Nick KrugSophomore guard Brooklyn Mitchell posted a career-high 24 points as Kansas women’s basketball battled to an 86-81 win over Saint Mary’s on Sunday afternoon in Allen Fieldhouse. Five players scored in double figures for the Jayhawks, who improved to 9-0 on the year.
Mitchell added two rebounds and two assists to her stat line on the day. Senior Mariane De Carvalho collected 16 points, while junior Tina Stephens and sophomore Aniya Thomas each scored 13 points. Freshman Zakiyah Franklin added 11 points. It was also a career night for freshman guard Holly Kersgieter, who dished out a career-high four assists.
A 12-0 start by the Gaels (4-5) put the Jayhawks in a deficit early in the first quarter. Saint Mary’s had a 10-point lead late in the first, but Kansas eventually evened the score, 19-19, at the end of the quarter. Despite the slow start, Kansas led Saint Mary’s heading into the half, 41-34.
While the Gaels outscored the Jayhawks 22-17 in the third, it was the fourth quarter that pushed KU to its latest victory. In the final two minutes of action, Thomas hit a 3-pointer to cut the Gaels’ lead to 2 points. A layup by De Carvalho tied the game at 79 with one minute left to go in the contest.
At the 32-second mark, Thomas drilled a clutch triple to give KU the lead for good. A couple of trips to the free-throw line capped KU’s 12-2 run down the stretch in the narrow win. Kansas is now one of only 14 undefeated teams remaining in the nation.
KU will travel to Saint Louis at 1 p.m. Sunday.
