LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas women’s basketball opened the season with a 72-65 victory over Texas Southern to begin the Brandon Schneider coaching era, Sunday afternoon inside Allen Fieldhouse.
The Jayhawks maintained the lead for much of the first 20 minutes of play, but the reigning Southwestern Athletic Conference champion, Texas Southern, fought back in the second half and forced the Jayhawks to earn the win. TSU outscored the Jayhawks by seven points in the third quarter, resulting in just a one-point Kansas lead. However, the Jayhawks played nearly flawless, draining their final five field goal attempts, to seal the victory in the final 10 minutes.
Sophomore guard Lauren Aldridge led the scoring for Kansas, with a career-high 17 points, paired with a game-high seven assists. Junior forward Jada Brown logged a game-changing five offensive rebounds and eight points, including a huge three-point basket in the final moments of the game. Redshirt junior guard Timeka O’Neal also posted a career day, with 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc. 26714Head coach Brandon Schneider
directs a huddle against Texas Southern.
Despite being shadowed by Aldridge for most of the afternoon, guard Jazzmin Parker of Texas Southern was the game’s leading scorer with 25 points. She knocked down three of the team’s four three-pointers and shot 50 percent from the field. Center Kiana Vines gave the Jayhawks problems in the lane all afternoon, tallying a team-high four blocks and seven rebounds, behind 18 points on 9-of-13 shooting.
After three and a half minutes of action, only one point separated the two squads, with Kansas holding the lead. O’Neal,Jada Brown and freshman forward Tyler Johnson then entered the game as the first Jayhawk subs, and the impact was immediate. A three from O’Neal rattled in to extend KU’s lead to four points. On the other end, Johnson prevented a Texas Southern basket by taking a charge and followed it up on the next possession with a block that again returned possession to Kansas.
The smothering defense continued, forcing four Texas Southern turnovers and five-straight missed field goals. The Tigers did not score again until the 1:48 mark, a scoring drought of nearly half of the opening quarter. During the same stretch, Kansas was able to push the lead to 11-6, with three-straight baskets capped off by O’Neal’s second triple of the afternoon. The visitors did regain their rhythm at the end of the quarter, scoring three-straight baskets to cut the lead to seven points heading into the second quarter.
Texas Southern continued its charge in the next period, beginning with three made layups, extending the streak to six made field goals in a row and shortening the deficit to only three points. The Jayhawk backcourt responded. Aldridge and freshman Kylee Kopatich each sank jumpers, and O’Neal continued her hot streak with yet another long-range bucket.
Emerging from a timeout with 4:24 left in the half, the Kansas defense once again stepped up to fight off the Lady Tigers attack. Over the remainder of the half, the Jayhawks forced six turnovers and did not allow the visitors to score another field goal. Kansas could not fully capitalize on its defensive effort, scoring only six points over the same duration, with veterans Aldridge, junior forward Caelynn Manning-Allen and Brown each claiming a made field goal. Texas Southern concluded the half, converting on 1-of-2 free throws with 17 seconds left, trailing the Jayhawks by 10 heading into the intermission.
Both teams continued to struggle from the field in the early moments of the second half, as the Jayhawks shot 1-of-5 and the Lady Tigers missed the mark on their first four attempts. TSU caught fire again, however, draining four baskets in a row, which cut Kansas’ lead to eight points halfway through the third quarter. Johnson stepped up with a nice turnaround floater after O’Neal found her on the baseline with a pass that split two Tiger defenders.
The basket from Johnson did little to break up the drought, as the Jayhawks failed to convert on their next five attempts while Texas Southern continued its run. Scoring-leader Parker knocked down her third triple with 12 seconds remaining in the third period, bringing her scoring total to 21 points and the Lady Tigers to within a single point of Kansas.
Aldridge drew a foul with a single second left on the clock, and converted on both free throws to carry a 48-45 lead into the final quarter of action. Texas Southern’s 22-point third quarter was the highest scoring quarter of the day for either team.
The Lady Tigers scored the first five points of the period, taking a two-point lead – the team’s largest of the day. Vines continued to be a force inside, recording her third and fourth blocks. The Jayhawk bigs did not back down, as Johnson battled through a foul to convert on a huge layup, which tied the game at 50-50.
A made jumper from Kopatich with 6:53 left in the game sparked a run where the two teams exchanged points on the next five possessions.When the streak ended, the Jayhawks emerged clinging to a one-point lead once again with just under five minutes remaining in the game.
A battle ensued over the last few minutes, with both teams trading clutch baskets. Aldridge put in two free throw attempts and a layup. Brown capped off her impressive performance by driving down the lane and putting in a layup to push the lead to seven points.
Texas Southern’s Diamonisha Sophus responded with a three-pointer to bring it back to a two-possession game. Head coach Brandon Schneider called a timeout and drew up a play for the hot hand: O’Neal. She calmly sank her fourth triple of the afternoon, right in front of the Jayhawk bench, effectively sealing the season-opening win for the Jayhawks.
Her bucket proved to be the last, as Kansas began Schneider’s coaching era with a 72-65 victory.
The Jayhawks continue their four-game homestand to start the 2015-16 campaign on Thursday, Nov. 19 against Memphis at 7 p.m., inside Allen Fieldhouse.
— KU Athletics —
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Women’s Basketball (2-0) dominated Arkansas-Pine Bluff (0-2) by allowing the least points from an opponent since 2010 in an 85-34 victory Monday evening at Mizzou Arena. Bri Porter (Columbia, Mo.) scored 16 points and grabbed a career-high eight rebounds in 15 minutes of reserve action as five Tigers scored in double figures. Mizzou held a 49-27 rebounding advantage.
