LAWRENCE, Kan. – After another closely contested matchup, Kansas women’s basketball wasn’t able to overcome a fourth quarter Harvard run, as the Crimson went on to record its first victory, 69-59, over the Jayhawks on Wednesday night inside Allen Fieldhouse.

With the win, the Crimson (8-1) extended their win streak to eight games, while KU (3-5) dropped its third game in a row after having won three-straight. Sophomore guard Aisia Robertson scored five unanswered points to slow Harvard in the final minutes of the game, but the lead had grown too large to mount a comeback.

Junior guard Chayla Cheadle led the Jayhawks with 11 points, her third-straight double figure performance. Redshirt junior guard Jessica Washington and senior guard Timeka O’Neal each added nine points of their own with O’Neal shooting 3-of-4 from behind the arc. Senior forward Jada Brown grabbed a career-best 10 rebounds, her first double-digit effort off the glass as a Jayhawk.

The Crimson had four players score in double digits led by freshman forward Jeannie Boehm’s double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds. Senior forward Destiny Nunley also contributed 12 points, while sophomore guard Madeline Raster and freshman guard Katie Benzan scored 11 and 10 points, respectively.

Harvard won the tip, but it would be all Kansas early on. A steal by sophomore center Chelsea Lott allowed Kansas to score first, a 3-pointer from sophomore guard 32937Kylee Kopatich, who ended the night with five points and six rebounds. Sophomore guard Jayde Christopher followed with five quick points, giving Kansas an 8-0 lead to start the game.

Harvard’s Benzan ended the Crimsons’ offensive drought with a 3-pointer, puting the first points on the scoreboard for the visiting team. After an early KU run to start the quarter, Harvard fought back to within one followed by three and a half minute scoring drought for both teams. The Jayhawks struggled offensively the rest of the quarter scoring only five points, a drastic change from the explosive start to the contest. After the first 10 minutes of play, the Crimson led, 17-13.

In the second period, Lott got the Jayhawks within two with a layup followed by an O’Neal 3-pointer to put Kansas back on top, but Harvard would answer with a 3-pointer of their own by junior guard Taylor Rooks. Cheadle responded with another KU trey to put the Jayhawks back on top, 21-20.

A pair of free throws by sophomore guard Sydney Skinner allowed Harvard to regain the lead, but not for long as Brown answered with yet another 3-point basket, becoming the third Jayhawk to score a three in the second quarter. O’Neal made her second three of the game, giving her six points and Washington added two more giving Kansas a five-point lead, 29-24, before the Crimson fought back with five straight points to even the score. In a back and forth half, the Crimson went into the locker room with a one-point advantage at the end of the first half, 34-33.

Kansas spent most of the first half behind the 3-point arc, as Kansas connected on six of their 10 attempts from long range. Washington and O’Neal headed into the break leading the Jayhawks with seven and six points, respectively. Cheadle and Christopher also added five points each in the first half, as Kansas shot 41.3 percent from the field.

The Jayhawks were the first to score in the third period with an easy layup from Cheadle, but the Crimson quickly regained a six-point lead, 41-35, after a 7-0 run. Sophomore guard Nani Redford added three more points for the Crimson before Kopatich ended the 10-0 run with an uncontested layup. Kansas cut the lead to five with two free throws from Washington. KU then answered Harvard with 6-0 run of its own, cutting the lead to three, 44-41. The Crimson responded with a quick layup by Nunley, but Brown answered with a layup to keep the game close. A jumper by Lott put Kansas within two at the end of the third quarter, 47-45.

Harvard would score the first basket of the fourth quarter, the first period of the game to score first, after Boehm hit a jumper at one end. Cheadle responded with a layup at the other end to keep the deficit within a possession. Harvard’s aggressive offense took the Crimson to the line twice, giving Harvard four-straight points from the free-throw line to extend its lead.

After three close periods, the Crimson pulled ahead with its first double digit advantage of the game. The Jayhawks continued to chip away at Harvard’s lead with the help of five unanswered points from Robertson to narrow the gap on the scoreboard. However, Harvard’s late 22-point fourth quarter performance proved to be too much for Kansas down the stretch, as the Crimson earned their first win over KU, 69-59.

UP NEXT
The Jayhawks continue their five-game homestand with Rhode Island on Sunday, Dec. 11, at 2 p.m.

— KU Athletics —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Just as the video celebrating his first 600 wins was wrapping up, Kansas coach Bill Self turned to his left and saw Frank Mason III, extending a ball to him to commemorate the milestone.

It was fitting: Nobody did more to deliver Self’s most recent victory.

The sparkplug point guard poured in 30 points to match his career high, Devonte Graham and Josh Jackson also had starring roles, and the third-ranked Jayhawks cruised to a 105-62 victory over Missouri-Kansas City on Tuesday night to give their coach a win 24 years in the making.

“It’s really cool to see all the guys who have been a part of this before and been before me,” said Jackson, who had 19 points, 12 rebounds and five assists. “To be part now feels good.”

Indeed, more than a dozen of Self’s former players appeared on the video, ranging from Cole Aldrich and Mario Chalmers to Tony Heard, one of the coach’s early stars at Tulsa.

“We tried to get him to cry,” Jackson said, “but he was like, `Nah, not happening.”

Self is the ninth-fastest coach to reach 600 wins, just behind Phog Allen, whose name adorns Kansas’ building. The former Oral Roberts, Tulsa and Illinois coach is 394-84 with the Jayhawks, and Self’s mark of 212-9 at Allen Fieldhouse is downright absurd considering the Jayhawks’ typically rugged schedule.

“The video was really good. I had no idea,” Self said. “Seeing some of those men, those guys were just kids when we had them, and some of them are over 40 years old now. Seeing some of those guys up there, that was very meaningful. That was very cool.”

Graham was 6 of 8 from beyond the arc and finished with 18 points for the Jayhawks (8-1), while Svi Mykhailiuk added 10 points and seven rebounds off the bench.

LaVell Boyd had 17 points for the Roos, who have never beaten Kansas in seven tries.

Of course, this game against UMKC (6-4) was essentially over the moment the contract was signed.

Kansas opened a 10-point lead before the 4-minute mark, extended the advantage to 51-35 by the break, then reeled off the first 10 points of the second half to put it away.

That’s not to say Self enjoyed every minute of his milestone win.

There was the pass that Jackson threw to the second row of seats late in the first half. There were the missed block-outs by Landen Lucas that gave the Roos extra opportunities. And there was a turnover that prompted Self to let rip a PG-13 tirade that could be heard almost everywhere in an otherwise quiet gym.

“What are you guys doing?” he asked. “What are you frickin’ doing?”

Hardly missing a shot. The Jayhawks were 15 of 27 from beyond the arc, shot 57 percent for the game and rolled to their nation-leading 45th consecutive victory at Allen Fieldhouse.

Not to mention a memorable win for their coach.

“I can’t even fathom that,” Roos coach Kareem Richardson said of Self’s 600th victory, “but that’s an awesome feat. And he’ll have a heck of a lot more wins to go with that.”

NO CRYING IN BASKETBALL

There were plenty of hugs for Self in the locker room, and Jackson said some of the players tried to get their coach to cry. Success? “Nah, they weren’t going to do that,” Self said. “All I’ve got to do is think about how we shoot free throws — I cry when I’m that mad.”

UMKC’S MAIN GOAL

The Roos hardly planned to roll over, but they also kept things in perspective. “I mean, at the end of the day, we still want to get better as a team as well. That’s all we wanted to do tonight is get better,” Boyd said. Asked whether that happened, he replied: “Not really.”

BIG PICTURE

UMKC could sorely use senior guard Martez Harrison, the team’s second-leading scorer. He missed his fourth consecutive game while serving an indefinite suspension due to a violation of school policy.

Kansas has not been tested through the first four games of a six-game homestand. The closest anybody has come to the Jayhawks was Stanford, which lost 89-74 last weekend. That was also the only time Kansas has been held under 90 points during those four games.

UP NEXT

UMKC plays Division II school William Jewell on Saturday.

Kansas plays former Big 12 rival Nebraska on Saturday.

— Associated Press —

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Kansas women’s basketball was three seconds away from handing Alabama its first loss of the season, but the Crimson Tide weren’t ready to let go of its perfect record and sent the game into overtime with a last minute 3-point shot. Following the game-tying shot, Alabama surged ahead and handed Kansas its first overtime loss of the season, a 71-65 decision in favor of the Crimson Tide, on Sunday morning inside the Coleman Coliseum.

Alabama (7-0) and Kansas (3-4) met for the fourth time in program history as a part of the 2016 Big 12/SEC Challenge, as Bama took a 3-1 lead in the series. With the 71-65 loss, Kansas falls to 2-1 in overtime games in 2016-17 and 3-1 in overtime games under head coach Brandon Schneider. Like most of the game, the final five minutes of overtime was neck and neck with both teams battling to take control and the lead. In the final minute of the game, the Jayhawks were forced to foul in order to stop the clock, as Alabama pulled away with the victory after nearly suffering its first loss of the year.

Redshirt sophomore guard McKenzie Calvert led Kansas’ offense with her fifth double-digit scoring performance of the season after netting 15 points. Junior forward Chayla Cheadle added 12 points, her second-straight double-digit outing, while senior forward Jada Brown contributed a season-high 11 points, her first double-figure effort of the year. Redshirt junior guard Jessica Washington finished the game two points shy of her first double-double as a Jayhawk after dishing out a season-best 10 assists.

Entering Sunday’s matchup, Alabama was averaging nearly 50 rebounds per game compared to Kansas’ 40. Despite the numbers coming into the game, KU walked away outrebounded the Crimson Tide, 59-54. The Jayahwks also outscored Alabama in the paint, 34-32. In a game that saw neither team establish a solid lead in four minutes of play, the game was tied on 12 occasions and saw 16 lead changes.

The Crimson Tide matched KU’s three in double figures as junior forward Quanetria Bolton led Alabama with 18 points behind 6-of-15 shooting from the floor. Jnior guard Meoshonti Knight netted 17 points with a 6-of-13 effort, while junior guard Hannah Cook finished with 10 points, three of which proved to be the most important of the game.

Alabama took the lead right out of the gate in the first quarter, but Cheadle kept the game within reach after making the first four points for the Crimson and Blue. Calvert gave Kansas its first lead, 7-5, at the 7:10 mark in the opening period after making a three-point play the old fashioned way. The Jayhawks and Crimson Tide traded baskets and the lead until four unanswered points allowed Alabama to pull ahead late in the quarter. Brown closed out the first 10 minutes with five-straight points to bring KU within two points of Alabama, 16-14.

Cheadle scored the first six of nine Kansas points to lead the Jayhawks’ offense in the first quarter, as Brown ended the period just behind with five points. Kansas connected on just 25 percent of its shots, but finished the period making 86 percent of its attempts from the free throw line. KU outrebounded the Crimson Tide, 13-10, early in the ballgame. Kansas ended the game connecting on 31.1 percent of its attempts from the floor, including a 4-of-24 mark from the 3-point line.

Four minutes into the second period, Calvert tied the contest, 18-18, with a long jumper just inside the 3-point line. With three and half minutes to play in the first half, sophomore guard Aisia Robertson swiped a steal and ran it back to the other end for two, giving Kansas its first lead of the second quarter, 24-22. The Crimson Tide closed out the half with three unanswered points, but Kansas headed to the locker room with a 26-25 advantage at the end of the first 20 minutes of play.

Despite finishing the half just 26 percent from the field, the Jayhawks headed into the halftime break with the lead for the third time this season. When KU owns a 2-1 record when leading at the break. Cheadle led KU’s offense after netting eight first-half points, while Calvert added seven points. Kansas outrebounded the Crimson Tide, 28-26, in the first two quarters.

Sophomore guard Kylee Kopatich knocked KU’s first 3-pointer of the game in the opening minutes of the second half to maintain the Jayhawks’ lead over Alabama. The ballgame remained tied or within one possession as each team battled to gain momentum and solidify an advantage in the second half. Senior forward Lisa Blair scored her first points as a Jayhawk in the third, putting Kansas back on top, 33-32, with 4:56 to play in the third period. Late in the third quarter, Knight regained the lead for Alabama for the first time in the second half, 38-36. Just as the Crimson Tide took back the lead, senior guard Timeka O’Neal sank her first 3-pointer of the afternoon, giving Kansas the lead once again, 39-38. Brown made the final bucket of the third period as Kansas maintained its lead, 43-41, heading into the final 10 minutes of play.

With 7:27 to play in the fourth quarter, Alabama took back the lead, but it didn’t last long as Calvert came down the court and sank another KU trey to regain the advantage, 48-46. Unable to pull away, Kansas continued to hold on to a one-possession advantage over the Crimson Tide late into the fourth quarter. With nine seconds to play, Kansas got the ball back and was fouled, as Calvert headed to the line with a one-point Jayhawk lead. Calvert made both from the charity stripe to extend KU’s lead, 56-53. With three seconds left on the clock in regulation, Cook tied the game, 56-56, with her second basket of the game and forced teh game into overtime.

Brown maintained KU’s lead, 60-58, in overtime by scoring the first four Kansas points. With under two minutes to play, Alabama took a one-point lead over the Jayhawks, 61-60, its first lead since halfway through the fourth quarter, which the Crimson Tide would hold on to until the clock hit zero. Sophomore Shaquera Wade increased the Crimson Tide’s lead to four with another 3-pointer, as the final minutes of overtime approached. In the waning minutes of overtime, Kansas was forced to foul, which allowed Alabama to extend its lead and the Crimson Tide held on for the come-from-behind victory, 71-65.

Up Next
Kansas returns to Allen Fieldhouse on Wednesday, Dec. 7 to host Harvard. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m.

— KU Athletics —

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Jerrod Haase received a long, loud ovation upon his return to Allen Fieldhouse on Saturday.

The rest of the cheers were for the Jayhawks.

Frank Mason III scored 20 points, Devonte Graham delivered an early 3-point barrage and fourth-ranked Kansas pulled away late for an 89-74 victory over Stanford, spoiling the return of the Cardinal’s coach to the building where he once starred as a player.

“Certainly an emotional day,” Haase said. “My emotions right now are more frustrated we didn’t play at a higher level, but for me personally, it means a lot — the reception.”

The Jayhawks (7-1) hardly greeted him as warmly, using their speed, depth and outside shooting to turn a 43-35 halftime lead into another rout at a building that has seen its share of them.

“We talked about how they packed the lane and how we were going to have to drive, pitch and drive it again,” Graham said. “We just did a good job of moving the ball, attacking bad close-outs and having the confidence to let them fly.”

Graham hit five 3s and finished with 15 points, and Josh Jackson and Svi Mykhailiuk added 13 points apiece, as the Jayhawks won for the 44th consecutive time in their old barn.

Reid Travis had a career-best 29 points and nine rebounds for Stanford (6-3), doing most of his damage at the free throw line. The career 54 percent free throw shooter was 19 of 22, breaking the school record for makes set by Todd Lichti against UC Santa Barbara during the 1987-88 season.

Travis also set records for makes and attempts in a game against Kansas. Rayford Young of Texas Tech hit 18 foul shots in February 1999 and Iowa State’s Craig Brackins attempted 21 in January 2009.

“I felt like my teammates did a great job of establishing me early, getting me in the post,” Travis said. “I knew I had to draw a lot of fouls, get us to the line early and get a rhythm going.”

After falling into an early deficit, Kansas coach Bill Self began going with a bigger lineup to deal with Travis in the paint, and that seemed to open up Graham on the perimeter. He knocked down all five of his 3-pointers in the first half, helping the Jayhawks to a 43-35 lead.

Stanford kept going to Travis inside, and the 6-foot-8 brute kept going to the free throw line. During two separate stretches of the second half, he made four free throws in less than a minute.

“He drew basically 17 fouls on four guys, so that just goes to tell you we didn’t play the scouting report,” Self said. “Our guys just played butt-behind and let him go wherever he wanted to go.”

The Jayhawks showcased their versatility in other areas, though.

Down the stretch, Jackson scored on a nifty dunk off an alley-oop pass, Mason got a tilting runner to go while crashing to the floor, and Mykhailiuk knocked down 3-pointers from the wing that sent the lead ballooning toward 20 late in the game.

BIG PICTURE

Stanford’s first-year coach played three seasons for the Jayhawks under Roy Williams, and later served as their director of basketball operations. Haase then followed Williams to North Carolina, but he was fondly received on Saturday, getting a massive ovation from an appreciative crowd.

“I remember clearly walking into Allen Fieldhouse when I was first recruited,” Haase said, “and I think I’ll remember the feeling at shootaround today, walking into the arena.”

Kansas snapped a two-game skid against the Cardinal that included an NCAA Tournament loss in 2014, when Andrew Wiggins and Co. couldn’t slow down Stanford in St. Louis. The Jayhawks were even able to get their benchwarmers some action for the third straight game.

STATS AND STREAK

Mason led the Jayhawks in scoring for the fifth time in eight games. … Kansas had 20 assists and only nine turnovers. … Travis was just 5 of 14 from the field. … Stanford was 2 of 8 from beyond the arc. … The Cardinal only had seven assists on 21 field goals.

UP NEXT

Stanford gets nearly two weeks off before playing Cal State East Bay on Dec. 16.

Kansas continues its six-game home stand against Missouri-Kansas City on Tuesday night.

— Associated Press —

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas staved off six match points, including a near-match-ending call reversal, but Creighton’s Megan Ballenger flushed an overpass while playing out the seventh to lift the Bluejays to a 20-18 victory in the fifth set and 3-2 win over the Jayhawks. Creighton advanced to its second consecutive NCAA Championship Regionals while denying Kansas a repeat bid to the NCAA Final Four.

Playing in their second narrowly decided, fifth-set nail biter of the season, Kansas and Creighton traded their best shots, but despite dropping the opening set and seemingly losing momentum with a fourth-set defeat, the Jays played the aggressor in the final frame and knocked and knocked and knocked again before finally handing the No. 5 overall seeded Jayhawks their first five-set loss of the season.

“That was the best match I’ve ever been a part of,” a beaming Creighton head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth said after the match. “I hate that someone’s season ends because the match could have gone either way. Hats off to (Kansas) for a great season. They gave us everything that we could handle, but it was surreal. We made our first Sweet 16 last year, that was pretty incredible, but this one is even bigger because KU is fifth in the country, to do it on their home court, with such a great atmosphere…we went for it tonight.”

Kansas head coach Ray Bechard had similar thoughts on the events of the evening but obviously had hoped for a different outcome.

“It was a special atmosphere in there, a special effort from both teams,” Bechard said. “I’m as proud as I can be for our group, but pretty devastated that we couldn’t flip the score.”

Kansas got 26 kills from All-American right-side hitter Kelsie Payne, including seven in the fifth set, but the Jayhawks spotted the Jays the first two points of the deciding set and despite leading at 10-9, seemed to be playing with their backs against the wall throughout.

Creighton’s first match point was at 14-12 but a just-wide serve by Brittany Witt moved Kansas within one and a double hit by Lydia Dimke evened the tally. Creighton All-American Jaali Winters and Kansas outside hitter Madison Rigdon traded kills on the next four points and the Jays saw match-point number five on a service error by Ainise Havili.

That’s when an already elevated tension level escalated further as an attack by Payne was initially ruled long, sparking a bench-clearing celebration by Creighton. One of the four officials however had correctly ruled a Creighton touch, extending the match at 17-17.

“There was an obvious touch, that should’ve gave us some momentum,” Bechard said. “Obviously we didn’t do enough. You wouldn’t want to end a match like that. Give Creighton credit, every time you turned around they were making a play.”

CU’s Marysa Wilkinson wrapped a pair of kills around another Payne blow to mark the sixth and seventh match points. There would not be another. Ballenger waited on an over passed ball on Creighton’s right side of the net and sent it down and the Jays into celebration mode again.

Kansas claimed the opening set, 25-21, behind six kills from Payne on 14 swings – her entire total from the First Round sweep of Samford Thursday night – and five from Rigdon. However, true to the September match-up in Omaha that saw Creighton take a 2-1 advantage, the Jays responded by taking 11 of the first 15 points in the second set while winning 25-20, then hit .414 in the third set with three service aces to win 25-17.

Pushed to the brink, Kansas responded by scoring five straight to open set No. 4 and cruised to a 25-16 win while forcing the deciding fifth, but unlike the previous meeting this season, it was Creighton who struck first.

“They’re going to have a response, and they did,” Bechard said of his thoughts after the fourth set. “We had some opportunities at 4-3, 5-4 that were just as big (as some of the later points). We were out of character that we tipped some balls, you have to play clean in the fifth set. They were a little cleaner than us. That’s a good team guys, Creighton is a very good team.”

For Creighton, Winters (23), Wilkinson (15) and Kloth (12) led the way in kills while Big East Player of the Year Lydia Dimke logged a match-high 56 assists. Bluejay freshman Brittany Witt led all player with three service aces.

Payne’s kills led all players and the Kansas junior was joined in double digits by Jada Burse and Rigdon, who each had 12. Havili directed the offense with 53 assists and added 18 digs. KU libero Cassie Wait led all players with a match-high 27 digs.

Jayhawk seniors Maggie Anderson, Tayler Soucie and Wait ended their careers with 103 total victories, including the best four-year winning percentage in program history. Among a slew of other firsts, the trio helped Kansas to its’ first two NCAA Sweet 16 appearances and last year’s Final Four berth. This season, KU claimed its first ever Big 12 Championship.

Creighton advanced to the NCAA Regional Semifinal to meet No. 12 overall seed Michigan, which defeated Oregon, 3-1, Friday.

— KU Athletics —

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Nerves? Sure, but a first appearance in the NCAA Tournament didn’t seem to faze Kansas freshman Jada Burse. She led Kansas with 14 kills and the Jayhawks rolled to a 3-0, NCAA Tournament First Round victory over Samford in Horejsi Family Athletics Center Thursday night. Kansas, playing in its fifth-straight NCAA Tournament, will play Creighton in the Second Round at 6:30 p.m. Friday night with hopes of advancing to the Regional Semifinals.

Burse, who led the No. 5 overall seeded Jayhawks (27-2) outright for the first time this season, logged a team-best six kills in the second set, including a set-clinching point after the Bulldogs (21-14) pulled within one late. She added three kills during a 7-0 run to put away Samford in the third set.

“I was nervous in the beginning,” Burse said. “(Kayla) Cheadle talked to me and helped get the nerves out. After a couple kills I let it go, it was fine.”

Kansas hit .261 as a team, a little better than its average during the regular season, but saw a varied attack as Burse (14) and junior outside hitter Madison Rigdon (11) notched double-digit kill performances with Kelsie Payne logging nine on just 14 swings. Of the 14 kills for Burse, the clincher in the second set helped rally the team from a “disinterested” effort according to Kansas head coach Ray Bechard.

Kansas had used a 6-0 run to separate itself from Samford in the opening set (25-19), then started the second set 6-1 before the Bulldogs threatened late at 22-21. Bechard called a timeout and his team responded with a pair of back-to-back kills from Tayler Soucie then Burse’s final kill for the 25-21 second set victory.

“I said get to 25 first, let’s go,” Bechard laughed after listening to Burse and Rigdon struggle to recall the momentum changing speech. “I just think at that point we were disinterested, we didn’t look like we were very engaged. We had a lead early in that set and really could have put the pressure on them and that was probably the most disappointed I was in the match tonight.

“That set was in doubt, in the balance and there was no reason for that. I told them we have to play like we want to beat Creighton and beyond, so let’s compete like that, and they responded well.”

It wasn’t the last challenge for Samford, but perhaps the most serious. The Bulldogs led by as many as five points in the third set (10-5) before Kansas rallied with a 6-1 run – including four points off Samford errors – to tie the game at 11. The set was tied again at 12 and 13 before the 7-0 run put significant distance between the squads and Kansas closed with a 12-4 run overall to put the match away with a 25-17 third-set win.

“She had 14 kills, only 3 errors on 32 swings and had a lot of great touches form a blocking standpoint,” Bechard said of his freshman from DeSoto, Texas. “She’s making more volleyball plays, not just athletic plays. The light came on for her six weeks ago when she said, ‘I belong out here and am a good enough volleyball player.'”

Perhaps Burse’s only rookie move was questioning whether or not to take the complimentary water after the postgame press conference.

“Can I take this,” Burse asked after grabbing the water, hesitating, and drawing a chuckle from the media and her coach.

UP NEXT
The Jayhawks, who advanced to the program’s first NCAA Championship Final Four last season, will face a Bluejay squad that needed five sets to dispatch Northern Iowa earlier Thursday after leading 2-0. It’ll be the second meeting between Kansas and Creighton this season, with the Jayhawks owning a five-set victory over the Jays at the Bluejay Invitational (Sept. 8).

— KU Athletics —

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Dan Monson never spent much time scouting Lagerald Vick in preparing to play Kansas.

It wound up being a big mistake.

The sophomore guard scored a career-high 23 points on near-perfect shooting, Svi Mykhailiuk added 14 and fourth-ranked Kansas rolled to a 91-61 victory over the 49ers on Tuesday night.

“That’s what makes Kansas so good. (Vick) was not one we were focused on,” Monson said, shaking his head. “He just opened up the game with his shooting.”

Josh Jackson added 13 points and Devonte Graham had 12 for the Jayhawks (6-1), who doubled up the 49ers (1-8) at 50-25 out of the break and coasted to their 44th straight win at Allen Fieldhouse.

Vick was 9 for 9 from the floor, one shy of the school record held by Norm Cook and Danny Manning, and hit four 3-pointers. His only miss came on the second of two free throws with 5:47 left.

“It was pretty big,” he said of the basket. “Pretty big.”

Justin Bibbins had 13 points to lead Long Beach State, which has lost eight in a row — all on the road and mostly to teams that will be in the NCAA Tournament.

“Kansas is a great team,” Monson said, “and when you’re a great team and you’re better than the opponent, and then you play harder than them, it gets ugly.”

Making his second straight start, Vick got the high-flying Jayhawks off to a quick start.

The paper-thin shooting guard knocked down a 3-pointer in the opening couple minutes, then showed his versatility with a shot-fake for an easy layup. Later in the half, he jumped in front of a pass and took it coast-to-coast for a reverse dunk that got the crowd on its feet.

“He did play well. He shot it great,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “He’s improved a ton. He’s confident. He’s reacting instead of thinking, for the most part.”

Vick matched his career-best of 15 points set last weekend in the first half.

“You could just tell during the game that he was hot,” Graham said. “I kept telling everyone to keep trying to find him. That’s what I tried to do.”

Just about everybody from Kansas had a hand in the rout: Jackson continued to make his early case for freshman of the year with some dynamic passing to go with his scoring and rebounding, and Graham and Frank Mason II continued to show why they form arguably the nation’s best backcourt.

Missing from the party was big man Landen Lucas, who has played crucial minutes for Kansas the past couple of years but has struggled this season. He missed the game with an oblique injury.

The Jayhawks got inconsistent production from the rest of their post players, too.

“You’re not going to win consistently against good teams relying on making 3-point shots,” Self said, “because there are times you’re not going to make them.”

STATS AND STREAKS

Kansas had a 41-24 advantage on the boards. … The teams combined to go 19 of 37 from the foul line. … Kansas was 14 of 26 from the 3-point line (53.8 percent) but 9 of 19 on foul shots (47.4). … The Jayhawks committed 19 turnovers while the 49ers had 15.

BIG PICTURE

Long Beach State looked weary after the opening few minutes. The 49ers have one more game left on a nine-game trip that covers more than 15,000 miles, and has included losses to North Carolina, UCLA, Louisville, Washington and Wichita State.

Kansas had the final 20 minutes to toy with lineups, and Self emptied the bench for the second straight game. His son, Tyler Self, hit a 3-pointer to a huge roar in the final seconds.

TIME WARP

Long Beach State beat then-No. 1 Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse in 1993. Lucious Harris had 24 points to lead the 49ers to a 64-49 victory. It remains their only win in five meetings.

UP NEXT

Long Beach State finishes its grueling trip Saturday at New Mexico State.

Kansas continues its homestand against Stanford on Saturday.

— Associated Press —

IRVING, Texas – For the second week in a row, Kansas freshman guard Josh Jackson has been named the Phillips 66 Big 12 Newcomer of the Week, the conference office announced Monday. Jackson was chosen for the honor by a media panel which covers Big 12 men’s basketball.

Named the Most Valuable Player of the CBE Hall of Fame Classic, Jackson averaged 17.0 points and 7.3 rebounds as Kansas posted a 3-0 record last week with wins against UAB (11/21), Georgia (11/22) and UNC Asheville (11/25). The Detroit native made 51.4 percent of his field goals while adding four blocked shots.

In the two games at the CBE Hall of Fame Classic championship in Kansas City, Missouri, Jackson averaged 18.5 points and 9.0 rebounds, including his first double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds in Kansas’ 65-54 win against Georgia.

For the season, Jackson leads Kansas with 5.8 rebounds per game while scoring 14.3 points per contest. He also has a team best seven blocked shots.

— KU Athletics —

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas women’s basketball overcame a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to claim its second overtime victory of the season, after completing the comeback over North Dakota, 76-71, on Sunday afternoon in Allen Fieldhouse.

The Jayhawks (3-2) come-from-behind victory is the largest deficit overcome by Kansas this season and with the overtime victory KU improves to 3-0 in overtime under head coach Brandon Schneider.

Kansas’ offense and defense soared to new heights in the win over the Fighting Hawks (1-4). Offensively, KU recorded its most productive first quarter of the 2016-17 campaign. In the opening period, Kansas netted 23 points behind 67 percent shooting, both highs in the first quarter for the Jayhawks this season. Along with productive first and fourth quarters, senior guard Timeka O’Neal sank timely 3-pointers to aid in KU’s comeback.

Redshirt junior guard Jessica Washington led all scorers with 19 points, just one shy of her career-best mark of 20 points set at North Carolina. Manning-Allen turned in her first double-digit scoring effort of the season with 14 points, while O’Neal contributed a season-best 12 points behind 4-of-7 shooting from the 3-point line.

Defensively, the Jayhawks forced North Dakota to turn the ball over 23 times, which KU was able to convert into 25 points on the scoreboard. Coming into today’s game, KU averaged 4.5 blocks and against the Fighting hawks swatted away eight shots, including four from senior forward Caelynn Manning-Allen. Kansas’ defense also surpassed its average of steals per game after tallying 13 steals.

North Dakota had four Fighting Hawks finish the afternoon in double figures with senior guard Makailah Dyer lead the way after scoring 14 points. Sophomore forward Fallyn Freije added 11 points, while senior forward Samantha Roscoe and junior guard Chastity Franklin each scored 10 points.

North Dakota grabbed the lead early, but Washington’s defense allowed the momentum to swing in the Jayhawks favor. The Tulsa, Oklahoma native took a charge then brought the ball up the court for a layup, giving KU its first lead of the afternoon. Sophomore guard Kylee Kopatich continued to bring the momentum in KU’s favor with a 3-point jumper, as five unanswered points gave Kansas an 11-6 advantage. North Dakota continued to fight back, but each time Kansas responded, holding onto the lead, 23-15, as the first quarter came to an end.

Washington kicked off the second quarter with a 3-pointer, putting her in the double digits early. North Dakota chipped away at KU’s lead, coming within three, but redshirt sophomore guard McKenzie Calvert responded with a 3-point field goal to end the Fighting Hawks threat. After being down nine, North Dakota went on a 13-0 run in the final minutes of the second quarter to take the lead, 37-33, for the first time since the opening minutes of the game.

After a scoreless minute, KU defense added another block and ran away with a layup. O’Neal made one of her four clutch treys to help spark Kansas’ offense in the third quarter. On the next possession, junior guard Chayla Cheadle contributed a layup, cutting UND’s lead to one. After making it a one-possession ballgame, nearly four minutes ticked off the clock without field goals from either team. In the last minute of the third quarter, Manning-Allen added two points in the paint, but North Dakota responded with two more, ending the period with a five-point lead, 53-48.

Still attempting to mount a comeback, Washington changed the energy for the Jayhawks yet again, hitting a 3-pointer to bring Kansas within one once again. The following possession sophomore guard Aisia Robertson, sank a jumper, as KU’s offense began to heat up. With just five minutes remaining, North Dakota held on to an eight-point lead, but Robertson narrowed the deficit with another KU trey. Both Washington and Manning-Allen extended the run to 7-0, which brought the Jayhawks within three points of North Dakota with less than a minute to play. With only 27 seconds left on the clock, O’Neal knocked down a crucial shot beyond the arc, tying the game. Putting the pressure on, Manning-Allen blocked another layup and the Jayhawks forced yet another turnover to go into overtime for the second game in a row.

In overtime, North Dakota was the first to break the tie, going up 67-65 then forcing a turnover and adding a layup. O’Neal dropped another game-changing 3-pointer, bringing the Jayhawks back within one point. Manning-Allen drew a foul, and after knocking down both free throws, gave the lead back to the Jayhawks for the first time since the second quarter. With less than a minute to play, Manning-Allen swatted away another UND shot attempt and resulted in a layup at the other end of the court, as KU’s lead grew in the final seconds of overtime. Senior forward Jada Brown sealed KU’s back-to-back overtime win, 67-61, after knocking down a pair of free throws.

UP NEXT
The Jayhawks head to Creighton for the first of two road games on Nov. 30. Tipoff against the Bluejays is slated for 7 p.m.

— KU Athletics —

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Despite all the rim-rattling dunks that Kansas freshman Udoka Azubuike had Friday night, the play that stood out to UNC Asheville coach Nick McDevitt was the only shot the big man missed.

“Got his own rebound and dunked it,” McDevitt said with a shake of his head.

Azubuike had seven dunks in all, finished with 17 points in his first career start and helped the fifth-ranked Jayhawks roll to a 95-57 victory over the Bulldogs in their return to Allen Fieldhouse.

“I tried not to think about it because I was just like, everyone told me, right before the game started, `Go out there and play your game,” Azubuike said. “Have fun.”

Just about everyone had fun for the Jayhawks (5-1): Frank Mason III led all scorers with 21 points, Josh Jackson added 14, Lagerald Vick had 12 and Devonte Graham finished with 11 assists.

The result was their 42nd straight win at Allen Fieldhouse.

“They kind of overpowered us around the basket, doubling us up rebounding-wise,” McDevitt said. “We knew they had a — pardon the pun — a big size advantage on us, but I just didn’t think we negated that size well enough by putting enough pressure on the ball.”

The only bummer for Kansas came in the closing minutes, when Graham banged up his right big toe on a drive to the basket. He did not return, though he said later that it wasn’t anything serious.

Kevin Vannatta and Ahmad Thomas led Asheville (3-3) with 12 points apiece.

The Jayhawks, coming off their CBE Classic triumph in Kansas City, never had much trouble with their Big South opponent in just their second game at the Phog this season.

Mason got things started with three 3-pointers in a span of a couple of minutes, but it was the way that Kansas dominated inside that put the game away early. Azubuike began pounding at the rim with some ferocious dunks while Jackson, their springy freshman phenom, kept gliding to the rack.

At one point, the pair scored four straight baskets on dunks.

Azubuike got the start over sophomore Carlton Bragg Jr. and senior Landen Lucas, both of whom struggled in the CBE Classic. And when the two came off the bench and each picked up two fouls, it gave coach Bill Self all the reason he needed to keep Azubuike in the game.

Asheville tried to guard the 7-foot, 280-pound behemoth with Giacomo Zilli, who checks in at 6-9, 215, with predictable results. Azubuike bullied to the basket every time he wanted the ball.

“Now, getting lobs and stuff, you’re not going to get that against some teams,” Self said, “but `Doke is so good at catching above the rim — he’s about the best I’ve seen at it.”

The Jayhawks led 58-34 at halftime before cruising over the final 20 minutes.

“I think we’re going to be a team that’s unlike most teams we’ve had. We’re going to start based on scouting report most times,” Self said. “We haven’t ever done that. If a team starts small, we’ll go small, if a team goes with two bigs, we’ll go two bigs. But it was nice to see Udoka have success. He can do some things that none of us can.”

BIG PICTURE

UNC Asheville was overmatched at every position, not to mention when it came to depth. The Bulldogs looked exhausted in the second half as the Jayhawks kept getting into transition for easy baskets.

Kansas used Vick and Azubuike in a new-look starting five. It sent a message to Bragg and Lucas to pick it up — which they did in the second half — while showcasing the Jayhawks’ versatility.

GRAHAM-MY WINNER

Sure, the dunks will make the highlights, but Self thought Graham played as well as anyone. Along with 11 assists, he also had six points and two steals with only two turnovers. “I thought Devonte was certainly the facilitator,” Self said. “He was really good.”

DEEP THREAT

Even with the big size advantage, the Jayhawks still lit it up from the arc. Mason was 5 for 5 from 3-point range, Vick was 3 for 4 and Graham and Svi Mykhailiuk also hit two 3s. The Jayhawks wound up 13 of 21 from beyond the arc.

UP NEXT:

UNC Asheville returns home to face Division II Brevard on Tuesday night.

Kansas continues its five-game home stand against Long Beach State on Tuesday night.

— Associated Press —