LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Devonte Graham’s shot hadn’t been falling lately, so the Kansas point guard had been content to dish out nearly 10 assists per game, a number that ranked second in the nation.

Well, his shot finally fell Tuesday night.

Graham hit five 3-pointers and poured in a career-high 35 points — and still racked up five assists without a turnover — to lead the second-ranked Jayhawks to a 96-58 rout of Toledo and extend the Jayhawks’ best start in seven years.

“I’ve been putting up some shots at night,” said Graham, explaining that assistant coach Kurtis Townsend had been telling him to hold his follow-through. “Just listening to him and getting in the gym.”

Graham wasn’t the only hot hand against the Rockets.

Malik Newman added 17 points, often cruising in for easy layups. Svi Mykhailiuk hit five 3-pointers and had 15 points. And big man Udoka Azubuike dunked his way to 12 points.

The Jayhawks (6-0) finished 12 of 20 from beyond the arc and shot 59 percent from the field, though emptying their bench early kept them from hitting the 100-point mark for the third still game. They also forced 20 turnovers by a Toledo team that had committed 25 total over its last three games.

“That’s a very, very good basketball team,” Rockets coach Tod Kowalczyk said. “I’m not a Kansas basketball historian by any stretch, but in 30 years of coaching, that’s as good a team as I’ve seen.

“They are on ice skates,” he said, “and everyone else is in sneakers. They’re that fast.”

Tre’Shaun Fletcher and Nate Navigato scored 12 points apiece to lead the Rockets (3-3), who have lost three straight overall and 12 straight against ranked teams.

“I thought we did some really nice things,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “I thought our shot selection was really good. I think you could count on one hand the number of marginal shots we took.”

If you take away a 7-minute stretch of the first half, the Rockets actually hung with Kansas.

Hard to take away a 30-2 run, though.

The Jayhawks led 18-15 when Mykhailiuk knocked down a 3-pointer to get the streak going. Graham scored the next three baskets to make it a 10-0 spurt. Then, after Fletcher scored the only basket for the Rockets, Azubuike flushed back-to-back alley-oop passes for dunks to begin another 20-0 charge.

Mykhailiuk hit a pair of 3s. So did Graham. And by the time Newman drained a 3 with 3:55 left in the half, the Jayhawks had hit 8 of 9 from beyond the arc and built a 48-17 lead.

“We were doing an OK job guarding,” Fletcher said, “and it just went south really quick.”

The second half wasn’t a whole lot better for Toledo.

Graham scored the first five points, the Jayhawks scored the first 13 and their lead had swelled to 72-30 before Navigato hit a 3-pointer for the Rockets’ first points of the half.

Graham finally substituted out for the first time in the game.

“He shot it, he handled it, he did what he wanted off the ball screen and he defended well too,” Self said. “He hasn’t seen the ball go in the hole, so it was good to see that happening.”

Graham didn’t get much of a break, though, considering the Jayhawks are still using a seven-man rotation with freshman Billy Preston sidelined indefinitely over an off-the-court matter. Neither did the rest of the Kansas starters as they tuned up for a game against Syracuse on Saturday night.

“We have a big one coming up,” Graham said. “That’s where our focus is now.”

BIG PICTURE

Toledo abandoned the inside entirely, lofting up 29 shots from beyond the arc. They were just 8 of 21 everywhere else. One of those 2-point baskets in the closing minutes came from Justin Roberts, the son of Kansas assistant Norm Roberts, who got the start in front of his dad. “To be perfectly honest, that was an easy decision,” Kowalczyk said. “I made that decision in the summer.”

Kansas was scorching beyond the arc, but the Jayhawks also had a 35-23 rebounding advantage and outscored the Rockets 38-12 in the paint. That inside-outside balance is what makes Kansas so dangerous.

UP NEXT

Toledo gets an easier task with Texas Southern visiting Friday night.

Kansas heads to Florida to face the Orange in the Hoophall Miami Invitational.

— Associated Press —

STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Mason Rudolph passed for 438 yards and two touchdowns and ran for two scores in his final home game to lead Oklahoma State to a 58-17 victory over Kansas.

James Washington, Dillon Stoner and Marcel Ateman each went over 100 yards receiving for Oklahoma State (9-3, 6-3 Big 12, CFP No. 19), who were all but eliminated from the Big 12 championship race by losing to Kansas State last week.

“I was really proud of our seniors and the leadership they gave us during the week,” Oklahoma State Mike Gundy said. “When I talk about their class and character, part of that is being able to overcome a big win but then also come back after a game like last week. You got to come back and work hard and do it right, and that’s what they do.”

Peyton Bender started in place of the injured Carter Stanley and was 17 of 32 passing for 172 yards and two touchdowns for Kansas (1-11, 0-9), which lost its 45th consecutive road game.

“Carter had a knee injury from last week,” said Jayhawks coach David Beaty. “Peyton stepped in there, I thought he did some decent things early. When we protect him, he’s got some talent now. We’ve just got to do a better job of keeping him upright.”

Oklahoma State’s big-play offense delivered, scoring on five consecutive first-half possessions en route to a 34-10 lead at halftime. The Cowboys then made it 41-10 just one minute into the third quarter on Rudolph’s 36-yard touchdown pass to Washington.

The Cowboys outgained Kansas 661 yards to 241, holding the Jayhawks to just two yards in the fourth quarter.

“We gave up way too many pass yards against them, we got to be better there,” Beaty said. “For that team right there not to be in the (conference) championship game is crazy to me. It just tells you how talented this conference is, from top to bottom.”

It was the fifth game this season that Rudolph has gone over 400 yards passing. He also has now been responsible for 45 touchdowns this season, breaking the OSU record of 44 set by Barry Sanders during his Heisman Trophy season of 1988.

“I think Barry Sanders did a lot for the university and obviously won a Heisman Trophy so I think he’ll always be the best from Oklahoma State,” Rudolph said. “It takes a lot around you to get something like that done. I’ve been blessed with a lot of weapons to pass the ball to and it has been fun.”

THE TAKEAWAY

Kansas: Like most of their games this season, the Jayhawks had times where they played well and could compete on a level playing field, especially early on, but lapses here and there cost them as usual, and eventually they weren’t able to sustain the positive stretches.

Oklahoma State: While there was still an air of disappointment hanging over the sparsely-populated stadium from the Cowboys’ heart-breaking 45-40 loss last week, the team itself displayed no ill effects with their performance.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

With a lopsided victory over an opponent they were expected to handle relatively easily, Oklahoma State will likely stay around No. 18, depending on how teams above them fare.

NOT GOING ANYWHERE

There was some speculation that Beaty might be fired once the season was over, but that will not be happening. Kansas Athletic Director Sheahon Zenger issued a statement immediately after saying, “While we know the results of this season are not acceptable, the rebuilding of this program is a process, and Coach Beaty will continue to lead us through it. I’m excited and encouraged about the coaching staff’s recruiting efforts and the facility upgrades we’ve made thus far and those we are about begin.”

Beaty said: “They understand and know the vision, and I’ve been very clear about how we build it. Unfortunately, when you go through rebuilds, there’s not always a quick fix. Sometimes there is, but it will be short-lived if you’re not careful. We’re trying to do it the right way.”

UP NEXT

Kansas: Vacation time. The Jayhawks’ season is over.

Oklahoma State: After missing out on the Big 12 Championship Game, the Cowboys will wait to see what their bowl game matchup will be.

— Associated Press —

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Kansas shot the ball from 3-point range better than it ever has in its illustrious history.

Once the Jayhawks found their rhythm from deep, their offense was virtually impossible to stop. Texas Southern coach Mike Davis was in awe.

“I’ve never seen a team pass the ball and shoot the basketball as well as they do,” Davis said.

Svi Mykhailiuk scored 21 points, Udoka Azubuike added 20 and No. 3 Kansas cruised to a resounding 114-71 victory over Texas Southern on Tuesday night in the Jayhawks’ first game of the Hoophall Miami Invitational.

They got after it early, as with just under 5 minutes remaining in the first half Lagerald Vick hit the team’s seventh 3 of the half — a program record. A similar feat was achieved in the second half, when Devonte’ Graham hit No. 17, the record for 3s in a game.

“It’s super fun,” Graham said. “Being active, sharing the ball, it’s contagious. Just making that extra pass, and when the ball’s going through the hoop like that, it just feeds energy into us.”

Graham, Vick and Marcus Garrett all finished with a double-double for Kansas, as Vick posted 19 points and 10 rebounds, Graham had 17 points and 11 assists, and Garrett logged 13 points and 11 boards.

Texas Southern’s Demontrae Jefferson led all scorers with 24 points. Donte Clark added 19 and had a game-high 14 rebounds as well.

Davis has seen plenty of high-powered offenses run by Bill Self, as the pair used to meet regularly when they coached at Illinois and Indiana, respectively. After watching a performance like this, he has no doubts over his former rival’s future chances.

“I’ve been around for a long time,” Davis said. “If you play basketball like they play basketball, they’ll be cutting the net down in April.”

BIG PICTURE

Kansas continues to thrive without freshman Billy Preston, who remains benched as the school investigates a single-car on-campus incident involving him earlier in the month. His absence has left Self with just two big men, but the lack of depth has yet to truly hurt the Jayhawks.

Texas Southern is still searching for its first win after facing a daunting schedule to start the season. Even though the Tigers have yet to find themselves in the win column, games against bigger schools like Kansas will continue to provide invaluable experience regardless of the score.

“It was a great opportunity for us,” Davis said. “We leave tomorrow to go play Clemson on Friday, and this game right here will get us ready for our next game.”

T’ED UP

Azubuike earned a technical foul midway through the first half when he hung on the rim following a thunderous dunk.

“He deserved it,” Self said of the technical. “I told the official — he said `I hate calling that,’ I said `but you got to call it.’ I mean, that’s good for us … he has a bad habit of doing that, and I was glad they called it because that may end up not costing us where we really need it, in a close game.”

SARCASTIC SELF

While Self agreed that the Jayhawks shot the ball about as well as they possibly could have, he wasn’t overtly enthused by the record, as per usual.

 

“I couldn’t be happier. I think we should celebrate for a week,” Self said. “My reaction is we made shots. That doesn’t mean anything to me.”

MODEL FOR SUCCESS

“Love the way they play,” Davis said of the Jayhawks. “That’s the way I want my team to play. When we get to January and play in our conference, that’s the way we want to be playing basketball.”

UP NEXT

Kansas will continue Hoophall Miami Invitational play Friday night with another home game against Oakland, which has already dropped its first two games of the tournament.

Texas Southern will once again face an uphill battle for its first victory as it travels to Clemson on Friday.

— Associated Press —

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — On his way to the bus, Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield stopped outside the visiting locker room at Memorial Stadium to sign a handful of autographs for wide-eyed kids who clearly idolize him.

Their opinions of him hadn’t changed over the course of a blowout win over Kansas.

Those of many other people probably did.

After getting dissed by the Jayhawks’ captains during the coin toss, the Heisman Trophy front-runner spent the rest of an otherwise ho-hum 41-3 victory trading insults with them. At one point he told Kansas fans behind the bench to “go cheer on basketball,” and after throwing his third and final touchdown pass, video cameras caught him grabbing his crotch and cursing at the opposing sideline.

“I got caught up in a competitive game, a chippy game, but what I did tonight was unacceptable,” said Mayfield, who threw for 257 yards in just over three quarters. “It’s disrespectful. It’s not the example I want to set. It’s not the legacy I want to leave. I truly do apologize.”

Everything began when Mayfield tried shaking hands with Daniel Wise, Dorance Armstrong Jr. and Joe Dineen Jr. after the coin toss, but they stared stoically back at him. Mayfield quickly pulled his hand away, clapped a couple of times and set about burnishing his Heisman Trophy candidacy.

He threw TD passes to Rodney Anderson and Marquise Brown in the first half, then founded Mark Andrews late in the third quarter, which prompted more insults between Mayfield and the Jayhawks.

That was the point when he grabbed his crotch and cursed the Kansas sideline from his own bench.

“It was chippy from the second their guys decided they didn’t want to shake our hands,” Sooners coach Lincoln Riley said. “Despite all that, there’s no excuse for it. Baker’s a competitive guy.”

Riley said he would need to see video of the game before deciding whether punishment was needed, but he did point out that Mayfield was repeatedly hit after the whistle.

“I’m proud of our guys for getting to a point and not just — you’re not going to take it anymore,” Kansas coach David Beaty said. “You’re going to stick your feet in the ground and you’re going to defend your grass. I think we got to display it better than that, obviously, but I get it.”

The histrionics added at least some interest to a game that figured to be a blowout. The Sooners (10-1, 7-1) are fourth in the College Football Playoff ranking and clinched a spot in the revived Big 12 title game, while the Jayhawks (1-10, 0-8) have yet to beat a Football Bowl Subdivision foe.

Mayfield got most of the fourth quarter off as the defensive-minded Sooners won their 17th straight road game and 15th in a row in the Big 12, setting a league record. It was also their 12th consecutive win over the Jayhawks, their longest winning streak against any opponent.

Carter Stanley had 117 yards passing for Kansas. Khalil Herbert had 37 yards rushing.

The Jayhawks actually forced the Sooners into four three-and-outs in the first half, one of the worst defenses in the nation holding in check one of its best offenses. But they still trailed 21-3 at the break as a result of their own miscues more than anything else:

– The Jayhawks held Oklahoma to fourth-and-3 at their own 34-yard line, and had Mayfield in trouble when they inexplicably stopped covering Anderson. He caught a pass in the middle of the field and outran the defense to the end zone to give the Sooners a 7-0 lead.

– Deep in the Jayhawks’ own territory, Stanley skipped a pass off the hands of wide receiver Evan Fairs that was picked by Emmanuel Beal. Jordan Smallwood scored three plays later for a 14-3 lead.

– And late in the first half, after the Sooners took over at their own 16, a 30-yard pass play was augmented by a roughing-the-passer penalty. The Jayhawks got hit with defensive holding on the next play, and Brown’s 24-yard TD catch with 10 seconds left capped a three-play, 84-yard drive.

The Sooners eventually hit their stride in the second half, when the animosity between their star quarterback and the Kansas defense reached a crescendo, and easily pulled away.

“They have great players on defense. They kind of set the tone with how they were feeling with the coin toss,” Mayfield said. “They did a great job of being physical. It’s a team that’s given us fits.”

THE TAKEAWAY

Oklahoma could have run up the score but instead coasted, perhaps a result of the friendship between Riley and Beaty. Still, it was an oft-underwhelming performance by a team with national title hopes.

Kansas hardly had reason to celebrate Senior Day. Less than half the announced crowd of 22,854 showed up, and half of that were Oklahoma fans. The coin-toss snub and the embarrassing antics toward Mayfield by several people on the Jayhawks’ sideline only underscored a dismal home finale.

UP NEXT

Oklahoma wraps up the regular season against West Virginia next Saturday.

Kansas concludes the season at No. 13 Oklahoma State next Saturday.

— Associated Press —

LAWRENCE, Kan. — It was late in the first half Friday night that Kansas began walking the ball up court, the searing temperature inside Allen Fieldhouse and the Jayhawks’ shortened bench having left them spent.

The slower pace didn’t slow down Svi Mykhailiuk.

The senior sharpshooter poured in a career-high 27 points, Lagerald Vick finished with 22 and the fourth-ranked Jayhawks routed Summit League favorite South Dakota State 98-64 in their first game since topping seventh-ranked Kentucky in the Champions Classic earlier this week.

“We were kind of tired,” admitted Mykhailiuk, who even dealt with cramps at one point — a function of the heat and 30 minutes on the court. “We just walked the court whenever we got a rebound.”

That shouldn’t be a surprise.

The Jayhawks were once again without heralded freshman Billy Preston, who remains sidelined while the school looks into the “financial picture” of his car. That meant a seven-man rotation with walk-on forward Clay Young pressed into service guarding the Jackrabbits’ star, Mike Daum.

None of which mattered a whole lot Friday night.

Udoka Azubuike added 17 points and Malik Newman had 13 for the Jayhawks (3-0), who shot 60 percent from the field and didn’t commit a turnover until midway through the second half.

By that point, the Jackrabbits (3-1) were staring at a 30-point deficit.

Daum led South Dakota State with 21 points and 11 rebounds, most of that coming with the game out of hand. Tevin King contributed 12 points and David Jenkins Jr. scored 10 off the bench.

“We knew we were coming into hostile territory and we knew we had to be the ones to hit them right away,” Daum said, “and we didn’t do that.”

Young was one of the bright spots in the first half for Kansas, keeping the ball moving on offense and handling the 6-foot-9 Daum inside. The Jackrabbits’ leading scorer at more than 21 points per game scored eight on 2-for-8 shooting in the first half, when Young spent a good chunk of time covering him.

“I definitely didn’t expect to go in 4 minutes into the first half of an actual game, so that’s definitely different,” Young said. “It feels good to go out there and play some meaningful minutes.”

Nobody could cover Mykhailiuk, though.

The senior from the Ukraine hit his first three shots — the Jayhawks made eight of their first nine — while getting into an easy rhythm. Even on the seemingly rare occasion that his jumper didn’t splash the net, it often rattled around the rim and dropped through to a thunderous ovation.

“He’s been on an uptick basically ever since I think our first or second exhibition game,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “He played good against Kentucky also. He was aggressive and made some nice plays.”

Several of his baskets came on feeds from Devonte Graham, who didn’t hit a field goal until deep in the second half. He finished with eight points but also had 11 assists and five boards.

“More than anything, they came out and were the more aggressive team,” Jackrabbits coach T.J. Otzelberger said. “They were the more stubborn team. They set the tone early and they put it on us.”

SELF IS SECOND

Self improved to 419-88 at Kansas, breaking a tie with Roy Williams for the second-most wins at the school. Phog Allen has the record with 590 victories. “I knew we had the same number after last game and I swear I hadn’t thought about it one time until you just mentioned it,” Self said.

PRESTON SITS

Preston went through early warmups but remained on the bench after an on-campus incident over the weekend raised questions about his vehicle. Self has declined to discuss the situation other than to say “we’re definitely going to hold him out until we get to the bottom of this.” Self did say he thinks the school’s compliance office will resolve the issue soon.

BIG PICTURE

South Dakota State can recover from its thumping in paradise with a trip to the Cayman Islands Classic up next. But their next trip to the Sunflower State figures to be just as tough: They visit No. 6 Wichita State on Dec. 5.

Kansas cruised despite a shortened lineup again, and help is only a month away. Arizona State transfer Sam Cunliffe becomes eligible for a trip to Nebraska on Dec. 16, and there is a chance five-star prospect Silvio De Sousa from Florida’s IMG Academy enrolls at the semester break.

UP NEXT

South Dakota State plays Wyoming on Monday in George Town, Cayman Islands.

Kansas continues a four-game home stand against Texas Southern on Tuesday night.

— Associated Press —

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Five-star guard Quentin Grimes has signed a National Letter of Intent to play men’s basketball at Kansas, KU head coach Bill Self announced Wednesday.

A native of The Woodlands, Texas, Grimes (6-foot-5, 195 pounds) is ranked No. 11 by Rivals.com, No. 13 by ESPN100 and No. 16 by 247Sports.

Grimes averaged 28.1 points, 8.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game his junior year at College Park High School in 2016-17. His sophomore year he averaged 16.6 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists per contest.

“We feel Quentin Grimes is as good as guard as there is in high school basketball,” Self said. “He’s got great size. He’s got point guard vision. He can really handle the ball. He reminds me of a guy that I coached at Illinois, Deron Williams, but probably a better scorer than Deron at this stage.”

Grimes played his AAU basketball for Basketball University in Houston for coach Rhossi Carron.

“We think Quentin will be an impact guy for us and be one of the premier guards in the country early in his career,” Self said. “Jerrance (Howard) was the point man with him and we’ve seen him play a lot, not only through his AAU program but also with his high school team. He’s one of the more complete players that we will have recruited in our time here. I anticipate the transition from high school to college pretty seamless for him.”

Grimes becomes the fourth signee for Kansas in the 2018 early signing period. He joins forward Silvio De Sousa, guard Devon Dotson and forward/center David McCormack.

“We are very excited about this class,” Self said. “The four we’ve signed are high IQ basketball guys that understand how to play with other good players.”

2017-18 Kansas Men’s Basketball Signees
Silvio De Sousa – F, 6-9, 245, Luanda, Angola (IMG Academy [Fla.])
Devon Dotson – G, 6-2, 175, Charlotte, N.C. (Providence Day School)
Quentin Grimes – G, 6-5, 195, The Woodlands, Texas (College Park High School)
David McCormack – F/C, 6-10, 285, Norfolk, Va. (Oak Hill Academy)

— KU Athletics —

LOS ANGELES – Kansas senior Devonte’ Graham and sophomore guard Malik Newman have been named to Wooden Award Preseason Top 50, the Los Angeles Athletic Club announced Tuesday. Last year, KU’s Frank Mason III won the 2017 Wooden Award.

Chosen by a preseason poll of national college basketball experts, the list is comprised of 50 student-athletes who are the early front-runners for college basketball’s most prestigious individual honor.

The 2017-18 Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year, Graham is one of two returning starters for Kansas this upcoming season. The Raleigh, North Carolina, native is also on the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award watch list and is a two-time All-Big 12 selection, earning second-team honors last season and honorable mention accolades in 2015-16. Graham is KU’s leading returning scorer from 2016-17 at 13.4 points per game, which was 13th in the league. He ranked third in the Big 12 in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.3, second in 3-point field goals made per game (2.6) and sixth in assists (4.1). Graham enters the 2017-18 season with 1,075 career points, which is 45th on the KU record list. His 186 3-pointers made are eighth on the KU career chart.

The 2017-18 Preseason Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and preseason honorable mention all-conference selection, Newman transferred to Kansas from Mississippi State following the 2015-16 season. The Jackson, Mississippi, native averaged 11.3 points and started 22 of 29 games at Mississippi State his freshman season. He scored a career-high 25 points against Ole Miss (Jan. 23, 2016) which included seven 3-point field goals made.

— KU Athletics —

IRVING, Texas – Kansas freshman Marcus Garrett has been named the co-Big 12 Newcomer of the Week, the conference announced Monday.

Voted on by a media panel which covers the league, Garrett recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds in Kansas’ 92-56 win against Tennessee State on Nov. 10. The Dallas guard was 4-for-6 from the field, had two assists and two steals as he started the contest. His double-double was the first in a Jayhawk debut since the 2003-04 season.

Garrett shared the honor with Texas forward Mohamed Bamba. Oklahoma guard Trae Young was named the Big 12 Player of the Week.

No. 4/3 Kansas (1-0) will play No. 5/4 Kentucky (2-0) in the State Farm Champions Classic at the United Center in Chicago on Tuesday, Nov. 14, at 8:30 p.m. (Central) on ESPN 1550.

— KU Athletics —

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Junior guard Kylee Kopatich’s career afternoon helped Kansas women’s basketball begin its 2017-18 campaign with a 66-48 victory over Campbell on Sunday afternoon, inside Allen Fieldhouse.

Kopatich led the Jayhawks (1-0) with a career-high game, scoring 21 points (6-of-10), including a career-high five 3-pointers. The Olathe, Kansas native added seven rebounds and five assists, tying her career high. Junior guard Christalah Lyons contributed 13 points and five assists, while junior guard Austin Richardson rounded out the trio of double-figure scorers with 10 points and six rebounds.
The Fighting Camels (0-1) were led by senior guard Summer Price with 18 points and freshman guard Tatyana Carver with 10 points, three rebounds and three assists.

Kopatich started things off from behind the arc for the Jayhawks giving KU an early 3-0 lead before Kansas faced a three-minute scoring drought. Richardson added a 3-pointer of her own to get the Jayhawks rolling again. The Fighting Camels struggled offensively throughout much of the first quarter, remaining scoreless throughout the first eight minutes of the game as Kansas went on a 17-0 run to start the season.

Campbell’s freshman forward Lauren McNamara-Clement’s 3-pointer put CU on the board with just under two minutes to play. Kansas’ defense held Campbell to just three points on 1-of-11 shooting and forced six turnovers and ended the first quarter with a 17-3 lead.

The Camels relied heavily on their 3-point shooting throughout the first half, notching all but two of their 17 points from long range. Carver led the way for Campbell in the second quarter connecting on both of her 3-point attempts in the period. Kopatich continued her impressive long-range shooting during KU’s 13-3 run in the second period, ending the first half with 17 points, two shy of matching her career-high.

The Jayhawks forced CU to another five-minute scoring drought in the second quarter, but senior guard Makala Rouse was able to cut into KU’s lead before the half. Rouse’s 3-pointer and half-ending jumper narrowed Campbell’s deficit to 35-17 going into the locker room.

Campbell outscored the Jayhawks 19-15 in the third quarter. A layup from senior forward Chayla Cheadle started off the half, but the Camels answered by going on a 10-0 run sparked by a layup from freshman forward Kyra Davis. Price and Carver followed with back-to-back 3-pointers, cutting the Jayhawks lead to 12. Kansas and Campbell battled back and forth throughout the period, but Kansas maintained a 50-36 lead going into the final quarter.

After two minutes of no baskets for either team, Kopatich got KU’s offense started with a pair of free throws. Junior guard Brianna Osorio added five-straight points to put the Jayhawks up by 21 early in the fourth quarter. The Jayhawks continued to have an answer for everything the Camels threw at them, ending victorious with a 66-48 season-opener win.

UP NEXT
Kansas continues its nine-game home stand against Texas Southern on Wednesday, November 15 at 7 p.m., inside Allen Fieldhouse. The game against the Lady Tigers will be broadcast on the Jayhawk Television Network/ESPN3 and the Jayhawk Radio Network.

— KU Athletics —

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The Texas program has been down so low for the past three seasons, just making a bowl game would feel like a victory in itself.

The Longhorns inched a bit closer to that goal Saturday night with a 42-27 win over Kansas, a tougher-than-expected result that left first-year coach Tom Herman fully aware that nothing about the post-season is certain for a team with two tough games left on the schedule. Texas hasn’t played in a bowl since the 2014 season.

“Winning for us right now is going to be hard and that’s OK, as long as we win,” Herman said. “(A bowl) is something that our seniors truly deserve.”

Texas (5-5, 4-3 Big 12) made the big plays it needed early against Kansas (1-9, 0-7) then did just enough to keep the Jayhawks from repeating their shocking upset win last season that ultimately doomed then-Texas coach Charlie Strong, who was fired barely a week later.

Shane Buechele connected with Lorenzo Joe on a 49-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage and the Texas defense forced four first-half turnovers in a 42-27 win over Kansas on Saturday night.

Antwuan Davis returned a first quarter interception for a touchdown and Toneil Carter and Lil’Jordan Humphrey added scoring runs as Texas built a 35-17 lead by halftime.

Texas set up three first-half touchdowns with turnovers and ended another Kansas drive in the end zone with an interception. Carter Stanley passed for 268 yards and three touchdowns, but had three turnovers in the first half. The Jayhawks (1-9, 0-7) have just three Big 12 wins over the past seven seasons.

Buechele passed for 249 yards.

THE TAKEAWAY

Kansas: The Jayhawks had been shut out in their previous two Big 12 road games, but fought to stay in this one if not for the disastrous first half of turnovers. The defense even knocked around Buechele and dropped an interception that would have been a sure-fire touchdown. Of Texas’ first four touchdown drives, only one started beyond midfield.

“I think we left a lot of chances out there,” Kansas coach David Beaty said. “I’ll say this about Carter Stanley: that might be one of the toughest cats I’ve ever been around. They knocked the fool out of that guy today. He is bleeding from every part of his body, and he gets up.”

Texas: The Longhorns offense still struggled for long stretches and the defense had one of its more uneven outings in weeks, giving Herman something new to worry about in a late-season fight for a bowl game. The secondary clearly missed suspended cornerback Holton Hill, who will not return this season. A change at kicker resulted in another missed field goal.

ONSIDE FAIL

Enduring yet another woeful season, Kansas came in looking for any spark of life. The Jayhawks tried an onside kick at the start of the game. It was easily smothered by Texas’ John Burt and the Longhorns were quickly up 7-0 when Buechele found Joe wide open with a deep throw across the middle.

DEFENSIVE SCORES:

Davis’ touchdown interception return was the Longhorns’ fifth of the season, tying a school record last accomplished in 2000. It was also the senior’s first career interception. Despite its struggles on offense much of this season, Texas has scored seven non-offensive touchdowns. Davis also recovered a fumble that set up a second quarter touchdown and got the interception that killed a promising Kansas drive late in the second quarter.

“All I could see was the end zone. I saw the whole D-line blocking,” Davis said about his weaving sprint to the end zone on his interception.

“When you’re playing to win, scoring points on defense and getting turnovers, that’s a big part of that,” Herman said.

UP NEXT

Kansas plays No. 5 Oklahoma next Saturday.

Texas plays at West Virginia next Saturday with a chance to earn a sixth win to become bowl-eligible.

— Associated Press —