Hawking Points: Kersgieter, Jackson power Jayhawks to 75-60 win over Bearcats
It was a tense timeout as Kansas Jayhawks head coach Brandon Schneider was animatedly talking with his team with 5 minutes to go in the second quarter. His Jayhawks had just given up a three point basket to shrink what had been a 10-point lead to just 2.
"I was really pissed off," Schneider said after the game. "We gave up a transition three on a missed free throw. To do that is really frustrating."
"It was something that was entirely controllable," Kansas senior Holly Kersgieter noted.
Whatever Schneider said in the huddle, the pep talk worked. The Jayhawks immediately took control, dominating their way to a huge victory over the Cincinnati Bearcats. Taiyanna Jackson and Holly Kersgieter combined for 41 points, powering Kansas to a 75-60 win on Valentine's Day.
The win is the fourth in a row for the Jayhawks and moves them to 14-10 overall and 7-6 in conference play, while Cincinnati drops to 12-12 overall and 4-9 in conference play.
Key Plays
It seemed early like the Jayhawks were going to be able to get whatever they wanted against the Bearcats, as they started the game on a 14-6 run that included two three pointers. The suffocating defense was making it difficult for Cincinnati to find good shots, and the Jayhawks eventually built that lead all the way up to 10 with just over a minute to go in the first quarter. But a free throw was followed up by a drained three at the buzzer for the Bearcats to bring the lead down to just six at the break.
That shot was just a precursor to the troubles in the second quarter for Kansas. While they only had one turnover in the first five minutes of the second quarter, they allowed 4 crucial offensive rebounds, which gave Cincinnati all the chances they needed. Combine that with some hot 3-point shooting in the first half, and the Bearcats got the lead all the way down to 2. But that timeout lit a fire under the Jayhawks, who finished the half on an 11-3 run to take control into halftime.
The third quarter was all Kansas, as they only allowed three baskets from the Bearcats while putting together two 8-0 scoring runs to start and end the period. Kersgieter had three baskets on her own for 7 points during the quarter, and Jackson dominated defensively with 4 rebounds and 2 of her blocks.
With the game firmly in hand, the Bearcats ramped up the pressure in the fourth quarter, leading to 6 turnovers in the final 10 minutes of the game. While it wasn't the end that the Jayhawks wanted, they were able to limit the damage and complete a huge win to push back over .500 in conference play.
Eye-Catching Stat Lines
Holly Kersgieter led all scorers with 23 points, thanks to her 7-13 shooting that included a 5-9 mark from beyond the arc. She also was a perfect 4-4 from the line and added 7 rebounds, 2 assist and 2 steals with just one turnover.
"She's more than a three point shooter," Cincinnati coach Katrina Merriweather noted after the game, "so when you run her off the line she's able to create for her team." She added, "You can't force her to do anything that's uncomfortable for her."
Taiyanna Jackson wasn't too far behind, as she scored 18 points on 8-10 shooting, including going 2-3 from the line. She had 13 total rebounds, including 4 on the offensive end, 6 blocks and a steal, which she turned into a highlight on the other end:
When asked about how Jackson changes the game with her presence on the court, Merriweather mentioned that there were multiple times that her post players "knew she was on the floor and she could be coming, so there was a lot of catching it in the paint and kicking it back out."
Area of Improvement
The offensive rebounding is an area of concern. Sure the Bearcats (and the Cougars before them) are a team that misses a lot of shots. Sure they focus on rebounding on the offensive end. But there is really no excuse for giving up 21 offensive rebounds and getting outrebounded by 11 in the game.
Schneider noted that "we've not been good about finishing possessions." He noted that teams that miss a lot of shots produce many more times where the team needs to be focused on collecting rebounds. "We've mentally got to adjust. We see it on film and we have to be grown enough and mature enough to make the adjustment and improve."
Takeaways
Once again, the Jayhawks went out and flat-out dominated a team that they were significantly better than. Sure there was a hiccup in the middle, but it was good to see the team able to adjust during the game and address the issue.
Even more important for Kansas is that it seems that all the significant contributors are starting to come on one by one. Jackson has been phenomenal recently. Kersgieter appears to have turned a corner. S'mya Nichols has been very steady for the team. The real question is whether Wyvette Mayberry or Zakiyah Franklin are next.
Up Next
The Jayhawks head back out on the road this weekend for a two-game swing, starting with the BYU Cougars on Saturday. Tipoff is scheduled for 5pm and will be broadcast on Big 12 NOW on ESPN+.
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