Sooner or later, Kansas University’s women’s basketball team will halt its Big 12 Conference regular-season losing streak, now at 18 games.
Tonight is the next opportunity. The Jayhawks will be playing Oklahoma State, the team with the worst overall record (4-9) in the league. But with the game in Stillwater, there’s an added challenge for KU.
“There are some environments where it is just tough to play,” KU coach Marian Washington said, “and I think Oklahoma State has been that type of environment for us. So we just have to try to keep it as fresh as we can.”
Tipoff is 7:05 p.m. in Gallagher-Iba Arena.
“I think it is always hard when you have to bus for five hours and keep your legs,” Washington said.
Kansas hasn’t won a regular-season conference contest since knocking off Texas A&M, 66-56, in the last game of the 2000-2001 season. The Jayhawks were 0-16 in the league last year and have dropped their first two outings this season.
KU bowed to powerhouse Kansas State, 88-49, at home Wednesday, then suffered a heart-breaking 72-70 defeat Saturday at Iowa State.
“Even though we dropped both of them, they have really helped us a lot,” Washington said of the setbacks. “We just have to play our best basketball every single night.”
Kansas, 7-6 overall, is led by three players in double-figure scoring. Sophomore Aquanita Burras paces the team at 11.8 points per game, while freshmen Crystal Kemp and Tamara Ransburg both average 10.7 ppg. Freshman Erica Hallman is tops in assists with 4.2 per game. Burras ranks near the top of the league and leads the team with 2.7 steals per game.
Oklahoma State, also off to an 0-2 league start, is led by junior center Trisha Skibbe and freshman forward Meghan Craig. Skibbe scored a career-high 31 points Saturday against Texas A&M. Skibbe also pulled down a season-high 14 rebounds.
| When: 7:05 tonight.Where: Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Okla.Records: Jayhawks (7-6 overall, 0-2 Big 12); Cowboys (4-9, 0-2). |
Craig had a career-high 14 points against the Aggies, including a career-best four three-point baskets.
Kansas’ next two games will be in Allen Fieldhouse — against Colorado at 1 p.m. Saturday and Oklahoma at 7 p.m. a week from today.
Probable Starters
KANSAS (7-6)
F — Blair Waltz, 6-0, Soph., 8.2
F — Crystal Kemp, 6-2, Fr., 10.7
C — Tamara Ransburg, 6-4, Fr., 10.7
G — Aquanita Burras, 5-9, Soph., 11.8
G — Leila Mengüç 5-6, Jr., 3.5
F — Shelby Hutchens, 5-10, Sr., 6.2
F — Meghan Craig, 5-11, Fr., 8.0
C — Trisha Skibbe, 6-2, Jr., 16.0
G — Lori Allen, 5-11, Fr., 7.3
G — Deidra Johnson, 5-6, Jr., 2.0
Tipoff: 7:05 p.m., today, Gallagher-Iba Arena.
Radio: Jayhawk Network, including KLWN (1320).
