KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Frank Mason III had 19 points, Josh Jackson added 15 points and 11 rebounds, and fifth-ranked Kansas turned to its zone defense to beat Georgia 65-54 on Tuesday night in the CBE Classic championship game.

Devonte Graham added 14 points for the Jayhawks (4-1), who won their third consecutive in-season tournament title and second CBE Classic. They also won the tournament in 2012.

The Jayhawks hope it’s the beginning of a sweet ride at the Sprint Center this season. They play Davidson in the same building in a couple of weeks, have the Big 12 Tournament there in March, and then hope to land in the NCAA Tournament regional finals with a Final Four spot on the line.

Yante Maten had 30 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Bulldogs (3-2), but they were done in by 3-for-18 shooting from the perimeter, equally lousy foul shooting and turnovers that led to easy runouts.

J.J. Frazier, who had been averaging 19 points per game, was held to two on 1-for-10 shooting.

The game was strange from the outset as two coaches who disdain zones, the Jayhawks’ Bill Self and the Bulldogs’ Mark Fox, slapped them on when foul trouble robbed them of several starters.

It also slowed the game down and turned it into a shooting contest.

Kansas was a bit more efficient from the perimeter, slowly drawing away after trailing 20-19 with about 8 minutes to go, to forge a 35-25 lead at the break. The Bulldogs only made one of their final 16 field goal attempts, and their only scoring in the final 5 minutes came at the foul line.

The lead was still just 42-34 with 16 minutes to go when Mason drove for a basket, the first of eight straight points for the Jayhawks. Mason added another basket, Jackson solved the Bulldogs’ zone for a dunk and Graham and Dwight Coleby finished it off to give Kansas a comfortable cushion.

Georgia went more than 7 minutes without scoring as the game got away.

BIG PICTURE

Georgia earned a split in the CBE Classic, and losing to Kansas doesn’t hurt its NCAA Tournament resume. The Bulldogs showed in their win over George Washington that they can be competitive.

Kansas has already proven it can score this season. On Tuesday night, the Jayhawks proved they can play a little defense, too, even if it meant ditching Self’s preferred man-to-man.

UP NEXT

Georgia begins a five-game homestand against Gardner-Webb on Friday night.

Kansas plays UNC-Asheville on Friday night in its second game at Allen Fieldhouse this season.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Josh Jackson has been huddling with the Kansas coaching staff since the start of the season, and the message has been the same: If you quit fouling so much, you would say on the floor more.

The sensational freshman must have finally listened.

Jackson poured in 22 points, many of them on highlight-worthy dunks, while backcourt mates Frank Mason III and Devonte Graham helped carry the load as fifth-ranked Kansas routed Alabama-Birmingham 83-63 on Monday night in the semifinals of the CBE Classic.

“Me committing silly fouls take me out of the game, and don’t allow me to play as much as I’d like,” said Jackson, who also had seven rebounds and three assists. “It worked out today.”

Mason finished with 20 points and Graham had 16 for the Jayhawks (3-1), who advanced to play Georgia for the title on Tuesday night. The Bulldogs beat George Washington 81-73 in the other semifinal.

Kansas raced to a big early lead, weathered several runs by UAB, then relied on their backcourt of Jackson, Mason and Graham to pull away from the Blazers down the stretch.

“They’re very good. They’re obviously one of the best teams in the country,” UAB coach Robert Ehsan said. “When they shoot it like that, they’re very hard to beat.”

Dirk Williams led the Blazers (2-2) with 13 points. Tyler Madison had 12.

The Blazers got off to what looked like it would be a catastrophic start, turning the ball over seven times and missing their first 11 field-goal attempts. Their only points over the first 10 minutes came on foul shots, and by the time they finally hit the Jayhawks led 23-3.

“They started off really shooting it bad, and we defended pretty well,” Kansas coach Bill Self said, “but I didn’t think our defense was very good the last 30 minutes. I thought it was average at best.”

The Blazers took advantage with a run of their own.

They ripped off a 17-2 run over the next 6 minutes as the Jayhawks missed seven straight shots of their own, and they quieted a partisan crowd by getting within 27-20 late in the half.

If that didn’t make Self irate, the way Kansas ended it did. Graham hit a 3-pointer with 5 seconds to go, but UAB went coast-to-coast for a buzzer-beating basket to deflate the Jayhawks.

“We were exciting going into halftime,” Ehsan said. “I thought if we could make a run in the second half, we would have a shot. But they’re Kansas for a reason.”

The teams resumed trading runs early in the second half before the Jayhawks began pulling, and four 3-pointers by Svi Mykhailiuk — who finished with 15 points — helped put the game out of reach.

“We played really well. I think everybody’s mind was right,” Graham said. “We came in focused, just trying to do the little things we’ve been watching on film that we hadn’t been doing well.”

Jackson added an exclamation mark with just over four minutes left, taking a pass in the open floor and throwing down a windmill dunk while getting fouled for a three-point play.

“He’s an extremely talented player. His versatility is what I’ve been surprised with, how many things he can do on the floor,” Ehsan said. “He’s a tremendous player.”

CHARITY STRIPE

Self was plenty unhappy with the foul line at both ends of the floor. Kansas sent UAB there 26 times while going just 9 of 19 at its own end. “We have to figure out a way to get to the free-throw line,” he said, “and when we do, it’d be nice when we made some every now and then. We’re putting people on the line too much and giving people too many free points.”

BIG PICTURE

UAB showed some moxie in rallying from its big early hole, even the Jayhawks never led by fewer than five the rest of the way. It had to be encouraging for first-year coach Robert Ehsan, who is trying to get the Blazers back into the NCAA Tournament this year.

Kansas looked tired at times from a brutal start to the season. The Jayhawks played Indiana in Hawaii, Duke in New York and Siena at home on Friday night. The grind continues with the CBE Classic title game before another home game against UNC-Asheville on Friday night.

UP NEXT

UAB plays in the consolation game Tuesday night.

Kansas plays the Bulldogs for the tournament.

— Associated Press —

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas had a pair of players recognized for their efforts in leading the Jayhawks to a 24-21 overtime win over Texas as sophomore defensive end Dorance Armstrong Jr., and senior kicker Matthew Wyman both snagged weekly honors the Big 12 Conference office announced Monday morning. Armstrong was tabbed Co-Defensive Player of the Week, while Wyman was named Special Teams Player of the Week.

Armstrong, who was honored by the conference office for the first time in his KU career, led the Jayhawks’ first win over the Longhorns since 1938 as he tallied a career-best 11 total tackles, including nine solo stops. Additionally, he collected 2.0 sacks and 3.0 TFLs in the win. Armstrong’s strip-sack of UT quarterback Tyrone Swoopes marked his second forced fumble of the season, a fumble he recovered returned seven yards. The Houston, Texas native now leads the Big 12 in both sacks (10.0) and TFLs (17.0) on the season.

32742Wyman, who was also honored for the first time in his KU career, propelled Kansas to its overtime victory over Texas by drilling a 25-yard field goal in overtime to forge the Jayhawks’ win. The Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, native connected on three field goals during the game. In addition to the game-winner, Wyman tied the game for KU with a 36-yard field goal with seven seconds remaining in regulation. He also drilled a 36-yard field goal in the second quarter. Wyman’s game-winning field goal marked the second of his career. He led KU to victory with a 52-yard winner against Louisiana Tech in 2013.

With Armstrong and Wyman picking up the awards during the same week, Kansas had two players honored by the Big 12 in the same week for the first time since Todd Reesing and Darrell Stuckey picked up weekly awards on Dec. 1, 2008 following a win over Missouri. Armstrong, Wyman and punter Cole Moos (Oct. 17) give Kansas three weekly award winners in a single season for the first time since 2007 when Reesing, Marcus Herford and Scott Webb were each honored by the Big 12 office.

UP NEXT: Kansas closes out the regular season when the Jayhawks travel to in-state rival Kansas State, Saturday, November 26. Kickoff against the Wildcats in the Dillons Sunflower Showdown is slated for 11 a.m., with the broadcast designated to FOX Sports 1.

— KU Athletics —

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Matthew Wyman may have booted Charlie Strong right out of Texas.

The senior kicker for Kansas knocked through a field goal to force overtime, then drilled a 25-yarder in the extra session Saturday to send the Jayhawks to a 24-21 victory over the Longhorns — one that just might end Strong’s disappointing tenure on the 40 acres.

The moment Wyman’s field goal went through the uprights, the Jayhawks (2-9, 1-7) poured off the sideline and into a jubilant pile with thousands of students. The win snapped a nine-game skid, a 19-game losing streak in Big 12 play and was their first over Texas since 1938.

It made Strong’s future bleak, but it made Kansas coach David Beaty’s appear just a little bit brighter.

“What resilient dudes those guys are,” he said after his first Big 12 win. “They’ve continued to work through some really, really difficult situations, and I’ve said it before, I feel like we have the right kind of kids in our program. They’ve stuck it out.”

The Longhorns (5-6, 3-5) squandered chances down the stretch, including a fumble and failed fourth-down try in the final minutes of regulation that could have put the game away.

They got the ball first in overtime, but Shane Buechele badly overthrew his intended receiver on their second play and Mike Lee was there to pick it off. After the Jayhawks marched inside the 5-yard line, their senior kicker playing in his final home game knocked through the winner.

“It’s great to send the seniors out like this,” he said. “They’ve been through some struggles, some adversity, so it means a lot.”

Their stirring win made D’Onta Foreman’s performance merely a footnote.

The Texas running back carried a school-record 51 times for 250 yards and two touchdowns, though his two fumbles proved costly — not only to the Longhorns’ season but quite possibly to Strong’s future.

The third-year coach has been on the hot seat all season, and the temperature is only going to rise after a loss to the lowly Jayhawks. Strong dropped to 16-20 since arriving at Texas, and not even the $10 million buyout he would be due could be enough to keep him from getting fired.

“We just had our opportunities there,” Strong said. “Not much needed to be said.”

Asked what it means for his future, Strong replied: “No idea.”

The Jayhawks took advantage of four first-half turnovers, including a pick-six by Brandon Stewart, to take a 10-7 lead into the locker room. But they committed two turnovers of their own in an ugly third quarter, which the Longhorns turned into back-to-back touchdowns for a 21-10 lead.

Kansas marched downfield for a touchdown midway through the fourth quarter, and Steven Sims won the race to the pylon to convert the 2-point conversion and get within a field goal.

That proved to be pivotal in the final minute of the game.

The Jayhawks stuffed Texas on fourth down and regained possession with 58 seconds left. Three passes to Ke’aun Kinner and a targeting penalty got them within field goal range, and Wyman’s kick from 36 yards out with 7 seconds remaining sent the game to overtime.

Set up one of the most memorable wins in recent history, too.

“The seniors have been through a whole lot, and we haven’t had too much success,” Kansas safety Fish Smithson said. “Just proud, proud of how hard we worked. How resilient we’ve been.”

THE TAKEAWAY

Texas: Texas was shaky throughout the game, especially when Buechele left for a short period in the first half with an injury, in what might go down as the biggest indictment of Strong’s tenure.

Kansas: Kansas has been close to breaking through several times this season, including a 24-23 loss to TCU in early October and a 31-24 loss to Iowa State earlier this month.

STRONG’S FUTURE

Texas athletic director Mike Perrin declined to speak with reporters after the game, looking away when he approached them. Strong’s wife, Victoria, was crying outside the Longhorns’ locker room and even Strong looked visibly shaken as he fielded questions.

“I love coach Strong. That’s my dog,” Texas safety DeShon Elliott said. “No matter what, I love him, but I said that’s not our decision. We can’t make that decision. It’s the AD and all the men up there.”

SEE YA

After police encircled the goal posts at the south end zone, students raced to the opposite end of the field and hopped on that set. It took them a while before they got them to the turf, then they carried them right out of Memorial Stadium.

UP NEXT

Texas heads to TCU on Saturday for what could be Strong’s final game as coach.

Kansas tries to make it two straight on Saturday at Kansas State.

— Associated Press —

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Whenever Bill Self looks back at the box score from his 207th win at Allen Fieldhouse, one that made him more successful in the building than any other Kansas coach, he’ll see Tyler Self’s name on it.

His son, a senior backup who rarely plays, knocked down his only shot in the game.

“Now that you mention it, it’s nice,” Self said after the seventh-ranked Jayhawks’ 86-65 victory over Siena on Friday night. “It was nice he got in there and made the shot.”

The Saints did their best to spoil the party.

Marquis Wright hit three straight 3-pointers midway through the second half, and the gritty senior guard’s three-point play got coach Jimmy Patsos’ team within 63-58 with about 7 1/2 minutes left.

But Lagerald Vick answered with back-to-back baskets for the Jayhawks, kicking off the game-defining 16-2 run. Frank Mason III added a 3-pointer and a couple foul shots, Devonte Graham got into the act and the Jayhawks — so accustomed to dominating inside — leaned on their guard play to seal the win.

At one point, Mason, Vick and Graham scored 20 straight points for the Jayhawks.

“There’s a lot of things we could have done better,” said Mason, who finished with 18 points.

The Jayhawks were just 3 of 12 from beyond the arc, struggled from the foul line and were exposed on the defensive end of the floor, where Siena was able to get to the basket too easily.

“I didn’t think we played very tough,” Self said. “I didn’t think we played very fast. We looked slow defensively. I thought our big guys really struggled early.”

Graham finished with 13 points and nine assists, and Vick had 12 points off the bench, as the Jayhawks (2-1) extended their winning streak to 42 straight at Allen Fieldhouse.

Wright had 25 points, Javion Ogunyemi added 19 and Khalil Richard had 10 for the Saints, who took advantage of the Jayhawks’ poor perimeter shooting to offset a big rebounding disparity.

“They’ve got depth, they have inside players. You thought you had them, then their quickness to the ball took over,” said Patsos, who got a primer on playing at Allen Fieldhouse earlier Friday from former Kansas guard and current Maryland coach Mark Turgeon.

“He asked his wife to marry him out on the floor,” Patsos said, “and I said, `Yeah, you coming back to play there? And he said, `Hell no!’ Now I know why.”

EXHAUSTED JAYHAWKS

The Jayhawks opened the season with an overtime loss to Indiana in Hawaii, then beat top-ranked Duke in New York. They traveled about 12,000 miles for two games in roughly four days, and Self said he could see the weariness in his players during shoot-around.

“We were physically tired,” Self said, “and our brain told our body we were tired.”

BIG PICTURE

Kansas freshman Josh Jackson, whom many believe will be the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft, spent most of the night in foul trouble. He was visibly frustrated and wound up with 10 points.

Siena could use Lavon Long on the floor. The senior forward, who averaged more than 10 points a game last season, has been suspended for the first three games for violating team rules.

RECRUITING WIN

Five-star prospect Billy Preston announced earlier in the day he’ll attend Kansas next season. The 6-foot-10 forward from prestigious Oak Hill Academy in Virginia signed his letter of intent this week.

“I don’t think we’ve ever had the opportunity to coach a taller, more athletic skill player than Billy,” Self said. “He has guard-type athletic ability and skills.”

POLL IMPLICATIONS

With their win over the No. 1 Blue Devils and fourth-ranked Oregon’s lopsided loss to Baylor, look for the Jayhawks to climb back into the top five, where they began the season.

UP NEXT

Kansas plays UAB in the semifinals of the CBE Classic in Kansas City, Missouri on Monday night.

Siena visits reigning Big South champion UNC-Asheville on Sunday.

— Associated Press —

LAWRENCE, Kan. – A slow start plagued Kansas women’s basketball as SMU capitalized on an early offensive surge to even the series with a 75-63 victory over the Jayhawks on Wednesday night inside Allen Fieldhouse.

The Mustangs opened the seventh meeting in program history with a 15-0 run, which the Jayhawks couldn’t overcome as SMU halted each comeback attempt. Both the 16 percent shooting performance from Kansas and SMU’s early run allowed the Mustangs to secure a 14-point lead going into the second quarter. The Mustangs shot 43 percent from the field against KU, while holding Kansas to just 29 percent.

Redshirt sophomore guard McKenzie Calvert led the Jayhawks in scoring with 17 points, her second-straight game in double figures. Also scoring in the double digits, redshirt junior guard Jessica Washington had 13 points along with five rebounds and three assists. Just shy of a double-double sophomore guard Aisia Robertson rounded out the trio of Jayhawks in double figures with 11 points and nine rebounds.

SMU saw double-digit scoring performances from four different players, two of which recorded double-doubles for the night. Junior guard Kiara Perry led the team with 17 points, behind a 7-for-13 effort from the field, and 14 rebounds. Junior forward Alicia Froling added 16 points to the scoreboard for the Mustang, while also grabbing 10 boards.

SMU started the game with a 15-0 run, but junior guard Chayla Cheadle ended that run with a layup for the first KU points of the night. In addition to the Jayhawk’s slow start, SMU’s defense held Kansas to a field goal percentage of just 16 percent in the opening 10 minutes. Offensively, SMU ran away with a 63 percent field goal percentage for the quarter.

Kansas came out strong for the second quarter, scoring six points in the first two minutes. Calvert’s second three-point play of the quarter put the Jayhawks within single digits of the Mustangs for the first time all game. The Mustangs responded with an 8-0 run, taking back their double-digit lead. Sophomore center Chelsea Lott ended that run with her first basket of the game. While Kansas outscored SMU, 18-16, in the second quarter, KU still struggled to take control of the game.

SMU came out looking to repeat the first quarter, kicking off the second half with another 11-0 run. The Mustangs extended their lead to a comfortable 25 points. Finally, senior forward Caelynn Manning-Allen ended that run with a free throw. Washington sunk a basket from beyond the arc to spark a 10-0 run. Robertson followed up with a layup as Calvert continued the run with another 3-pointer.

Washington began the fourth quarter with five-straight points, which brought Washington’s scoring total to double digits, joining Calvert. Sophomore guard Kylee Kopatich then hit her second 3-pointer of the game, she finished the night with seven points. With just three minutes left, senior guard Timeka O’Neal and Robertson hit back-to-back treys to continue the momentum in favor of the Jayahwks. Robertson hit two free-throws to become the third Jayhawk scorer in the double digits. O’Neal then hit her second bucket from behind the 3-point line as KU’s bench helped chip away at SMU’s lead in the final minutes of the fourth quarter. The Jayhawks outscored SMU, 22-10, in the final quarter, but it wasn’t enough as SMU left Allen Fieldhouse with a 75-63 victory over Kansas.

UP NEXT: Kansas hits the road for the first time in 2016-17 and travel to Memphis on Sunday, Nov. 20. Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m.

— Northwest Athletics —

NEW YORK (AP) — Kansas had already gone through a tough loss this season, falling in overtime to Indiana in Honolulu.

On Tuesday night, the Jayhawks went from looking like easy winners to facing another excruciating loss. But a short jumper by Frank Mason III with 1.8 seconds to go gave the Jayhawks a 77-75 victory over top-ranked Duke in the State Farm Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden.

“The play was to [isolate] me, and my teammates did a good job of spacing the floor,” Mason said. “It felt good when it left my hand.”

A long 3 at the buzzer by Duke’s Frank Jackson was off line.

The Jayhawks (1-1) beat a top-ranked team for the eighth time.

Seventh-ranked Kansas held off top-ranked Duke behind 21 points from Frank Mason III.
“This was more of a must-win for us than it was for Duke. Not that there’s must-win this time of year, but I think it will do something for us because for the first time, we won a game where we shot it like crap,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “So hopefully we learned some lessons and know that you cannot be great offensively and still win if you [don’t] do little things and play aggressively. So I think it should bode well for us moving forward.”

Self was all smiles talking about his senior point guard.

“He’s made a lot of big plays for us,” Self said of Mason. “I don’t know if he’s made any game winners, but he’s made plays to put us in overtime. Yeah, he’s a stud.”

“Mason made a big-time play, and it was well-guarded,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “He just made a big-time play.”

Kansas was ahead 62-50 with eight minutes to play, but the Blue Devils (2-1) — despite a terrible shooting game by Grayson Allen, the leading vote-getter on The Associated Press’ preseason All-America team — managed to suddenly start hitting shots, and they tied the game at 75 with 15 seconds left on a 3-pointer by Jackson.

Kansas called a timeout with 8.2 seconds left and set up the game winner.

“That was quite a play we called, just get out of his way,” Self said.

“I just took advantage of the separation I created, and I just shot the ball,” Mason said. “It felt good when it left my hand, and I just thank God that it went in.”

Mason, who had a career-high 30 points in the loss to Indiana, led Kansas with 21 points. Freshman Josh Jackson added 15, and Devonte’ Graham had 13.

Luke Kennard led five Duke players in double figures with 22 points. Allen finished with 12 points on 4-for-15 shooting.

“I think Grayson had a very frustrating game,” Krzyzewski said of Allen, who started the game by making one of 12 shots from the field. “I think you can’t expect to get a foul. I think he’s going to a point where he makes a move and it’s a good move, and he expects a foul. I’m not saying they’re not calling fouls. You can’t do that. That can’t be what you’re doing. The last few minutes, he moved well. He’s playing hard when he gets the ball, and he needs to play harder when he doesn’t have the ball. It’s what he did in the last few minutes.”

Kansas finished 2-for-17 from 3-point range, but the Jayhawks shot 50.8 percent overall (33-of-65), including making 60.6 percent (20-of-33) in the second half.

Duke shot 48.9 percent (23-of-47) for the game, including 8-for-19 on 3s.

BIG PICTURE

Duke: In their first two games, the Blue Devils held opponents to 55.0 points per game on 32.3 percent shooting, including 16.2 percent from 3-point range, while forcing an average of 17 turnovers. … This was the 950th consecutive game in which the Blue Devils made at least one 3-pointer. That’s the fourth-longest stretch in Division I history. … Duke again played without freshmen Harry Giles and Jayson Tatum. Krzyzewski has said they will be brought along slowly as they rehab from injuries.

Kansas: The Jayhawks were facing an AP No. 1 team for the 24th time and the first time since the 2014 Champions Classic, in which they lost to Kentucky 72-40. They are 8-16 all-time against No. 1s. … The Jayhawks’ opening game was a 103-99 overtime loss to then-No. 11 Indiana in Honolulu. “If you’re going to travel 11,000 miles, you might as well get a win,” Self said.

Duke was No. 1 in the preseason poll and the first voting of the regular season. That will change with the loss. Kansas was No. 3 in the preseason poll and dropped to seventh with the loss to Indiana, but the Jayhawks should move up a couple spots with the win over Duke.

HELLO, MELO

Krzyzewski walked onto the court before the game and went straight across to see Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks. The two shared a hug and a laugh. They combined to win three Olympic gold medals for the United States.

UP NEXT

Duke: The Blue Devils stay in the Northeast, heading to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off at Uncasville, Connecticut, on Friday and Saturday. They open against Penn State.

Kansas: The Jayhawks finally get to play in Allen Fieldhouse when they face Siena on Friday.

— Associated Press —

IRVING, Texas – Kansas senior guard Frank Mason III scored a career-high 30 points against No. 11 Indiana on Friday to earn the season’s first Phillips 66 Big 12 Player of the Week honor in a vote of media who cover the league, the conference announced Monday.

Mason posted his career game on Veterans Day, in the State Farm Armed Forces Classic in Honolulu, a game which KU lost 103-99 in overtime. Mason, from Petersburg, Virginia, scored the Jayhawks’ final 11 points in regulation, including two free throws to send the game to overtime.

Also in the contest, Mason set career highs in free throws (13) and free throw attempts (15). His 30 points marked his fifth career game of scoring 20 or more points and his nine assists against the Hoosiers was the 14th time in his career he has had seven or more assists.

With his 30 points, Mason vaulted to 40th on the KU career scoring list with 1,162 points.

No. 3/2 Kansas (0-1) will face No. 1/1 Duke (2-0) in the State Farm Champions Classic, Tuesday, Nov. 15, at 8 p.m. (Central). The game will be played in historic Madison Square Garden in New York City and televised on ESPN.

— KU Athletics —

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas women’s basketball’s streak of season-opening victories came to a close as a late run in the fourth quarter proved to be enough for Missouri State to rally for an 87-64 win on Sunday afternoon inside Allen Fieldhouse.

Prior to its 2016-17 season opener, KU had won 11-straight games to start the season dating back to 2004. The Lady Bears high powered offense surged ahead late in the game after shooting 53.3 percent from the field. The Jayhawks on the other hand could only muster a 35 percent clip from the field, making only 6-of-24 three-point tries.

The Jayhawks were led by redshirt sophomore guard McKenzie Calvert and redshirt junior guard Jessica Washington with 20 and 15 points, respectively. Calvert’s 20 points was just one shy of her career high set during her rookie campaign at USC. Along with her 15 points, Washington also led the team with four assists.

Offensively, Missouri State had four end the day with double-figure scoring efforts, led by Lexi Hughes, who netted 22 points. Also scoring double digits was Liza Fruendt (18), Brice Calip (14) and Aubrey Buckley (10).

A Lady Bears free throw gave MSU an early lead in the opening minutes. The Jayhawks went on to score seven of their first eleven points off of Missouri State turnovers, beginning with Calvert’s first basket in the Crimson and Blue. Calvert kept the momentum going on the defensive end with a charge following her basket. The Lady Bears went on a 12-0 run to end the first quarter with a 17-11 advantage.

Calvert started the second quarter the same way she started the first, driving to the basket. She followed up with back-to-back three pointers, giving her the first eight points of the quarter. Washington tied the game, 21-21, with a layup after Calvert’s early run. The Jayhawks and the Lady Bears battled basket-for-basket throughout the quarter with Calvert and Washington leading the way for the Jayhawks.

Sophomore guard Aisia Robertson ended Missouri State’s 7-0 run in the second quarter with a 3-pointer that brought the Jayhawks within four. Washington continued to narrow the Lady Bears’ lead with a layup at the two-minute mark, bringing the Jayhawks within two points.

Kansas stepped it up on the defensive end with back-to-back defensive plays as the clock wound down in the first half. Washington started the trend with a charge followed by Calvert’s steal leading to sophomore guard Kylee Kopatich’s game-tying layup. Missouri State ended the quarter with a 3-pointer that would give the Lady Bears a 37-40 lead at the half.

Calvert started the second half with four straight points, all coming from the free throw line to pull the Jayhawks within one point. Kansas took their first lead since the first quarter with a 3-pointer from Washington. Graduate transfer forward Sydney Umeri kept Kansas’ intensity on the defensive end up, taking Jayhawks’ third charge of the game. The Jayhawks continued battling on both ends throughout the third period, but still trailed by three, 52-55.

Kansas’ first points of the fourth quarter came from two free throws made by Washington. The Lady Bears intensity didn’t waiver, but Calvert answered their first basket with a basket of her own. The Jayhawks struggled to find an answer to Missouri State’s fourth quarter offensive run. The Lady Bears shot 100 percent in the first three minutes.

Washington ended Kansas’ scoring drought with a layup at the five and a half minute mark, but Kansas couldn’t stop the Lady Bears’ offense late in the game. MSU followed with a 7-0 run in the next 30 seconds, which all but sealed the victory. Senior forward Caelynn Manning-Allen attempted to end the Jayhawks’ scoring drought for good with a put back jumper, but Missouri State’s offense proved to be too much for Kansas, as the Lady Bears closed out the game with an 8-0 run, to seal the victory, 87-64.

UP NEXT: The Jayhawks continue their four-game homestand to start the 2016-17 campaign on Wednesday, Nov. 16 against SMU at 7 p.m., inside Allen Fieldhouse. The contest will air on the Jayhawk Television and Jayhawk Radio Networks. Wednesday’s game is social media night at Allen Fieldhouse. Fans who share their photos on social media using #KUwbb will be entered to win an autographed basketball.

— KU Athletics —