Franklin scores 20 points, Kansas pulls away in second half to beat BYU women in Big 12 Tournament
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Zakiyah Franklin scored 20 points and seventh-seeded Kansas defeated 10th-seeded BYU 77-53 in the second round of the Big 12 Tournament on Friday.
The Jayhawks (19-11) beat BYU (16-16) for the third time this season and won for the 10th time in their last 11 games in advancing to play second-seeded and No. 6-ranked Texas in Saturday's quarterfinals.
Wyvette Mayberry made all four of her 3-point attempts and scored 14 points for Kansas, which shot 55%. S’Mya Nichols added 13 points, Taiyanna Jackson 12 and Holly Kersgieter 11.
Amari Whiting led BYU with 13 points. Lauren Gustin collected her nation-best 30th double-double this season with 10 points and 17 rebounds but shot only 4 of 16.
BYU’s second-leading scorer, Kailey Woolston, sat out the second half with a left-knee injury after hitting all three of her 3-point attempts in the first half. The Cougars started 5 of 7 from the arc but were just 1 of 11 after that.
Leading 35-33 at halftime, Kansas shot 61.5% in the second half and held BYU to 28% after the Cougars shot 50% in the first half. The Jayhawks outscored BYU 20-10 off turnovers and 40-28 in the paint.
The Jayhawks outscored BYU 21-12 in the third quarter and scored the first 11 points of the fourth to take a 22-point lead.
BYU led 19-17 after the first quarter and had a six-point lead with three minutes left in the first half after a Lauren Davenport 3-pointer. Kansas took the lead with a 10-0 run behind six points from Franklin, who scored 14 points over the first two quarters. A bucket by Whiting, who had 11 points in the half, got BYU back within two at the break, 35-33.
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