Kansas Jayhawks withstand late rally, defeat Jacksonville Dolphins 72-61

There were some bumps along the way, but the Jayhawks found a way to overcome stretches of poor play and get a double-digit win.

In the first action for the Kansas Jayhawks this season, there was a lot of positives to take away, but also plenty of things that head coach Brandon Schneider can use as a teaching tool for his squad.

On a night where the home team took the lead for the final time just 3:34 into the game, the Jayhawks got a surprising challenge from a team that Schneider expects "to win a lot of games in their league."

Leading the Jayhawks in the victory was senior center Taiyanna Jackson, who posted a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Kansas guard Holly Kersgieter led all scorers with 17 points, but she needed 14 shots to do it. She ended the night 1-7 from 3-point range. 

It took a few minutes into the first quarter, but the Kansas offense got going early, using an early 13-3 run to grab an early 20-11 lead. The first quarter ended with a Jacksonville bucket and an 8-point advantage for the Jayhawks. Sophomore Sanna Strom hit both of her field goals in the first quarter.

The second quarter featured another run keyed by a new face to the lineup. Tulsa junior transfer Wyvette Mayberry scored all 8 of her points during a quick 10-2 Kansas run in the second quarter to stretch the lead back to double digits. Kansas went up by 19 in the second quarter, but Jacksonville was able to get it back within 13 at halftime.

The second half saw multiple comeback attempts from the Dolphins, helped by some sloppy play from the Jayhawks. Kansas ended with 19 total turnovers, and 7 of them came in the third quarter, including a stretch of 7 possessions that had 6 turnovers. This let Jacksonville get the lead down to 8 in the third quarter and all the way down to just 5 in the fourth quarter before Kansas found their footing and put the game away late.

Kansas guard Zakiyah Franklin joined Kersgieter and Jackson as the only players to score in double digits in this game. Overall, the team shot poorly, hitting just 40.7% of their field goals and 28.6% on three-pointers.

Kansas is back in action next week. They host UT Arlington on Wednesday, November 16th at Allen Fieldhouse. with tip-off scheduled for 7pm.

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