LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas football head coach David Beaty got an early start on the 2016 Jayhawk signing class as he announced that three student-athletes signed letters of intent Wednesday on the first day of the mid-year signing period.

Beaty welcomed defensive tackles DeeIsaac Davis (Highland Community College) and Isi Holani (Riverside City College) and athlete Stephan Robinson (Northeastern Oklahoma A&M) to the Jayhawk program as mid-year signees.

“We are very excited to be adding DeeIsaac, Isi and Stephan to our program,” Beaty said. “It is our goal to build Kansas football by addressing our biggest needs and at the same time finding the right people who fit the profile of who we want to be Jayhawks. All three of these guys help us accomplish that.”

All three signees are expected to report in January and enroll in classes full-time, while preparing for the spring football schedule. The trio is the first of a 2016 signing class that will be solidified in early February.

The trio of mid-year signees hail from three different states in Kansas, Oklahoma and Hawaii. Davis and Holani will arrive for spring football as juniors, while Robinson will have three years of eligibility as a Jayhawk.

“These student-athletes address our immediate needs,” said Beaty. “Having the opportunity to get these guys on campus in January was huge for our program moving forward and then also knowing we would have Stephan for three years was an added bonus.”

DeeISAAC DAVIS
Defensive Tackle 6-3 290 Jr.
Wichita, Kan. (Andover/Highland)

Highland Community College (2015): Played one season at Highland Community College for head coach Aaron Arnold… ESPN’s No. 12 junior college defensive tackle… A three-star prospect according to ESPN.com and 247Sports.com… Registered 82 tackles, including 5.0 sacks at HCC in 2015… Had three games with 10 or more stops, including a career-best 13 tackles against Butler Community College… Credited with 3.0 sacks versus Garden City Community College… Earned honorable mention Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference All-Conference honors.

Eastern Arizona College (2014): Spent his freshman season at Eastern Arizona College… Tallied 71 tackles in 11 games in 2014… Collected 2.5 sacks at EAC while playing for John O’Mera.

Andover High School: Played for head coach Mike Lee at Andover High School… Helped lead AHS to a district championship in 2012… Earned honorable mention Class 5A All-State honors from the Topeka Capital-Journal following his senior season… Named all-conference as a senior and was selected to play in the 2013 Kansas Shrine Bowl.

Personal: Son of Cecilia Wambugu-Davis and the late Dee Davis… Plans to major in sports marketing… Has two sisters, Kelly and Elizabeth… DeeIsaac is pronounced Dee-Isaac.

ISI HOLANI
Defensive Tackle 6-3 300 Jr.
Hilo Hawaii (Hilo/Riverside City)

Riverside City College (2015): Spent his sophomore season at Riverside City College suiting up for head coach Tom Craft… ESPN’s No. 15 junior college defensive tackle… A three-star prospect according to ESPN.com, Rivals.com and 247Sports.com… Helped lead the Tigers to an 8-3 mark in 2015… Recorded 26 total tackles, including 4.5 TFLs… Also credited with a fumble recovery in 2015… Helped lead RCC to the 2015 National Central League title, while advancing to the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) Southern California Regional Championships.

Reedley College (2014): Played his freshman campaign at Reedley College under head coach Randy Whited… Registered 34 total tackles, including 4.5 sacks, in 2014… Also credited with a forced fumble for the Tigers.

Hilo High School: Earned three letters playing football under head coach Dave Baldwin at Hilo HS… Also participated in basketball and track and field.

Personal: Son of Ane and Keni Holani… Plans to major in sociology… Full name is Tanikena Holani, but prefers to go by Isi… Isi is pronounced IS-see… Holani is pronounced hoe-lawn-ee.

STEPHAN ROBINSON
Athlete 5-11 173 So.
Old, Okla. (Westmoore/NE Oklahoma A&M)

Northeastern Oklahoma A&M (2015): Spent one season at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M playing for head coach Ryan Held… ESPN’s No. 14 junior college wide receiver… A three-star prospect according to ESPN.com… Hauled in 20 receptions for 192 yards as a freshman at NEO… Played on both sides of the ball, collecting eight tackles in just six games… Also saw action in the return game, registering seven kickoff returns for 116 yards and two punt returns for 12 yards… Overall, ranked fourth on his team with 326 all-purpose yards, despite missing three games with an injury.

Westmoore High School: Attended Westmoore HS in Oklahoma City… Earned all-city honors as a junior and senior, while picking up all-conference and all-district honors as a senior… Played under head coach Adam Gaylor… Collected 519 all-purpose yards, including 344 receiving yards, for the Jags in 2014… Played on both sides of the ball, picking up 36 tackles, four pass breakups and two interceptions on defense in 2014… Also lettered in track and field at WHS.

Personal: Son of Rolanda Canada and Ken Britton… Plans to major in sports management… Has four siblings: Kendrick Robinson, Isaiah Canada, Kedric Britton and Kensey Britton… His cousin, Daymond Patterson, was a wide receiver and defensive back at KU from 2008-12… Stephan is pronounced Steph-ON.

— KU Athletics —

LAWRENCE, Kan. – In less than 24 hours, Kansas saw three programs come from behind to claim victories, including Kansas women’s basketball. The Jayhawks completed the trio of comebacks after erasing a 19-point deficit to stun Navy, 61-54, in overtime on Sunday afternoon, inside Allen Fieldhouse.

Sunday’s matchup marked the first overtime game of the season for the Jayhawks and the fourth come-from-behind win of the year. The win marks the first overtime victory for Kansas since defeating Kansas State in extended time on March 7, 2014.

After opening the game with a quick run and gaining the lead, Kansas (5-4) fell behind early, but responded by holding Navy (5-5) to a combined nine points down the stretch, including just two made free throws in overtime.

Sophomore guard Lauren Aldridge recorded a career-high scoring marking, she finished the afternoon with 19 points on 6-of-12 shooting, including three long-range buckets. The Marshfield, Missouri native was perfect from the charity stripe, connecting on all four attempts.
Junior forward Caelynn Manning-Allen logged her second career double-double, with 10 points and a game-high 11 rebounds, while freshman guard Kylee Kopatich recorded 14 points, including some pivotal free throws late in the game.

Navy’s Taylor Dunham was on fire in the first half, tallying 20 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the three-point line. Kansas managed to hold the sophomore guard to only four points in the second half, as Dunham finished with 24 points, six rebounds and three assists. Junior guard Sarita Condie ended the game as the only other double-digit scorer for the Mids, with 10 points on 4-of-17 shooting and seven rebounds.

Kansas got off to a hot start, draining three of its first four attempts to take an early 6-0 lead. The two teams traded baskets over the next three minutes, with the Jayhawks maintaining their lead at 11-5 after a three-point play from junior forward Jada Brown. Navy responded with two quick long-range buckets, tying the game at 11 each with 4:54 remaining in the first quarter. Navy tacked on six more points to extend the streak to 12 unanswered points before a jumper from Manning-Allen ended a three-minute scoring drought.

After trailing by six points early in the game, Navy established an eight-point lead over the final six minutes of the quarter with a 16-2 run. The Jayhawks committed five turnovers in the opening 10 minutes and ended the period on 1-of-5 shooting. Navy tallied 12 of 21 first-quarter points came from beyond the arc, while Kansas missed the mark on all five of its three-point attempts.

27058Junior forward Caelynn Manning-Allen logged her
second career double-double against Navy.

Navy continued to knock down threes in the second quarter, connecting on three consecutive attempts. The Mids began the period on an 11-0 run to push the lead to 19 points, as Kansas missed its first six shots. Freshman guard Jayde Christopher ended the scoring drought at the 4:04 mark with a layup, sparking a 6-0 run that saw the Jayhawks hold Navy scoreless over nearly four minutes of game time.

With eight seconds remaining in the half, Aldridge hit Kansas’ first three of the afternoon, pulling her squad to within 12 points heading into the locker room at halftime. Navy’s Dunham was nearly unstoppable in the first 20 minutes of action, sinking 6-of-9 threes to tally 20 of the Mids’ 34 first-half points.

After Navy opened the scoring in the third quarter with its seventh three-pointer of the afternoon, the Mids went cold, missing the mark on their next four attempts. Unfortunately, the Jayhawks could not capitalize as they connected on only one of their first six shots.

Midway through the quarter, Kansas began to find its rhythm after getting to the free throw line and sinking 7-of-8 attempts. In the final 3:16 of the third period, the Jayhawks made 4-of-6 field goals, while Navy missed its final eight shots. Kansas’ 12-2 run to conclude the quarter cut the Navy lead to just six points heading into the fourth period of the contest.

The Jayhawks continued to fight their way back into the game, as Aldridge scored the first five points of the fourth quarter for Kansas. Navy saw its lead shrink to just three points, forcing a timeout at the 6:38 mark. Just over a minute later, Kopatich hit her first three of the afternoon to cut the deficit to two points, the lowest since Navy took its first lead of the game with 3:46 left in the first quarter.

With less than a minute left in the game, the Jayhawks finally broke through with a layup from Kopatich to tie the game at 52-52. After a jumper from Navy’s Peri Curtis missed the mark, Kansas held possession for the potential final play of the game. Manning-Allen’s layup attempt missed at the buzzer, sending the game into overtime.

Manning-Allen grabbed the first points of extra time, with a layup that moved her into double-figure scoring and the second double-double of 2015-16. The defensive pressure of the Jayhawks continued to give Navy fits, as the Mids attempted only two field goals in the first four minutes of overtime, missing on both. Navy went 0-for-3 from the field during overtime. However, the Mids shot 2-of-4 from the free throw line.

Freshman guard Aisia Robertson made one of her two shots from the charity stripe, extending Kansas’ lead to seven points. The Mids once again failed to connect on their final attempt, and Robertson collected the rebound to give Kansas the 61-54 overtime victory.

— KU Sports —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Wayne Selden scored 22 points, Frank Mason had 18 and second-ranked Kansas used a big second half to beat Oregon State 82-67 on Saturday night in its annual trip to the Sprint Center.

Perry Ellis added 13 points and Devonte Graham had 10 for the Jayhawks (8-1), who trailed by as many as 14 in the first half before outscoring the Beavers 25-9 to begin the second.

Kansas kept drawing away to improve to 28-6 at the downtown Kansas City arena, where it has won six straight regular-season games along with four Big 12 tournament titles.

Tres Tinkle hit five 3-pointers and scored 20 points for Oregon State (6-2), which was trying to equal its best start since the 1980-81 season. Gary Payton II scored 13 and Jarmal Reid added 11.

Oregon State appeared on its way throughout the first half.

Tinkle hit his first 3-pointer with 14:12 left to give his team a 14-9 advantage, and the coach’s son proceeded to hit his next four more.

The Beavers made their first seven from beyond the arc, a big reason why Wayne Tinkle’s bunch enjoyed a double-digit lead most of the first half.

Things weren’t nearly as chipper on the Kansas bench.

With the Beavers leading 22-9 midway through the half, Jayhawks coach Bill Self grew so enraged that he slammed his right fist into his left hand, sending his pricey wristwatch flying off.

Self must have transferred some of that fire to his team at halftime.

Beginning with two free throws by Ellis, the Jayhawks slowly began to build momentum, chewing into a 39-28 deficit. But it was still 48-41 when Graham made back-to-back baskets, starting a 14-0 run that brought actor and noted Kansas fan Rob Riggle to his feet and gave the Jayhawks the lead.

Things unraveled so quickly for the Beavers that they burned through three timeouts in 54 seconds — one when they couldn’t inbound the ball — and were left with none the final 14:03 of the game.

Meanwhile, the Jayhawks stuck with their starting lineup for much of the half. It was a clear departure from the frequent substitutions that Self made in the first half, and allowed the same group of players to get into a rhythm for the first time all night.

TIP-INS

Oregon State: Tinkle missed his only 3-point try in the second half. … After hitting their first seven 3-pointers, the Beavers were 1 of 9 the rest of the way. … Oregon State committed 18 turnovers that the Jayhawks turned into 19 points.

Kansas: Mason also had six assists. … The Jayhawks shot 67 percent from the field in the second half. … F Landen Lucas (toe) participated in warmups but did not play. F Jamari Traylor (ankle) played two minutes in the first half.

UP NEXT

Oregon State plays Cal State Fullerton in the Far West Classic on Friday night.

Kansas gets the week off for finals before playing Montana next Saturday.

— Associated Press —

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas women’s basketball couldn’t overcome a slow start and cold shooting, as UMKC defeated the Jayhawks, 47-44, inside Allen Fieldhouse Thursday night.

After trailing 9-2 after the opening quarter of the game, the Jayhawks (4-4) wasn’t able to establish a rhythm, finishing the contest shooting 28 percent from the field and netting a season-low 44 points. UMKC (2-7) shot only 35 percent, but converted 9-of-15 free throws, which proved to be the difference at the end of the night.

Freshman guard Kylee Kopatich led the team in scoring for the second time this season with 14 points, and tacked on a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw line. Sophomore guard Lauren Aldridge was the only other Jayhawk to score in double-figures with 10 points, marking her seventh game this season recording 10 or more points. Junior forward Jada Brown led the team in rebounds with seven, paired with four points.

Kiana Law led the way for UMKC, scoring 20 of the Roos’ 47 points. She posted a double-double with 10 rebounds along her 20 points. Samantha Waldron tallied 13 points on 4-of-10 shooting, including two three-pointers for the Roos.

Thursday’s action got off to a slow start, with neither team scoring until under the seven-minute mark. UMKC scored the first points of the evening, and the Jayhawks answered two possessions later. The two teams remained tied at two each until a UMKC trey with less than five minutes left in the quarter, which sparked a 7-0 run to finish the opening period.

While Kansas forced four turnovers in the first ten minutes, it still faced a 9-2 deficit heading into the second quarter after shooting 1-18 to start the game.

Exactly one minute into the second quarter, Aldridge hit a three from the top of the arc, injecting some much needed energy into the cold-shooting Jayhawks. Kansas proceeded to take off on a 10-0 run over nearly five minutes of game time, turning an eight-point deficit into a two-point advantage. After UMKC ended the Jayhawks’ run with a layup to tie the game, both teams shot 1-7 from the field to finish the half. The Roos’ six-point second quarter was the lowest-scoring quarter for any Kansas opponent this season.

The Jayhawks emerged from the locker room leading 17-15 over the visitors, looking to improve on their shooting after a 20 percent performance in the first half. Baskets from the three-point line began to fall for Kansas in the third quarter, making three of its first six attempts.

Aldridge’s second three of the night at the 3:51 mark gave the Jayhawks a five-point lead, their largest of the night. The Roos responded with a 9-0 run to close out the quarter, taking a four-point lead into the final ten minutes of action. All three of Kansas’ third-quarter baskets came from beyond the three-point line, marking the first time all season that the Jayhawks did not record a two-point field goal in a quarter. Kansas did remain perfect from the free throw line, draining all five of its attempts.

Shooting struggles persisted for both teams in the fourth quarter, with both squads enduring scoring droughts of more than three minutes.

With 4:41 remaining in the game, the Jayhawks cut the UMKC lead to just two points with layups from Kopatich and Brown. Out of the timeout, freshman forward Tyler Johnson and UMKC’s Kiana Law traded baskets for the next four possessions, as the Roos held onto their narrow lead.

Kansas missed the mark on its next four attempts, and a three from UMKC’s Waldron extended the Roos’ lead to five with under a minute to play.

After forcing the Roos to protect their lead from the free throw line, Kopatich popped a three to bring the Jayhawks within one point with 10 seconds the play. UMKC beat the full court pressure to put in a layup in the final moments of the game, and Aldridge’s potential game-tying three fell short as the buzzer sounded, giving UMKC the victory, 47-44.

— KU Athletics —

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — While the rest of his teammates were enjoying a holiday trip to Hawaii, and winning a title at the Maui Invitational, Brannen Greene was shooting baskets in an empty gym in Kansas.

Talk about a punishment.

Suspended for conduct detrimental to the team, the smooth-shooting forward was reinstated by Jayhawks coach Bill Self in time for Wednesday night’s game against Holy Cross. He responded by hitting three 3-pointers and scoring 14 points in a 92-59 rout of the Crusaders.

“Definitely felt good to get back on the court,” said Greene, who has declined to discuss what led to the suspension. “Me and coach, we had a sit-down, we talked. I dealt with my punishment. Looked at it as a positive and tried to get back on the court.”

Self had told Greene the previous day that he would suit up.

“Let me make this real clear, we don’t need to get on the same page. He needs to get on our page,” Self said. “And we had several, or a few, good talks initially, really good talks. His attitude has been really good and I think he wants to be part of what we’re doing here.”

Wayne Selden Jr. had 15 points to lead all scorers. Frank Mason III added 13, Perry Ellis and Cheick Diallo scored 12 apiece, and Devonte Graham finished with 10 for the Jayhawks (7-1), who blew most of a 20-point lead before building an even bigger margin in the second half.

“I told them, `Don’t go near an offensive rebound. A shot goes up, just get back,” Crusaders coach Bill Carmody said, “and they still beat us back in transition.”

Karl Charles led Holy Cross (3-6) with 12 points. Malachi Alexander had 11.

Kansas played without forwards Landen Lucas, out with a toe injury, and Jamari Traylor, who has been dealing with a sore ankle. Both suited up and participated in warmups, but Self decided to start Hunter Mickelson and give his two big men the night off.

“They got the shaft tonight in some respects because they could have played, but I didn’t see any reason to do it,” Self said. “It wasn’t anything negative that they’ve done.”

Besides, it wasn’t like the Jayhawks needed either of them.

The reigning Big 12 champs resembled the high school team from “Pleasantville” in the first half, making nearly every shot that went up. They were 8 of 10 from beyond the arc, connected on 70 percent of their field goals and even managed to make all four of their foul shots.

The lead reached 20 at one point late in the half, and Mason converted a 3-point play on a drive to the basket to give Kansas a 50-33 advantage at the break.

The Crusaders stubbornly stuck with their 2/3 zone in the second half, though, and for a while it allowed them to climb back into the game. Kansas missed four of its first five shots, and Holy Cross ripped off a 13-2 run to get within 52-46 with less than 16 minutes left in the game.

But like they have in 97 of their previous 101 non-conference home games under Self, the Jayhawks proved to be too much. Ellis answered the run with a bucket in the paint, Graham took his own steal in for a dunk, and Mason’s 3-pointer from the corner restored order.

Kansas pushed the lead back to 20 on Selden’s two free throws, and right past the mark when Diallo followed up Selden’s miss with a dunk to help put the game away.

“The pressure got to us, forced some turnovers and we sort of lost control of things,” Carmody said. “It’s a very good team, and it’s a good passing team — there didn’t seem to be any greedy guys out there.”

HOT SHOOTING

The Jayhawks weren’t the only ones who couldn’t miss. Holy Cross shot 55 percent from the field in the second half, and they were 19 of 23 from the foul line for the game.

TIP-INS

Holy Cross: Anthony Thompson had four points on 1-for-9 shooting. He had 23 points against Albany in his last game. … The Crusaders beat Kansas in December 1949 with Bob Cousy on the roster.

Kansas: Graham also had five assists before leaving with what appeared to be a minor injury in the second half. … Kansas wound up 12 of 20 from 3-point range and shot 63 percent from the field.

UP NEXT

Holy Cross travels to Hartford on Saturday night.

Kansas plays Oregon State on Saturday night in Kansas City, Mo.

— Associated Press —

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas women’s basketball lost its first home game of the 2015-16 season to St. John’s on Sunday, Dec. 6, inside Allen Fieldhouse. The Red Storm shot 57 percent from the field to claim the, 86-71 victory.

Kansas couldn’t slow down Aliyyah Handford of St. John’s, who put up a career-best 33 points on 16-of 25 shooting Sunday afternoon. Despite three different Jayhawks recording double-figure scoring, the Red Storm got out to an early lead and never looked back.

Kansas (4-3) had three double-figure scoring performances from its starters, with junior forward Caelynn Manning-Allen, sophomore guard Lauren Aldridge, and freshman guard Kylee Kopatich. Manning-Allen paired a career-high 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting with five rebounds and two blocks. Aldridge posted 13 points, including a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw line, while Kopatich collected 10 points and a team-high seven rebounds.

St. John’s (6-1) was led by Handford’s 33 points, but Danaejah Grant also posted impressive numbers with 26 points on 10-of-17 shooting. Grant made two of the Red Storm’s three long-range baskets and all four of her free throw attempts. Jade Walker recorded the other double-digit scoring effort for St. John’s with 10 points, combined with a game-high eight rebounds.

Kansas converted on its first four shots, capped off with a three from Kopatich. After missing its first shot attempt, the Red Storm responded with six-straight made field goals. The Jayhawks’ 4-0 advantage less than a minute into the game was the largest lead for either team heading into the first media timeout, as both squads began the game shooting exceptional well at 75 percent.

Out of the media break, St. John’s took off on an 11-0 run, sparked by its stifling defense, which swung the momentum back in favor of the visitors. Kansas did not score again until its final possession with less than 20 seconds left in the quarter, a layup from freshman guard Jayde Christopher, which cut St. John’s lead to seven points. During the stretch, the Jayhawks only attempted three shots while the Red Storm forced four turnovers.

Redshirt junior guard Timeka O’Neal grabbed the first four points of the second quarter with a three-ball and a free throw to bring the deficit to just four points. The Red Storm answered with four unanswered points, to re-establish the seven-point lead. Christopher ended the run with Kansas’ fifth three of the afternoon, but the basket did little to slow down St. John’s attack, which went on an 8-0 run in less than two minutes of game time to push its lead to double digits, 36-24. The two teams traded points for the remainder of the half, but St. John’s superior shooting pushed the lead to 46-31 heading to the break.

The Red Storm concluded the half making nine of its last 12 shots, while the Jayhawks converted only three of their final 12 attempts. St. John’s made a living inside, scoring 32 of its 46 points in the paint. The Jayhawks’ 11 first half turnovers resulted in 16 points for the Red Storm, while Kansas did not score any points off of turnovers in the opening 20 minutes.

The hot-shooting Red Storm continued into the second half. St. John’s made six of its first nine shots, including its first long-range basket as its lead extended to 20 points at the 5:38 mark of the third quarter. St. John’s maintained its lead until Kansas began to chip away late in the quarter. An 8-0 run was capped off at the 2:20 mark with a three-point play from Manning-Allen cut the deficit to 13 points.

After not scoring in the first half, Manning-Allen recorded 11 third quarter points to help the Jayhawks fight their way back into Sunday’s contest. With ten minutes of game time remaining, St. John’s led 69-55

St. John’s cooled off to start the fourth quarter, making only one of its first five shots. However, the Jayhawks shot the same 20 percent over their first five attempts, and the Red Storm led 73-58 at the final media timeout. Kansas refused to quit, as Manning-Allen continued to fight underneath the basket and get to the line. Two made free throws from the starting forward late in the game set a new career-high with 15 points.

Handford and the Red Storm would not let Manning-Allen’s career performance put a considerable dent in their lead. Kansas finished the game on 4-of-5 shooting, but St. John’s converted on its final four attempts. At the final buzzer, St. John’s won by a score of 86-71 to hand the Jayhawks their first home loss of the 2015-16 season.

— KU Athletics —

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Landen Lucas led No. 4 Kansas’ rebounding domination over Harvard on Saturday.

He grabbed four offensive rebounds and four defensive rebounds and six of the boards came in the second half of the Jayhawks’ 75-69 victory.

Lucas started the second half in place of Jamari Traylor, who didn’t pull down a single rebound in the first half. Lucas finished with five points, four in the second half.

“He’s by far our best big,” Kansas coach Bill Self said of Lucas. “He defended (Zena Edosomwan) great. And (he’s) a terrific player. (Lucas) was by far the only big guy we had who could guard him one-on-one.”

Frank Mason III scored 21 points and Perry Ellis and Devonte’ Graham added 12 points for Kansas (6-1).

“We were disappointed in not really paying attention to details,” Mason said. “Giving up open looks and easy baskets.”

Some of those “details” were how Harvard scored 32 of its 69 points in the paint and had 11 offensive rebounds.

Freshman reserve Weisner Perez had 15 points, Tommy McCarthy added 11 and Edosomwan had 10 points and 11 rebounds for the Crimson (2-6) in their third straight loss.

“Our message for our kids for this game was concentration, composure, confidence and competitive,” Harvard coach Tommy Amaker said. “If we could try to see if we could attack those c-words and we thought that we would feel good about ourselves.”

Midway through the first half, freshman Cheick Diallo pulled up and hit a mid-range jumper to put Kansas up 15-12. That jumper started a 17-4 run for the Jayhawks. Kansas scored only four points in the final 6 minutes of the first half.

The Jayhawks came out of halftime scoring four points in less than 40 seconds, but fell flat offensively after that, going a full 2 minutes without scoring. In that time, Harvard cut Kansas’ lead from 13 to nine, and subsequently got within four after Evan Cummins dunked.

The pairing of stagnant offensive play and ineffective defense from Kansas allowed Harvard to get within one with under 12 minutes to go.

“We had to be scrappy,” Edosomwan said.

Kansas managed to get some cushion from two layups, one from Svi Mykhailiuk and the other from Lucas, but that five-point lead was short-lived.

On the ensuing possession, McCarthy released a 3-pointer as the shot clock expired, bringing Harvard back within one. Forty-five seconds later, it was a tie game.

“I’ve always had a knack for playing in the moment and playing my strengths,” McCarthy said. “I never really back down from anyone. I’m pretty confident in myself and my abilities. When it was time to step up, I tried to just do my best.”

And then Kansas surged.

Ellis completed a three-point play and hit a jumper two possessions later to put the Jayhawks back up by five points. Two 3-pointers later, the Jayhawks found themselves up by seven with 4 1/2 minutes remaining.

The Crimson cut into the lead once more with under 3 minutes to go, but it wasn’t enough.

TIP-INS

Harvard: Edosomwan’s double-double was his third of the season.

Kansas: The Jayhawks have never lost to an Ivy League school.

UP NEXT

Harvard visits Boston University on Tuesday.

Kansas hosts Holy Cross on Wednesday.

STAT LINES

Wayne Selden Jr. of the Jayhawks is shooting 62.9 percent (22 of 35) from behind the arc. That ranks him No. 7 nationally.

WELCOME HOME

Kansas basketball Hall of Famer Lynette Woodard was recognized during a timeout for being named the 2015 Naismith Contributor to Women’s Basketball. Woodard played at Kansas from 1978 to 1981 and was the first woman to play for the Harlem Globetrotters.

— Associated Press —

LAWRENCE, Kan. – After trailing by nine points at the end of the first quarter, Kansas women’s basketball outscored Creighton by 24 points over the next two periods to record its first come-from-behind win, 67-54, on Wednesday night, inside Allen Fieldhouse.

Kansas (4-2) saw career nights from sophomore guard Lauren Aldrdige and freshman guard Kylee Kopatich posted career-high scoring marks with 18 and 15 points, respectively. Aldridge’s 18 points came from shooting 50 percent from the field, draining four three-pointers, while Kopatich shot a perfect 3-of-3 from long-distance, accounting for nine of her 15 points.

Kopatich, a native of Olathe, Kansas, grabbed a game-high seven rebounds and a career-high four steals. Junior forward Caelynn Manning-Allen was one of three Jayhawks to score eight points, and brought down seven rebounds, which tied Kopatich for a game-high.

The Bluejays (4-3) recorded 19 field goals, including 11 from beyond the arch Bluejays, accounting for 33 of Creighton’s 54 points. Jade Owens and MC McGrory each shot a perfect 2-of-2 from three-point range, recording eight and 13 points, respectively. Audrey Faber rounded out Creighton’s double-figure scorers, with 10 points on 2-of-4 shooting from three.

Eight Bluejays tallied at least one three-point basket. Despite shooting almost 48 percent from long-distance, the Bluejays shot 35 percent from the field in total, after entering the game shooting over 51 percent.

After a layup from sophomore guard Chayla Cheadle began the scoring and got Kansas out to an early lead, the Jayhawks struggled for much of the first quarter. Three-straight long-range baskets from Creighton over a minute and half span turned a two-point Kansas lead into a seven-point deficit, while the Jayhawks missed the mark on its next six field goal attempts.

Kansas got back in the game on a 4-0 run with layups by Aldridge and freshman forward Tyler Johnson, as the Bluejays went cold, missing six-straight shots. Creighton responded, however, draining two more treys at the end of the quarter to finish off a 10-2 run and go ahead by a score of 19-10. Strong in the paint, Kansas made all four of its first-quarter field goals inside. Creighton commanded the boards, though, outrebounding the Jayhawks 12-5.

26962Freshman guard Kylee Kopatich drives to the basket, for two of her career-high 15 points

Kansas caught fire at the start of the second quarter, converting on its first three field goal attempts. After shooting 0-3 from the three-point line in the opening 10 minutes, Aldridge and Cheadle both connected on triples to cut the Creighton lead to six points. Kansas continued to cut into the lead with an 8-1 run in less than three minutes, as the Bluejays led 25-20 at the 5:36 mark.

Over the remainder of the half, the Jayhawks continued to hit shots while shutting down the Bluejays on defense. Aldridge and Kopatich combined for 10 points and helped hold Creighton to just two points, as Creighton’s final seven shots of the half all missed the mark. The two teams returned to the locker room at half, with the Jayhawks holding a 30-27 lead. Kansas has headed to the locker room with the lead four times this season and are 4-0 when doing so.

Creighton made a living from three-point line and the charity stripe in the opening half, accounting for 23 of the Bluejays 27 points. Creighton converted on 6-of-12 three-pointers and shot a near-perfect 5-of-6 from the free throw line. After a layup on their opening possession, Creighton did not score another two-point field goal until the 4:23 mark of the second quarter. Kansas dominated underneath the basket, outscoring the Bluejays 14-2 inside the paint. Shooting over 51 percent from the field on the season, Creighton was held to 30 percent shooting in the first half, while they Jayhawks shot their season-average 41 percent.

Just over two minutes into the third quarter, the Blujays tied the game, 32-32. Kansas answered by scoring points on eight of its next nine possessions. The 18-point run in less than five minutes of game time buried the Bluejays, who could only connect on one of their next six field goals for two points during the same span. The lead grew to 16 points near the end of the quarter, but Creighton’s Lauren Works knocked down her first three of the game with 10 seconds left on the clock to cut the lead to 12. Aldridge was not satisfied, and dribbled the ball just past mid-court before throwing up a long-range shot that found the bottom of the net just as the buzzer sounded.

Kopatich set the tone early in the fourth quarter, first with an assist on the Jayahwks’ opening basket, an easy layup for Manning-Allen. She then recorded two steals and two-straight layups, as Kansas’s lead hovered around 15 points for much of the final quarter. Another layup from Manning-Allen at the 2:17 mark pushed the lead to 19, the largest of the game for the Jayhawks.

In the second half, Kansas shot 50 percent from the field, while holding the Bluejays to under 35 percent. Kansas also forced the Bluejays to commit 11 second-half turnovers.

Creighton managed to put in two more three-pointers in the final moments, but the lead was insurmountable. Kansas remained undefeated at home and claimed its fourth win of the season, 67-54.

— KU Athletics —