Kansas Jayhawks maul the 4th quarter to down West Virginia Mountaineers 65-47

A huge defensive performance in the 2nd quarter allowed Kansas to take a big lead into the half, and the Kansas Jayhawks exploded late in the 4th quarter to cruise to a 65-47 victory in against the West Virginia Mountaineers in Morgantown on Wednesday night.

The Jayhawks bracketed the first half with a three-pointer on each end, with Julie Brosseau hitting one off the tip and Holly Kersgieter hitting one as time expired in the half. In between, Kansas got contributions from basically every player on the floor. Both Ioanna Chatzileonti and Taiyanna Jackson had big rebounds (four and three respectively) and two blocks apiece. Kersgieter led the scoring with 9, but Chandler Prater and Brosseau each had 6. They entered the break with a 27-19 lead.

Each team scored 19 points in the 3rd quarter, and Kansas didn't look back in the 4th. They dominated on the glass to slowly extend the lead before a flurry of scoring at the end of the game sealed the victory.

Top Performers:

Chandler Prater: With Taiyanna Jackson dealing with foul trouble in the first half, Prater stepped up to play some big defense on the inside, and she continued to dominate in the second half. She finished with 12 points and 6 rebounds, all on the defensive end.

Zakiyah Franklin: She scored 17 points, including a perfect 9-9 from the free throw line.

Holly Kersgieter: She led all scorers with 18 points, and made big plays throughout the game. She ended the scoring in each half with her only two made 3-pointers on the night.

Key Plays:

The Jayhawks held West Virginia scoreless for over 8 minutes in the first half, from the 3:48 mark of the first quarter to the 5:11 mark of the second quarter.

Holly Kersgieter's 3-pointer to end the half ended a 6-0 run by West Virginia in the final 2 minutes of the half, pushing the lead back to 8 points.

With 32 second to go in the third quarter, Kersgieter was able to avoid a travel and get a foul called on Ja'Naiya Quinerly.

Up Next:

The Jayhawks come back home for the second iteration of the Sunflower Showdown against the Kansas State Wildcats. They are looking to avenge their 69-61 loss in Manhattan, KS. The game tips at 6pm on Feb 12th and will air on Big 12 Now on ESPN+

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