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Kansas Jayhawks women's basketball falls to Sam Houston Bearkats in exhibition opener

Jayhawks struggle to find rhythm in 64-52 loss

Loss serves as wake-up call for Jayhawks

The Kansas Jayhawks women's basketball team suffered a disappointing 64-52 loss to the Sam Houston Bearkats in their exhibition opener on Sunday afternoon at Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks, who are ranked No. 11 in the preseason AP poll, struggled to find their rhythm on offense and were outrebounded 45-30 by the Bearkats. Kansas shot just 37.5% from the field and 25% from three-point range, while Sam Houston shot 46.4% from the field and 38.9% from three-point range. "We didn't play with the energy and intensity that we needed to," Kansas coach Brandon Schneider said. "We didn't rebound the ball well, and we didn't shoot the ball well. We have a lot of work to do before our regular season opener." The Jayhawks were led by junior guard Aniya Thomas, who scored 14 points. Senior guard Holly Kersgieter added 12 points, and sophomore guard Wyvette Mayberry chipped in 10 points. The Bearkats were led by senior guard Jolicia Williams, who scored 18 points. Junior forward Tiahanna Thomas added 16 points, and senior guard Faith Cook chipped in 12 points. The Jayhawks will open their regular season on Tuesday, Nov. 8, when they host the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles at Allen Fieldhouse. **Loss serves as wake-up call for Jayhawks** The loss to Sam Houston was a wake-up call for the Jayhawks, who had been ranked as high as No. 8 in the preseason polls. The Jayhawks showed that they have a lot of work to do before they are ready to compete for a Big 12 championship. "This loss is a good thing for us," Schneider said. "It shows us that we have a lot of work to do. We need to get better at rebounding, we need to get better at shooting the ball, and we need to get better at playing with energy and intensity." The Jayhawks will have a chance to improve upon their performance in their regular season opener against Oral Roberts. The Golden Eagles are a talented team, but the Jayhawks should be able to defeat them if they play with the energy and intensity that they are capable of.