Hawking Points: Comeback falls short as Wildcats defeat Jayhawks 69-58

With both teams missing a star post player, Kansas wasn't able to adjust enough to beat Kansas State on the road.

Coming into the game, it looked like the Kansas Jayhawks might have a pretty big advantage, as Ayoka Lee, the star center for the Kansas State Wildcats, has been ruled out for multiple weeks. But an injury to Kansas center Taiyanna Jackson derailed any momentum that Kansas might have had, and an up-and-down game ended with a failed comeback in a 69-58 defeat.

Key Plays

Kansas won the tip but immediately turned it over in a sign of how strange the start of this game was going to be. Kansas took an early 6-5 lead a full four minutes into the game, and then they went ice cold for the next 8 minutes, missing their next 9 shots and 11 of the next 12. During that time period, the Wildcats built up a 16 point lead.

But midway through the second quarter, the Jayhawks got on a hot streak, hitting six straight shots and seven out of nine to finish the half. Ryan Cobbins and Zakiyah Franklin each had three baskets, and Laia Conesa had one as well to shrink the lead all the way down to six.

The third quarter started as the good game we were expecting to see. Holly Kersgieter got the scoring started before the two teams traded 4-point runs. But halfway through the quarter, Kansas State had an 8-point outburst that put them back up by 12. The Jayhawks weren't quite done though, as they were able to use two free throws from S'mya Nichols to pull the margin back to seven before the end of the quarter.

The fourth quarter seemed to be where the Jayhawks were poised to put it all together and complete the comeback. Zsofia Telegdy, Nichols and Franklin each scored to pull it back within three, but that was the closest they would get. Kersgieter matched a Kansas State four-point run with a four-point run of her own, but she was the only one to score the rest of the way. Her 8 points in the fourth quarter were no match for the onslaught of Wildcat points, and the lead ballooned all the way to 11 to end the night.

Eye-Catching Stat Lines

Zakiyah Franklin led the Jayhawks with 18 points on 6-13 shooting. She also had 1 rebound, 3 assists and 1 steal.

Holly Kersgieter had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, adding 1 assist and 2 steals.

S'mya Nichols was the only other Jayhawk in double figures, also with 12. She had 5 rebounds and 1 assist.

Both teams made 22 field goals on the night, but Kansas State had six more free throws made and was 7-22 on threes compared to Kansas' 2-15.

Kansas turned the ball over 18 times to just 11 for Kansas State.

Area of Improvement

It's hard to figure out what Kansas needs to improve on this one, as the three point shooting wasn't due to poor selection or bad offense. They just went cold, and without Jackson, it was difficult to pivot to something else.

But the turnovers continue to be a really big issue. Especially on the heels of the blowout against Texas. This team has to take better care of the ball if they want to have a chance to win many more games in the conference.

Takeaways

It's easy to see that this team is not currently ready for the postseason, and with all the injuries and the general level of exhaustion that seems to be running through the team. It's fair to wonder if the brutal non-conference schedule was too much for the team to handle and is actively hurting them with fitness levels at this point in the season. This is still a talented team, but they need to find a way to show that consistently on the court.

Up Next

The Jayhawks come back home to try and get some revenge against their first repeat opponent of the season. The Iowa State Cyclones come to Allen Fieldhouse, and Kansas will be looking to get one back after a second half three-point barrage saw the Jayhawks drop a 69-61 game earlier this year. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30pm Central on Wednesday, January 24th. The game will be broadcast on Big 12 NOW on ESPN+.