KU women improve to 7-0 with rout of Southeast Missouri State

By Jack Mcgarr, Special To The Journal-World     Dec 4, 2022

Photo courtesy Angilo Allen/Kansas Athletics
Kansas junior Wyvette Mayberry (0) drives past Southeast Missouri State's Diona Reed (30) on Sunday, Dec. 4, 2022, at Allen Fieldhouse.

Kansas women’s basketball opened red hot on Sunday, firing on all cylinders against Southeast Missouri State in an 88-51 rout of the Redhawks.

Kansas couldn’t have asked for a better start to the game on Sunday with shots falling left and right in the first quarter. KU shot the ball at a 64% shooting clip and 60% from behind the arc.

The Jayhawks were also locked in on the defensive end. The Redhawks shot just 20% for the quarter and recorded more turnovers than points, ending with six turnovers and four points as a team.

“We addressed it head on that many would think this is a ‘trap game’ sandwiched between [Texas] A&M and Arizona,” Kansas head coach Brandon Schneider said. “We just talked about our experience and our maturity and how this should be a game where we get to build momentum headed into a good week of practice.”

Senior center Taiyanna Jackson, senior guard Holly Kersgieter and junior guard Wyvette Mayberry all scored more points than the entire SEMO team combined in the opening quarter. Sophomore guard Sanna Strom and junior guard Chandler Prater each recorded four points in that span as the Jayhawks led by a whopping 26 points headed into the second quarter.

Kansas ended the first quarter on a 19-2 scoring run in what was a dominant 10 minutes of play on both sides of the ball.

“We just wanted to come in and play hard and carry over what we did in the Texas A&M game into this game and keep the same defensive intensity,” senior guard Zakiyah Franklin said.

KU’s hot start cooled in the second quarter with the team shooting just under 30% from the floor, which allowed SEMO to keep the quarter within reach. However, the Redhawks shot just 26% from the field as Kansas extended its halftime lead to 32 points.

The Jayhawks’ ability to find the open shooter on each possession led to countless wide-open shot attempts, and their three-point shooting proved to be a major advantage in the opening half. Kansas shot 40% from deep in the first half, which forced the Redhawks to contest the three-point line, creating lanes for open inside shots and 16 points in the paint for the Jayhawks.

“Just creates more space. I think we have a really good post player in Taiyanna and some guards who can go get the ball in the paint,” Schneider said. “If you can’t spread the floor, it makes it really hard on those guys.”

Kersgieter continued to cement herself in the KU record books in the third quarter as she hit her second 3-pointer of the game, moving her to sixth all-time in team history in made 3-point baskets with 158.

Kansas led for the entire game and saw five players hit double-figures in the scoring column, with Jackson leading the way with 17 points in the game.

“I think that’s one of the better attributes of our team is our versatility and our balance. I think we have good point guard play, we have wings that can shoot it and attack the basket,” Schneider said. “And then right now, Taiyanna’s been our low-post threat, and I think Ioanna [Chatzileonti] obviously has that ability once she can work herself back into playing.”

The Jayhawks improve to 7-0 on the season as they prepare to take on their toughest opponent yet, the Arizona Wildcats, on Thursday at 7 p.m. in Tucson, Arizona.

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104118KU women improve to 7-0 with rout of Southeast Missouri State