Senior center Taiyanna Jackson scored a game-high 24 points and grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds while the Kansas Jayhawks dominated the paint in a 78-67 victory over Texas Tech in Lubbock, Texas, on Saturday.
Jackson was unstoppable in the first quarter, racking up eight points in eight minutes of play, getting to the free-throw line and making 4-of-5 attempts.
Texas Tech senior forward Bryn Gerlich nearly matched Jackson’s production with seven points of her own and managed to keep the Lady Raiders within four points at the end of the quarter. Kansas led 18-14 after shooting nearly 50% from the floor.
Although both teams shot the ball well, turnovers became an issue. The Jayhawks and TTU both had four turnovers, leading to seven points off of those turnovers for each team.
Those turnovers continued to plague Kansas in the second quarter. The Jayhawks gave the ball away four more times, and the Lady Raiders forced eight combined KU turnovers in the half, giving Texas Tech 14 points in transition.
The Jayhawks found their touch from outside the arc in the quarter, draining 3-of-6 of their deep shots. Senior guard Holly Kersgieter nailed 2-of-4 of her own attempts, and KU improved its three-point percentage to 50% headed into halftime.
Meanwhile, the Lady Raiders got their shots to fall from downtown as well, hitting 3-of-7 attempts. Gerlich drained 1-of-2 attempts in the quarter, while Texas Tech shot 38% from behind the arc in the first half.
It was a duel between Jackson and Gerlich the entire first half as both led their teams in points scored. Jackson finished with 13 points, while Gerlich ended with 12 of her own as KU held a narrow 38-37 lead into the break.
Jackson continued to attack to paint in the third quarter, adding another seven points to her stat line. She finished the quarter with 20 points on the day as Texas Tech had no answers for the Indiana native.
The Lady Raiders offense went ice cold in the quarter, shooting just 21% from the floor on 3-of-14 attempts. All three makes came from the three-point line, as TTU made 3-of-7 attempts. Texas Tech didn’t score a basket from inside the arc while Jackson and the Jayhawks closed off the painted area.
Kansas extended its lead to 54-47 headed into the fourth quarter.
Despite Texas Tech’s ability to get to the free throw line to try and climb back into the lead, the Lady Raiders only made 5-of-9 attempts from the charity stripe. Kansas held TTU off in the fourth quarter for a 78-67 win in Lubbock, Texas.
Jackson had an impressive all-around game in the win, scoring 24 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Jackson also added two steals and two blocks to her day and tacked on another double-double, where she leads the Big 12 Conference in.
Senior guard Zakiyah Franklin followed right behind her with 20 points on 70% shooting, while Kersgieter notched 18 points of her own.
Gerlich and senior guard Bre’Amber Scott led the Lady Raiders with 18 points each and a combined 5-of-12 from the three-point line. Freshman guard Bailey Maupin scored 10 points as the only other Texas Tech player to score in double figures.
Kansas dominated the painted area offensively, outscoring TTU 42-16 in points in the paint. The Lady Raiders did outscore the Jayhawks 24-0 in points off the bench, but the discrepancy in points in the paint was too much to overcome.
The Kansas Jayhawks improve their record to 16-7 (6-6), while Texas Tech falls to 16-9 (4-8) on the season. Next up for the Jayhawks: a road battle against West Virginia on Wednesday at 6 p.m.
Photo courtesy of Damon Young/Kansas Athletics
