LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas women’s basketball headed to the locker room at halftime with a double-digit lead over Iowa State, but a second-half offensive surge lifted the Cyclones to a 63-53 win over the Jayhawks on Tuesday evening, inside Allen Fieldhouse.
A five-point second quarter left the Cyclones trailing 28-18 at the intermission, their lowest-scoring first half of the season. Kansas torched ISU on 46 percent shooting to carry a lead into the third quarter for the first time in Big 12 competition this season. The second half belonged to Iowa State, connecting on 14-of-27 (.519) from the field and put together multiple scoring runs to take down the Jayhawks.
The Cylones (12-9, 4-6 Big 12) were led by junior guard Seanna Johnson, who tallied 20 points and five rebounds. Tuesday marked just the second time this season that the Big 12’s leader in double-doubles (13) was held to five or fewer rebounds. Redshirt sophomore guard Jadda Buckley entered the matchup leading the Cyclones in assists with 120 on the year, ranking third in the Big 12. Buckley continued the trend, setting a new career-high with 11 dimes and adding on 14 points for her second double-double of the season.
Junior forward Jada Brown put forth a career day for the Jayhawks (5-17, 0-11 Big 12). The Las Vegas, Nevada native notched a career-best 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting, her highest shooting percentage of the season. Brown also matched the team-high in rebounds with four boards. The Jayhawk starters struggled from the field, combining on 10-of-34 (.294) shooting for 27 points. Freshman guard Kylee Kopatich and sophomore guard Chayla Cheadle led the starters in scoring with eight and seven points, respectively. Brown’s team-high 14 points marked the second-consecutive game that a bench player led the squad in scoring.
Junior forward Caelynn Manning-Allen helped the Jayhawks break out to an early 3-0 lead with a layup and a free throw. A 9-0 run from the Cyclones followed, with the Jayhawks going 0-of-4 from the field and committing five turnovers over the same stretch.
Kansas locked in over the final two minutes of the quarter, determined to not wind up in familiar territory trailing in the early going. The Jayhawks knocked down their final five baskets of the period to erase the deficit and sit even, 13-13.
Iowa State struck first in the second quarter with a jumper from freshman forward Meredith Burkhall to break the tie, but Cheadle answered for Kansas with a three-pointer to shift the score in favor of KU. A jumper from Iowa State’s Buckley at the 7:22 mark put the Cyclones back on top, but only for a moment.
Over the remainder of the quarter, the Jayhawks shut down Iowa State defensively and put together their best first half shooting performance in Big 12 play this season. The Cyclones were held to a single point and ended the half with 13 turnovers, matching their season average per game. Kansas took advantage, scoring the final 10 points of the quarter to lead 28-18 at the intermission. Sinking 12-of-26 shots (.462) left the Jayhawks with their first half time lead against a Big 12 opponent since claiming a 35-21 advantage over the Cyclones last season.
An 8-2 run from ISU to begin the second half forced Kansas head coach Brandon Schneider to call a timeout at the 7:20 mark, with the lead cut to just four points. Out of the timeout, Kopatich knocked down a jumper from just past the free throw line, but a 7-1 scoring streak by the Cyclones would leave the two teams locked, 33-33.
With just over three minutes left in the quarter and immediately after Kansas’ 10-point lead disappeared, freshman guard Aisia Robertson drove into the lane and put up a floater that deflected off the rim. Robertson gathered her own rebound, missed the put-back, collected her second offensive board of the possession and banked in a jumper to help Kansas reclaim the lead. Unfortunately for the Jayhawks, it would be their last of the game. Iowa State responded by netting the next eight points, and 10 of the last 13 points of the quarter, to carry a 43-38 advantage into the final 10 minutes of action.
A 7-0 run for the Jayhawks knotted the game up early in the fourth quarter, but four-straight field goals from the Cyclones sparked a 10-0 counter to give Iowa State its first double-figure lead of the night. Kansas would cut the deficit back to single digits twice, but could not come closer than six points for the rest of the contest. Iowa State would go on to break its five-game losing streak with a 63-53 victory.
— KU Athletics —