Kansas defense swarms Missouri to take 75-47 victory in the second round of the WNIT.

The Jayhawks turned defense into offense as they demolished the Tigers in the first Border War game since 2012.

If you only watched the first 10 minutes of the second round Women’s NIT game between the Kansas Jayhawks and the Missouri Tigers, you can be excused for thinking that the game was going to be a defensive slugfest. But the Kansas offense was quick to heat up in the second quarter, pushing the Jayhawks to a double digit lead at halftime and never looking back.

Both offenses were stagnant in the first quarter, as it took nearly six minutes for the Jayhawks to build a 9-0 lead. But a switch flipped in the final four minutes of the quarter, with 22 total points being scored heading into the break as Kansas led by five.

The second quarter was all Kansas, as Holly Kersgieter and Zakiyah Franklin sparked two big runs to build a 16-point halftime lead. As great as the offense was, the defense was just as good, forcing Missouri into 6 turnovers and numerous bad shots.

In the first half, Kansas shot 63% (15-24) to Missouri’s 42% (11-26), including a blistering 67% (6-9) from three to Missouri’s 25% (3-12). They had 12 points off turnovers to Missouri’s 6 and were 6-7 on free throws.

The second half was even more lopsided than the first half, although the shooting margins weren’t nearly as ridiculous. The defense had their best quarter of the season in the third, holding the Tigers to just 6 total points on 2-13 (15.4%) shooting. The lead stretched all the way to 26, and Missouri was never able to mount a serious comeback the rest of the way.

Franklin led the Jayhawks with 21 points, fueled by a 5-6 clip from beyond the arc. All five starters ended with double digit points, with Wyvette Mayberry chipping in 16 points to go with her 7 assists. Taiyanna Jackson missed out on a double double with 14 points and only 8 rebounds, but she had 2 big blocks to break her own single-season blocks record at 96 rejections.

Kersgieter and Chandler Prater each had 12 points, with numerous defensive plays to help spark big runs. The Jayhawks got a total of 33 minutes from the bench, with no points scored by any of the reserves.

In all, the dominant win pushes the record for Kansas to 21-11 on the season, setting up a rematch against Nebraska in the round of 16. The two teams played in Lincoln earlier this season, with Kansas falling in triple overtime. This time, the game will be in Allen Fieldhouse. Tip is scheduled for 6:30pm on Thursday, and the game will be broadcast on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.