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 —