Taiyanna Jackson Breaks Kansas Record for Blocked Shots
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas forward Taiyanna Jackson broke the school record for most blocked shots in a season during the Jayhawks’ Big 12 Tournament loss to Oklahoma.
Jackson finished the 80-68 loss to OU with eight points, 12 rebounds and six blocked shots. That pushed Jackson’s total to 90 for the season.
That allowed Jackson to pass Lisa Tate on the single-season blocks list. Tate had 88 blocked shots during the 1992-93 season.
Kansas head coach Brandon Schneider mentioned that, along with the blocked shots, Jackson had 304 deflections for the season going into the OU game.
Now, Jackson and the Jayhawks will turn their attention to a likely NCAA Tournament bid. Kansas will find out on Sunday if they’ll make the field. Entering Friday’s game ESPN.com had the Jayhawks as a No. 9 seed in the 68-team field. Even with the loss, Kansas has its first 20-win season under Schneider, who was the Big 12 Coach of the Year. Schneider recently signed a contract extension.
If Kansas makes the NCAA Tournament it will be their first berth since 2013.
Jackson, a 6-foot-6 junior, has been a difference-maker for Kansas inside this season. After the Oklahoma game she was averaging 8.8 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3.1 blocked shots per game. For that, Jackson earned a place on the All-Big 12 Defensive Team and as Big 12 Honorable Mention.
Before arriving at Kansas, Jackson played at Trinity Valley Community College in Athens, Texas, where she was the 2019-20 NJCAA Region 14 Freshman of the Year and averaged 10.3 points per game.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
