LAWRENCE, Kan. — Chelsea Gardner’s 20-point, 20-rebound performance marked the most impressive double-double for a Kansas women’s player in 33 years, lifting the Jayhawks past West Virginia 65-59 on Saturday at Allen Fieldhouse.
The Mountaineers (12-7, 2-5 Big 12), who couldn’t hold a 10-point first-half lead, saw Kansas (11-9, 2-5 Big 12) shoot 52.4 percent after the break. WVU had been 11-0 when leading at the half.
“Give Kansas credit,” said West Virginia coach Mike Carey. “They played harder and pounded the boards harder than we did. We should’ve had a bigger lead at halftime. In the second half, when they started making their run, we made a lot of mistakes defensively and offensively.”
Bria Holmes paced West Virginia with a 16 points, while Jessica Morton and Averee Fields each had 10. Though Fields grabbed a team-high nine rebounds, the Jayhawks won the boards 44-37.
WVU missed 12 of their final 14 shots, finishing at 38.1 percent.
With Lanay Montgomery limited by foul trouble in the second half, Kansas went to work inside and finished with a 34-26 edge in the paint.
West Virginia continues its road swing at Texas Tech on Wednesday night.