Kersgieter, Franklin lead Jayhawks to 7th straight blowout victory over Shockers

On Sunday, the Kansas Jayhawks did something that hasn't been accomplished by the program in over 40 years. With their 72-52 win over the Wichita State Shockers, they won a game for the seventh straight time by a margin of 20 or more. The last time that happened was in 1980.

Once again, the Jayhawks used big shooting nights from a senior duo to run away with this game. This time, it was seniors Zakiyah Franklin and Holly Kersgieter, who led all scorers with 16 points each. They set the tone early with some big points in the first quarter, and then put the game away with a big push in the 3rd quarter.

Early in the game, it was worth considering how much of a hangover the Jayhawks would have from the huge road victory in Arizona. Senior center Taiyanna Jackson was held scoreless in the first quarter as the team missed five out of their first six shots from the field. But Kersgieter and Franklin got started early, with two scoring spurts of six halfway through the period and five to finish off the quarter pushed Kansas to a 13-7 lead at the break.

The second quarter belonged to Jackson. She scored all seven of her points in the final 4:35 of the half, and her 4 rebounds matched the total for the Shockers in the period. Kansas went into half leading by only 8.

Coming out of the break, it was all Jayhawks. Kansas started the half on a 10-2 run to push the lead to 16, and Wichita State was never able to get it back to single digits again. Franklin scored 11 in the period, and Kersgieter was close behind with 8. But the defense was just as good, holding Wichita State to just 25% shooting and forcing 6 turnovers in the 3rd quarter alone.

And by the time the game got into the fourth quarter, the only question remaining was what the final margin was going to be. Coach Brandon Schneider used the margin as an opportunity to get some experience along the bench. Sanna Strom, Ioanna Chatzileonti and Mia Vuksic each got 7+ minutes in the period, and Kansas extended the lead by 1 for the final margin.

Franklin and Kersgieter were joined by Chandler Prater in scoring double digits on the night, with both Wyvette Mayberry and Jackson tallying 7 on the night. Jackson tallied 13 rebounds and 5 blocks, with Chatzileonti and Nadira Eltayeb the next closest with 5 rebounds each. Franklin led the team with 4 assists.

The Jayhawks used the big week to break into the the AP Poll for the first time since 2013. Up next is the finale home game of the non-conference schedule as the Tulsa Golden Hurricane comes to town. First tip is scheduled for 7pm on Friday, December 16th.