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 —

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Wayne Selden Jr. sliced down the lane, saw the defense collapse and whipped a pass behind his back, hoping against everything that Cheick Diallo would be there to catch it.

Not only was he there, Diallo was ready to flush it.

In his much-anticipated debut for fourth-ranked Kansas, the 6-foot-9 freshman from Mali had a trio of highlight-reel dunks Tuesday night. He finished with 13 points, six rebounds and three blocks while helping the Jayhawks overcome a first-half malaise for a 94-61 victory over Loyola.

“At first, I don’t know what I was doing. I was so excited. I turned the ball over so easily,” said Diallo, who was the subject of an exhaustive eligibility inquiry by the NCAA. “I was so excited, I didn’t know what I was doing. At the end of the game, I was playing so good.”

Yes, he sure looked like he knew what he was doing on Selden’s nifty pass.

“I wouldn’t have thrown it if I didn’t think he’d catch it,” said the junior guard, who finished with a game-high 18 points. “He was in the right place at the right time.”

The Jayhawks (5-1) led just 40-36 at halftime before going on a 15-1 run to start the second half. Diallo finished off the flurry with the that first dunk, then added another off an alley-oop pass from Carlton Bragg, and finished with a breakaway dunk with 4 1/2 minutes left.

“He was having fun. That’s great,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “I’m happy for him. The kid waited a long time to get out there.”

While the Jayhawks struggled on the boards early, and never got into an offensive rhythm until they came out of the locker room to start the second half, they still had no problem putting away an overmatched opponent from the Patriot League for their 26th straight win at Allen Fieldhouse.

That winning streak is tied for the eighth-best in school history.

Eric Laster had 16 points and Andre Walker had 10 for Loyola (1-6), which missed its first five shots and committed five turnovers to start the second half, when the Jayhawks went on their big run.

“We played really hard in the first half, four-point game,” Greyhounds coach G.G. Smith said. “In the second half, they started on an 11-0 run and we just couldn’t catch up.”

That’s because the second 20 minutes belonged to Diallo and the Jayhawks.

Diallo was held out while the NCAA examined his academic work from a New York prep school and his relationship with his guardian. Eventually, Diallo was deemed to have accepted a modest amount of improper benefits, resulting in a five-game suspension.

That ended on Tuesday night, and Diallo was given a standing ovation when he checked in. Several members of the student section even painted “FREE AT LAST” across their chests.

“I was nervous for Cheick,” Self said, “because I knew this was a highly anticipated game in large part because of all the other stuff.”

While raw on offense — Diallo has only been playing basketball about five years — he was active on the offensive and defensive glass. And his infectious energy and boundless enthusiasm allowed the Jayhawks to pull away in what had been a tight game at the half.

“He told me two days ago, `I don’t get nervous.’ Then yesterday, `Oh, coach, I’m so nervous!” Self said with a smile. “Fortunately he got an easy basket and after that he was fine.”

LUCAS SITS

Kansas forward Landen Lucas sat out with a sprained toe. He has not practiced since the Maui tournament but hopes to participate in Thursday’s workout. “He wanted to play today,” Self said.

TIP-INS

Loyola: Leading scorer Jarred Jones was held to four points. … The Greyhounds are in the midst of playing seven of nine on the road. … Loyola also lost to Kansas in January 2008.

Kansas: Frank Mason III had 10 points, six rebounds and five assists. … The Jayhawks were just 12 of 26 from the foul line. … Kansas forced Loyola into 21 turnovers.

UP NEXT

Loyola tries to snap a four-game skid Saturday against Mount St. Mary’s.

Kansas continues a three-game homestand Saturday against Harvard.

— Associated Press —