The Kansas women’s basketball team tried to rally for a comeback victory but fell just short — 62-60 — against an uncharacteristically hot-shooting West Virginia team on Wednesday in Morgantown.
The Mountaineers (16-8, 7-6 in Big 12 play) managed to hold off the Jayhawks (16-8, 6-7 in Big 12 play) in large part because of their strong 3-point shooting. Led by senior guard Madisen Smith and her five 3-point makes, WVU drained a season-high 11 triples on Wednesday and converted 44% from behind the arc — well above its season average of 27%, which ranks at the bottom of the Big 12.
At the start of the game, the Jayhawks wasted no time, going on a short 7-0 scoring run to take an early lead. However, the Mountaineers quickly came back with two 3-point makes — and they were just getting started. West Virginia converted five of its nine 3-point attempts in the opening frame, and it ended the quarter on an 11-2 scoring run — although it cooled off a bit in the second quarter, with only two makes from behind the arc.
Fortunately for the Jayhawks, they had some sharp shooting of their own. Senior guard Zakiyah Franklin was red hot from downtown, going 3-of-4 from deep in the first half.
But the Jayhawks also had some problems with turnovers, giving the ball away nine times in the first half, and West Virginia scored 16 points off of those mistakes. The Mountaineers, by contrast, only turned the ball over four times, and KU only scored two points off of those opportunities.
At halftime, WVU held a 36-29 lead — some of that padding came at the last second, when redshirt sophomore forward Isis Beh knocked down a 3-point shot at the halftime buzzer.
In the third quarter, WVU’s Smith took a few more shots from long range, going 2-for-3 from behind the arc. But Kansas preferred to make big moves on the interior. The Jayhawks outscored the Mountaineers 12-4 in the paint in the third quarter, and senior center Taiyanna Jackson shot a perfect 4-of-4 from the field for eight points and also added three rebounds.
But WVU’s 50% 3-point shooting in the quarter — which featured a buzzer-beating shot from Smith — kept Kansas at bay, and West Virginia led 50-43 heading into the fourth. It eventually expanded its lead to nine points — but then, with 4:19 remaining in the game, the Jayhawks started their rally. They went on a 9-2 scoring run to bring the game within two points. Then, they fouled fifth-year guard Danni Nichols with five seconds left, and Nichols missed both free throws.
But KU fell just short of forcing overtime when Jackson’s layup attempt missed off the rim. It was the only shot she missed on Wednesday.
All in all, Jackson converted 9 of 10 shots from the field and added nine rebounds to her stat line. Franklin finished the game with 16 points and 4-of-6 shooting from 3-point range, her only made field goals of the night.
West Virginia, meanwhile, had three players score in double figures, including a surprising night from Beh. She’s averaged just under two points per game this season, but on Wednesday she scored 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds.
Up next, Kansas will welcome a ranked foe to Allen Fieldhouse: No. 15 Oklahoma. Tipoff is at 2 p.m. Sunday.
Damon Young/Kansas Athletics
