Kersgieter's 23, suffocating defense leads Kansas to 74-42 win over Texas A&M

The Jayhawks turned great defense into easy offense to demolish the Aggies in Lawrence.

For the third straight outing, a different player had a breakout offensive performance to lead the Kansas Jayhawks to a dominant victory. This time it was senior guard Holly Kersgieter hitting 9 of 16 shots for 23 points, including 4 made three-point baskets, who powered the Jayhawks to a lopsided 74-42 win in Allen Fieldhouse on Wednesday night.

Texas A&M freshman forward Janiah Barker suffered an injury midway through the first quarter after landing awkwardly on a shot that was challenged by the Jayhawk's Chandler Prater. She left the game, returning the second half, but was limited to just 8 minutes of playing time. 

Kansas was able to take advantage of her absence, going inside frequently to either get shots close to the rim, or forcing the Texas A&M defense to collapse and leave someone open on the perimeter. Taiyanna Jackson and Kersgieter combined to go 5-7 in the period for 12 points, and the Jayhawks took a 14-13 lead into the break. The second quarter saw Zakiyah Franklin join the fray, scoring six points in the period as Kansas led by just six at halftime.

The second half was a different story. The Jayhawks came out with tons of energy, harassing the Aggies with a suffocating defensive pressure that led to six turnovers in the quarter. The Jayhawks scored the first 11 points in the period, and then Kersgieter went on a personal 8-point run of her own to push the lead to 20.

And it didn't get any better from there for the visitors, as Kansas had yet another big run to push the lead all the way to 32 with 2:35 to play in the game.

But for all the offense, the defense was the story of the game, forcing 19 turnovers on the day and holding Texas A&M to just 28.8% shooting on the day. That sort of defensive performance will serve them well if they can carry it forward, with some offensive juggernauts coming up on the schedule.

Up next for the Jayhawks is the final game of the home stand against Southeast Missouri State. Tipoff is scheduled for 2pm Central on Sunday, December 4th. The game will be broadcast on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.

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