Statement made: KU women crush No. 12 Arizona, 77-50, to move to 8-0

By Jack Mcgarr, Special To The Journal-World     Dec 8, 2022

Photo courtesy of Damon Young/Kansas Athletics
Kansas guard Chandler Prater drives to the rim during the Jayhawks' road game at Arizona on Thursday, Dec. 8, 2022.

The unranked Kansas women’s basketball team traveled to Tucson, Arizona on Thursday night to take on No. 12 Arizona in the Jayhawks’ toughest test of the season to date.

Kansas proved to be up for the challenge with a dominant 77-50 win over the previously unbeaten Wildcats.

KU outscored Arizona 40-16 in the second and third quarters alone.

“They are excited obviously,” KU coach Brandon Schneider said of his team after the win. “They understood the challenge that they faced coming into this environment, and what an opportunity it was to demonstrate the experience that they have (and) the toughness they have. I think we have a very together group, and I think the last few weeks we have been playing defense really connected.”

Arizona came out looking to make a statement from behind the 3-point line. The Wildcats shot 3-for-8 from distance in the first quarter as Kansas continued to give good looks from downtown. KU shot 1-for-6 in the quarter from 3, leading to a narrow three-point deficit for the Jayhawks.

KU (8-0) turned the ball over nine times in the opening 20 minutes of play compared to just three turnovers by Arizona. But those turnovers translated to just seven points for the Wildcats, which kept Kansas close throughout the half.

The Wildcats (7-1) cooled off to end the half, giving up their lead with some poor shooting. Arizona converted just one of its last 10 field goal attempts of the first half, opening the door for the Jayhawks to take control.

Kansas went on an 8-0 scoring run in the final 3:15 of the first half to lead the No. 12 team in the nation 28-22 at the break.

KU opened the third quarter firing on all cylinders, dominating on both the offensive and defensive ends. The Jayhawks shot better than 53% for the quarter and connected on all 10 attempts at the free throw line in the third quarter.

Arizona never found its footing in the quarter and the Kansas defense never let up.

KU pushed its lead to 21 by the end of the third quarter, holding Arizona to less than 30% shooting in the quarter and out-rebounding the Wildcats 14-6. The Jayhawks closed the third quarter on an 8-0 run in the final 1:36 and took a comfortable lead into the final frame.

“Coach Terry (Nooner) had this scout and had a fantastic plan,” Schneider said. “Give the players credit for their follow-through and their attention to detail.”

KU dominated the paint on Thursday night, outscoring Arizona 50-26 inside. Senior center Taiyanna Jackson led the team with 19 points, 15 rebounds, three blocks and two steals as she continued her strong season with arguably her best performance to date.

Chandler Prater also scored 19 points, including a 13-of-13 shooting performance at the free throw line, while Zakiyah Franklin (14 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists in 40 minutes) and Holly Kersgieter (11 points) also reached double digits for Kansas.

Next up, the Jayhawks will play host to Wichita State at 2 p.m. Sunday at Allen Fieldhouse.

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