Kansas Dominates UCF 56-35
Kansas stifled UCF in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament, winning 56-35 with dominant defense. The Jayhawks held UCF to just 16 first-half points and maintained a double-digit lead throughout the second half. Kansas advances to the next round with this convincing victory.
The stifling defense by Kansas set a new Big 12 Tournament record, holding UCF to the fewest points ever scored in the tournament's history with just 35. The Knights' offensive struggles were significant, as they shot a mere 24.6% from the field and only 10.5% from three-point range. UCF was held scoreless for the final 5:50 of the game. Freshman Jaliya Davis was the standout performer for the Jayhawks, securing her third career double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. She was the only player for Kansas to reach double figures in scoring. For UCF, Jaccoriah Bracey was the lone bright spot on offense, also finishing with 10 points. This tournament victory was Kansas's second win over UCF this season. The Jayhawks also defeated the Knights 83-68 in their regular-season matchup on January 4. In that earlier game, Kansas's Jaliya Davis scored 26 points, while UCF's Leah Harmon had a standout performance with 38 points. The tournament win improved the all-time series record between the two programs to 4-1 in favor of Kansas. With the win, the No. 11 seed Jayhawks advanced to the second round of the tournament. However, their run was cut short as they were defeated by the No. 6 seed Colorado Buffaloes in a hard-fought game the following day, March 5, with a final score of 55-48.
