The Kansas women’s basketball team had no answer on Wednesday for a solid K-State defense that forced one turnover after another, and the Jayhawks lost 63-45 in Manhattan, denying KU coach Brandon Schneider his 500th victory.
Kansas (16-10, 6-9 Big 12) was playing without one of its top three scorers: senior guard Holly Kersgieter, who was injured on Sunday against No. 13 Oklahoma. That meant senior guard Zakiyah Franklin had to shoulder most of the scoring load. She tallied just 10 points and was the highest scorer by anyone in a KU uniform on Wednesday.
Franklin’s night started off well enough from distance, as she converted 2 of 3 shots from behind the arc in the first quarter. But the Jayhawks, who normally get a lot of their points in the paint, couldn’t find their rhythm on the interior. Senior center Taiyanna Jackson scored only two points in the opening period, but she also held down the defensive end with two blocks.
After the opening quarter, Kansas held a narrow 15-12 lead. But the Wildcats (16-12, 5-10 Big 12) got out in front with a short 7-0 run at the start of the second quarter, including back-to-back baskets from senior guard Gabby Gregory.
Kansas State also shored up its defense considerably. Its ball pressure shut down KU’s long-range attack completely, and the Jayhawks shot just 20% overall in the second quarter. The Wildcats also forced KU to turn the ball over four times.
By halftime, the game was still tight: 26-22 K-State. But in the third quarter, KU would keep losing the ball and giving the Wildcats extra possessions. The Jayhawks turned the ball over seven times in this frame, and by the start of the fourth quarter, the Wildcats had extended their lead to 44-33.
One of the few bright spots for KU in the third quarter was freshman forward Zsófia Telegdy. She came off the bench and scored four of KU’s 11 points in the quarter — a step up from the Jayhawks’ game against Oklahoma, in which none of their bench players scored at all.
In the fourth quarter, K-State dampened KU’s offense even more.
The Jayhawks were held to just 28% shooting and four made field goals in the last frame. But the Wildcats’ shots just kept falling. Kansas State added 19 more points on 53% shooting, with nine of those points coming from sophomore guard Serena Sundell.
By the end of the game, Kansas had turned the ball over 20 times.
Sundell and Gregory tore Kansas up on the offensive end all night long. They combined for 44 points, nearly outscoring the entire KU roster.
KU’s Jackson struggled from the floor on Wednesday, recording just four shot attempts and seven points and going a dismal 1-of-8 from the free throw line.
Kansas has now lost three Big 12 games in a row. Its next chance to stop the skid will come at 2 p.m. Sunday, when Oklahoma State comes to Allen Fieldhouse.
Emma Pravecek/Kansas Athletics
