Huge third quarter powers Jayhawks to win over Lady Toppers, 86-72

Kansas starters take over after halftime to overcome Western Kentucky and set up a Border War in the WNIT.

The Kansas Jayhawks, snubbed on Sunday and denied a spot in the NCAA Tournament, shook off some early rust to storm their way into the second round of the Women's NIT in front of just over 2,500 fans on Friday in Allen Fieldhouse. Led by the senior trio of Taiyanna Jackson, Holly Kersgieter and Zakiyah Franklin, they exploded offensively in the third quarter and never looked back on their way to an 86-72 victory over the Western Kentucky Lady Toppers.

Head Coach Brandon Schneider noted that it took a while to get back in rhythm after not playing for a week, and it showed early in the game. After Chandler Prater started the scoring on a fast break, the two teams traded baskets throughout the majority of the first quarter. But it looked like Kansas might have started to pull away as they scored 9 straight points to end the quarter and take a six point lead.

But the second quarter was one of wild swings. The Lady Toppers made two quick three-pointers to tie it up, before Kansas scored seven straight. But the Lady Toppers struck back, taking the lead thanks to a 14-2 run. And while the Jayhawks were able to claw their way back to a tie game at the half, it was clear that something was off.

Asked about it after the game, Kersgieter thought that "we were taking three pointers out of our rhythm of offense." And the numbers bear that out, as Kansas shot 17 three pointers in the first half, only making three of them.

The second half was a completely different story, with the Jayhawks hitting at a 62.1% clip after the break. And they were extremely efficient, scoring 50 points on just 29 shots. Jackson had 9 points in the third quarter alone, and Franklin and Kersgieter had 8 each as Kansas took a 15-point lead into the fourth quarter. And while Western Kentucky tried to close the gap, they could never get closer than 12 the rest of the way.

With the win, the Jayhawks advance to the next round to play the Missouri Tigers. This will be the first edition of the Border War in women's basketball since Missouri left the Big 12 Conference. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 Central on Monday, March 20th in Allen Fieldhouse.

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