 2-1 in league play.
  • KU opened the 2017-18 season with a seven-game winning streak, marking just the eighth time in program history to begin a season 7-0.
  • Kansas concluded nonconference play with a 9-2 mark, the best start to a season in head coach Brandon Schneider’s three years at KU.
  • KU remains tied for sixth nationally with South Alabama for field goal percentage defense, holding its opponents to shooting 33.5 percent from the field. The Jayhawks trail only Baylor in the Big 12 who holds its opponents to 30.8 percent shooting.
  • Junior guard Christalah Lyons leads Kansas with 13 double-digit scoring efforts in the last 14 games, including a career-high 22 points against UMKC (11/29).
  • A career-high night from junior guard Brianna Osorio lifted the Jayhawks over Texas Tech (1/3) for its second conference win of the season and first league win on the road. Osorio notched a game-high 19 points, including four 3-pointers in KU’s win.
  • Junior guard Kylee Kopatich netted three 3-pointers in the Jayhawks’ victory over the Lady Raiders, keeping her fifth in the Big 12 with 33 long-range shots made thus far in the season. Kopatich is averaging 2.4 3-pointers per game.

About the Jayhawks
For the first time in the Brandon Schneider era, Kansas women’s basketball notched a Big 12 win away from Allen Fieldhouse at Texas Tech, 60-47 (1/3).  The Jayhawks have matched their conference win total from the 2016-17 season in just the first three games of league play. After falling to Iowa State, 71-69, in overtime on Dec. 28, the Jayhawks bounced back to win back-to-back league games for the first time under Schneider.

The Jayhawks continue to make their presence known as one of the best defenses in the Big 12 and the nation. KU has held its opponents to just 58.3 points per game, ranking third in the conference in scoring defense. Additionally, the Jayhawks trail only Baylor in the league in field goal percentage defense, holding their opponents to 33.5 percent shooting from the field. Kansas’ field goal percentage defense ranks among the top defenses in the country, tied for sixth with South Alabama in the category. The Jayhawks have held six opponents below a 32 percent shooting percentage, including a season low against Texas Southern (.250).  Kansas has also limited its opponents to shooting 28.2 percent from long range which is third in the Big 12 behind Oklahoma State and Baylor.

Junior guards Kylee Kopatich and Christalah Lyons lead the Jayhawks offensively, serving as KU’s only players averaging double-digit scoring. Kopatich averages 15.4 points per game, including 2.4 long-range baskets per game. Kopatich’s 2.4 3-pointers per game rank fifth in the Big 12. Lyons has notched double-figure scoring efforts in 13 of KU’s 14 games this season, averaging 14.8 points per game. Both Kopatich and Lyons’ offensive efforts have ranked them in the top 11 for scoring in the Big 12 with Kopatich ranking 10th and Lyons rounding out the top 11. 

Junior guard Brianna Osorio has started Big 12 play off strong, notching double figures in two of KU’s three conference games so far. Osorio knocked in a career-high 19 points in the Jayhawks’ road win at Texas Tech (1/3), shooting 50 percent from the field and going 4-of-7 from long range.

Scouting the Lady Bears
The No. 6 Lady Bears enter Saturday’s matchup with Kansas with just one loss on the season coming at then-No. 8 UCLA, 82-68. Following the Nov. 18 loss, Baylor has won 10-straight, including three Big 12 games in a row by 30 points or more.

Baylor is on top of the Big 12 Conference as one of only two unbeaten teams in league play. The Lady Bears rank first in 15 out of the 21 statistical categories tracked by the conference and boast one of the best offense in the nation, scoring 91.8 points per game. BU ranks second in the nation field goal percentage, making 52.8 percent of its shots from the field, while connecting on a nation-leading 43.2 percent of its shots from the 3-point line.

Defensively, BU leads the conference and the nation in field goal percentage defense, holding its opponents to 30.8 percent shooting from the field. The Lady Bears have swatted away 92 shots (6.6 per game), ranking fifth in the nation for blocked shots.

The Lady Bears are led by five double-figure scorers, including junior center Kalani Brown who has netted 21.5 points per game, which ranks 14th in the nation and third in the Big 12. Brown’s 73.1 (122-of-167) field goal percentage leads the nation. The Slidell, Louisiana native also leads the Lady Bears with 9.1 rebounds per game. 

Sophomore forward Lauren Cox averages 15.4 points per game, while pulling down 8.8 rebounds. Senior guard Kristy Wallace and freshman guard Alexis Morris each add 10.4 points per game, while senior forward Dekeiya Cohen rounds out the Lady Bears’ five double-digit scorers.

This Day in Kansas Women’s Basketball History
Record on Jan. 6: 6-4
Kansas women’s basketball will play on the sixth day of January for the 11th time in program history. This year’s matchup with Baylor will be the fourth time that the Lady Bears and Jayhawks have met on January 6. In 1995, Kansas women’s basketball beat Iowa State on the road, 80-69, to extend its win streak to five. Four Jayhawks contributed double-digit scoring in the win, led by Charisse Sampson who netted 25 points.

Bri for Three
Junior guard Brianna Osorio nailed four 3-pointers in KU’s road victory over Texas Tech (1/3). Osorio notched a career-high 19 points in the win, with 11 coming in the opening 10 minutes of action. In her first season donning the Crimson and the Blue, the Las Vegas, Nevada native has made 34 percent of her attempts from behind the 3-point line.

Floor General
In her first year with the Jayhawks, junior guard Christalah Lyons has taken full command of the Kansas offense. The Dallas, Texas native has had double-digit scoring efforts in 13 of KU’s 14 games, averaging 14.8 points per game. Additionally, Lyons has dished out 61 assists (4.4 per game), which is seventh in the Big 12.

Climbing up the Ranks
Junior guard Kylee Kopatich’s 33 long-range baskets sit fifth in the league, averaging 2.4 treys per game. The Olathe, Kansas native also has marks in the top-15 in 3-point field goal percentage, free throw percentage and steals. Kopatich has knocked in 39.3 percent (13th) of her long-range baskets, 72.4 percent (15th) of her shots from the charity stripe and has snagged the eighth-most steals in the Big 12 with 27. 

Nearing 1,000
With 215 points through the first 14 games of her junior season, Kylee Kopatich is just 205 points away from the 1,000 point mark. Kopatich will be the 29th 1,000 point scorer in Kansas women’s basketball history should she achieve this accomplishment.

Every Minute Counts
Four Jayhawk starters rank in the top-25 for minutes played in the Big 12 Conference. Junior forward Austin Richardson (22nd) and junior guard Brianna Osorio (17th) are each averaging just under 30 minutes per game at 27.4 and 29.4 minutes played per game, respectively.+ Junior guards Christalah Lyons (8th) and Kylee Kopatich (2nd) are each playing over 30 minutes per game at 34.3 and 36.0 after they each played all 45 minutes in the Jayhawks’ 71-69 overtime loss at Iowa State (12/28/17).

Up Next
Kansas women’s basketball hosts its second-straight ranked opponent, welcoming No. 11 West Virginia to Allen Fieldhouse on Wednesday, January 10 at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on the Jayhawk Television Network/ESPN3 and the Jayhawk Radio Network.
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