Jackson paces Kansas to another dominant victory over Saint Mary's
It only took 25 minutes of playing time for Kansas senior center Taiyanna Jackson to score her career high 24 points as the Kansas Jayhawks cruised to a 73-53 victory over the Saint Mary's Gaels on Friday to remain undefeated on the season. The Jayhawks ended the week with two dominant victories in the Saint Mary's Thanksgiving Classic before coming home to start a difficult remainder of the non-conference slate.
Jackson didn't get her first points until 5 minutes into the first quarter, but fellow All-Big 12 Preseason honorees Holly Kersgieter and Zakiyah Franklin paced the Jayhawks in the first quarter as the Jayhawks ended the period with a 15-12 lead.
In the second quarter, Saint Mary's took a quick lead with the first four points before the Jayhawks went on an 18-0 run over the next seven minutes. Jackson scored 8 in the period and the Jayhawks went into the half up 36-17.
The third quarter was a virtual stalemate, as Jackson was held in check in just under four minutes of play, but Wyvette Mayberry stepped up big in the quarter to get six of her points.
And then in the final quarter, Jackson brought the game home with a dominating performance and red-hot shooting. She went 4-4 from the field and 2-2 from the line in the fourth quarter, pushing the Jayhawks to a dominant victory.
Jackson ended the night with 24 points, 10 rebounds, 5 blocks, 2 assists and a steal. Kersgieter had 11 points, 8 rebounds, 5 steals, 4 assists and 2 blocks. Zakiyah Franklin, back in the starting lineup, scored 15 points on 13 shots, grabbing 6 rebounds to go with her 5 assists.
Kansas comes back home on Wednesday night to take on former Big 12 opponent Texas A&M, the first of several high-profile non-conference matchups to kick-start the team before conference play. Tip-off is scheduled for 7pm Central and will be broadcast on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
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