LAWRENCE, Kan. – Freshman guard Kylee Kopatich posted her first career double-double, but it was not enough as the Jayhawks could not hold off Oral Roberts, falling 70-63 on Tuesday night, inside Allen Fieldhouse.
Kansas asserted control in the paint all game, recording 48 points inside to Oral Roberts’ 24, but it was not enough to overcome one of the best three-point shooting performances from a visiting team since 2013. The Golden Eagles sank 10 long-range baskets, including two in the fourth quarter that both proved to be momentum-changers for the Golden Eagles.
The Jayhawks (5-6) were led Kopatich, who ended the night with 14 points and 11 boards. The Olathe, Kansas native shot 5-of-12 from the field, 3-of-3 from the free throw line, while logging two assists and two steals.
Junior forward Caelynn Manning-Allen posted a double-digit performance for Kansas with 12 points, along with six rebounds and three blocks. Freshman guard Jayde Christopher made her second-career start and impacted the game with eight points and a team-leading four assists.
Oral Roberts (3-7) saw a season-high performance from sophomore guard Kaylan Mayberry, who put up 25 points on 9-of-17 shooting, including five of ORU’s 10 three-pointers. Sophomore guards Jordan Doyle and Bria Pitts each tallied 14 points and accounted for Oral Roberts’ five other triples. Both Golden Eagles shot 5-of-13 from the field, with Doyle also contributing three assists and Pitts pulling down seven rebounds. ORU’s 10 three-point baskets were the most since TCU hit the same mark on March 5, 2013.
After Kopatich got things going for the Jayhawks with a three-point play on their opening possession, Kansas went on a 10-2 by draining four of its first five shots. Christopher made the most of her second-career start early, finding the bottom of the net on her first three field goal attempts and assisting on a fourth basket, helping the Jayhawks claim a 14-7 lead at the 4:57 mark of the opening quarter.
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Freshman G Kylee Kopatich recorded her first career double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds
Oral Roberts put together a quick 6-0 run with three minutes remaining in the first period on two-consecutive three-pointers. Junior forward Jada Brown responded with two made layups before the end of the quarter to give Kansas a 22-18 lead after the first 10 minutes of action.
The Golden Eagles began the second quarter on 4-of-6 shooting, with the fourth field goal capping off a 9-4 run that saw Oral Roberts take its first lead of the night, 27-26. Kansas found itself in a back-and-forth battle, as the lead changed on four-consecutive plays in less than one minute of game time.
Kansas managed to re-establish a lead by halftime, going on an 11-0 run over the last four minutes of the period by forcing turnovers and continuing to dominate in the paint. All 15 of the Jayhawks’ two-point field goals were scored from inside the paint, accounting for 30 of Kansas’ 41 first half points. The home team also recorded a perfect 5-of-5 free throw shooting performance in the opening half, and added in two three-point baskets, the second coming just 14 seconds before halftime from redshirt junior guard Timeka O’Neal to give Kansas an eight-point lead at the break.
Oral Roberts emerged from the locker room and proceeded to sink four of its first five shots, including two long-range buckets, to quickly take a two-point lead from the 10-0 run. Kansas regained its lead on a 6-0 run of its own while the Golden Eagles missed the mark on their next six attempts.
After holding the visitors scoreless for nearly four minutes of game time, Pitts connected on her fourth triple of the night, sparking another 6-0 run to shift the momentum back to Oral Roberts. The Jayhawks put together one more six-point scoring streak before the end of the third period to carry a 55-52 lead into the final 10 minutes of action.
The third quarter saw four more lead changes between the two teams, as Kansas continued to battle inside while the Golden Eagles tallied 12 of their 19 points from beyond the arc. The Jayhawks’ 40 points in the paint after three quarters already approached the team’s season-high of 46 against Memphis on Nov. 19.
Sophomore guard Chayla Cheadle got the scoring going in the fourth quarter, with a layup to put every Jayhawk that entered the game into the scoring column. The Golden Eagles then put together a 12-0 run in just over three minutes, shooting 5-of-6 from the field, including the team’s ninth three-pointer of the night. The streak put Oral Roberts ahead by seven points with less than five minutes left in the contest.
The Jayhawks would not reclaim the lead for the remainder of the game, as KU was held scoreless from the four-minute mark until the last minute of play. Layups from Christopher and Brown in the final 30 seconds were not enough to mount a comeback, and the Jayhawks fell by a score of 70-63.
— KU Athletics —