The Jayhawks headed to Manhattan looking to end their five-game losing streak at Bramlage Coliseum. Coming off a blowout loss to Texas, the Jayhawks also sought to knock off the best team in the Big 12 Conference similar to their takedown of Baylor over a week ago. The Jayhawk comeback attempt that has been so common in this first half of the season couldn’t be completed, though, as Kansas fell 69-58 to the Wildcats, who remain undefeated in conference play.
This season’s Sunflower Showdown was projected to be a battle of star centers, but Kansas’ Taiyanna Jackson headed to the locker room with a little more than two minutes left in the first quarter after seeming to get hit in the face, while Kansas State’s Ayoka Lee was declared out due to an ankle injury prior to tipoff.
Zakiyah Franklin, last year’s leading scorer for KU, had her top performance of the season, scoring a team-high 18 points in 36 minutes of playing time, while S’Mya Nichols and Holly Kersgieter closely followed with 12 points apiece. Kersgieter also picked up the slack on the boards, finishing with 10 rebounds on the day.
Kansas struggled early in Jackson’s absence. Despite a close start, a 6-5 lead quickly turned into a 13-point run by the Wildcats, which eventually ended the quarter with the Jayhawks down 18-8. Kansas struggled on the defensive end as well, allowing a barrage of shots from behind the arc from a usually quiet Kansas State.
Scoring came sparingly to start the second period, with Kansas scoring only five points halfway into the quarter. A quick 6-2 run set up a much easier deficit for Kansas to overcome, as it began to adjust its game plan to account for the loss of Jackson.
Back-to-back driving buckets by Franklin got the Jayhawks out of their double-digit deficit. Franklin added on a free throw from her and-1 opportunity as Kansas changed its own game plan around, realizing the importance of dribble penetration with Kansas State’s star center Lee out with an ankle injury. The Jayhawks also put on a strong defensive front while also spurring a seven-point run to get back within six points at 30-24. They continued to ride this wave of success to end the half down only 32-26 after trailing by as much as 15 in the second quarter.
Nichols and Franklin led Kansas in scoring at the half with seven points each. Jackson played only six minutes in the first half, and head coach Brandon Schneider said he did not expect her to return to the game after halftime.
Kansas kept its comeback momentum going in the second half. Franklin completed another three-point play on an and-1 opportunity. The Jayhawks benefitted later in the game by extending their defense with no real post threat to worry about, which allowed them to better defend 3-pointers, an area that really hurt them early in the game.
A few sloppy offensive possessions and clear fatigue on the defensive end set in for Kansas, as it faced another 10-point deficit with a 6-0 Wildcats run. A flurry of consecutive turnovers by the Jayhawks coupled with an efficient transition offense by Kansas State extended an almost three-minute-long scoring drought to dampen the big comeback that they carried into halftime.
Franklin once again put the Jayhawks on her back, scoring five points in a row on yet another three-point play to keep their deficit within single digits heading into the final period of the game. Nichols took a hard fall on a collision of the last play of the quarter, which led to two free throws to make it 50-43 heading into the last period of action.
Nichols briefly headed to the locker room after the third-quarter buzzer sounded, leaving the Jayhawks down two starters. The freshman guard returned to the game a couple of minutes later and scored an impressive layup to get Kansas within six after forcing a turnover on the other end.
After Kansas started 0-for-12 from beyond the arc, Franklin hit Kansas’ first 3 to get the Jayhawks within one possession at 53-50. Kersgieter hit Kansas’ second triple in a row before drawing a foul on the next possession to make it 57-54 with four minutes left in the game. But the Jayhawks got beat back-to-back on defense, and committed an untimely turnover to force a timeout down 62-54 late in the quarter. A smart baseline move by Kersgieter on the inbound got Kansas back within six as time dwindled down, but a made free throw on the Wildcats’ end combined with another turnover ended any of the Jayhawks’ comeback hopes.
The 69-58 loss showed some fight and positive signs from the Jayhawks, who trailed heavily early but were able to figure out a successful way to stay in the game without Jackson. Franklin’s performance was reminiscent of the exceptional scorer she was last year, while Kersgieter heated up late to keep Kansas in the game in the fourth quarter.
After the loss, the Jayhawks (9-9, 2-5 Big 12) remain middle-of-the-pack in the Big 12. Next up, Kansas will face No. 24 Iowa State at Allen Fieldhouse, a team to which they lost narrowly in Ames earlier this season as the Cyclones’ hot streak began. The game can be streamed on ESPN+ on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.
Mike Gunnoe/Special to the Journal-World
