LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas Women’s Basketball improved to 6-0 on the season Wednesday Night, defeating Texas A&M 74-42 at Allen Fieldhouse for the Jayhawks’ first time since 2003. The margin of victory is the largest for KU against Texas A&M and the Jayhawks snap an 11-game losing streak to the Aggies.
The Jayhawks were led by Holly Kersgieter, who scored a season-high 23 points and recorded 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals. Senior Taiyanna Jackson added her fourth double-double in six games with 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Zakiyah Franklin had 15 points and Wyvette Mayberry chipped in 10.
“I thought we did a lot better job of guarding the ball,” Kansas Coach Brandon Schneider said. “I thought we were assignment-correct, whether it was personnel or action, and I thought we played really committed defensively. We didn’t get the best version of Texas A&M tonight, they’re a really talented team at full strength, but I was proud of our attention to detail, particularly on the defensive end.”
After a slow start for both teams, Kansas led 14-13 after the first quarter. Texas A&M was able to keep it close in the second quarter, however, a dominant first half performance by Kersgieter kept the Jayhawks ahead at half. Kersgieter drained back-to-back threes at the five-minute mark and collected 12 points, shooting 5-of-9 from the floor.
The game changed drastically in the second half as KU came storming out of the locker room and used a 11-0 run in the third to extend the lead. Franklin went 5-of-5 from the line during the run with Jackson, Mayberry and Kersgieter also contributing points. In the early minutes of the half, Kersgieter surpassed her season-high with an 8-0 run of her own, stealing the ball from the Aggies for an easy layup and draining two threes. Kansas outscored the Aggies 21-8 in the third quarter.
“She was really engaged on the defensive end. We always say there is a thing called the ‘Basketball Gods’, and if you play really hard while defending and rebounding, it’s amazing how much better you play on the offensive end,” Schneider said of his senior’s performance. “I thought she was aggressive and that’s what we want her to be, creating shots for herself and others. When we had actions that involved somebody screening for her, I thought her teammates did a great job on setting physical screens.”
The Jayhawks went into the fourth quarter with a 19-point lead and they did not let down in the fourth quarter scoring 21 more points. Freshman Zsófia Telegdy got in on the action early in the fourth as she drained her first career three-pointer, putting the Jayhawks ahead by 24 points. The Jayhawks would go on a 12-0 run to seal the sixth victory of the season, 74-42.
The Jayhawks outscored the Aggies 21-8 in both the third and fourth quarter Kansas drained a season-high seven threes in the game with a 41.2% shooting percentage from beyond the arc. Franklin went perfect from the line shooting 11-of-11 (100%).
Up Next
The Jayhawks open the month of December with another home game at Allen Fieldhouse on Sunday, Dec. 4 against Southeast Missouri State. Tipoff of that game is set for 2 p.m. CT and the game will be broadcast on Big 12 NOW.
