Kansas Advances to WNIT Semifinals with 78-64 Win over Arkansas

The Jayhawks jumped out to a big lead and then squashed every Razorback threat in the second half to advance.

The one-two punch of Taiyanna Jackson and Holly Kersgieter was too much for the Arkansas Razorbacks (24-13) to handle, as the Kansas Jayhawks (23-11) shot their way to a 78-64 victory on Sunday.

Kersgieter led the Jayhawks with 25 points on 6-12 shooting after going only 1-4 in the first quarter. Jackson scored 22 points for the game on 10-12 shooting, while Zakiyah Franklin and Wyvette Mayberry each added 10. Chandler Prater, who struggled all game with foul trouble, had 9 points.

But the defense was just as impressive, as Taiyanna Jackson picked up her 100th block of the season with just over a minute to go in the first half, then she kept going and added three more the rest of the game. She also pulled down 9 defensive rebounds, and 11 total rebounds, to record her 21st double-double of the season.

And when asked about the crowd, both Arkansas head coach Mike Neighbors and Jackson acknowledged just how big of an impact they had on the game. Perhaps the biggest reactions came late in the first half when Jackson's 100th block was announced and then followed up immediately by block 101. 

The game couldn't have started out any better for the Jayhawks, as they fed Jackson in the paint early and often, and the Razorbacks didn't have an answer. In the first six minutes of the game, the Jayhawks built a 15-2 lead as they held the Razorbacks to just 1-10 shooting. And even a quick 10 point burst from Makayla Daniels only shrunk the lead to 8.

Taiyanna Jackson and Arkansas head into the first quarter break tied at 12.

The rest of the Jayhawks have 8 points.

— Andy Mitts (@AndyMitts12) March 26, 2023

The second quarter saw Arkansas start to clamp down on the post, so the Jayhawks shifted to an attack from Kersgieter and Prater, who each went 3-4 from the field in the quarter. And the defense held Arkansas to just 7 points, resulting in a 19 point halftime lead.

The third quarter was when Arkansas made their push, aided by Prater picking up her third foul almost immediately. Neighbors commented that part of their gameplan was to get her in foul trouble to help open up some other options, and it worked well in that third quarter. But every time they were able to get it close, Kansas was able to find a way to break the momentum. Halfway through the quarter, Kersgieter was able to draw a foul on a three as the shot clock was expiring, hitting all three attempts. And when Arkansas got it back to 8 with just 39 seconds in the third quarter, Mayberry got a layup to end the quarter and push it back to 10. The fourth quarter saw Kansas push the lead back to 17 immediately, and by the time that Arkansas got back in it, there wasn't enough time to complete the comeback.

The Jayhawks are just two victories away from a WNIT title. Up next is a Fab 4 matchup up against the winner of Oregon and Washington. Time and location will be announced once the matchups are known and the bidding process is complete.

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