Morgan R. scored 50 points on 23-of-34 shooting and added 12 rebounds, seven steals and five blocked shots as Head-Royce beat St. Joseph Notre Dame 61-42 on Tuesday for its ninth straight win. The Jayhawks improved to 12-2 and never trailed.
Morgan R. scored the game's first four points. A three by Rylie cut the lead to 4-3, and the senior answered with a three on an assist from Elena K., then made two free throws for a 9-3 lead. Head-Royce led 12-7 before a 10-0 run broke the game open. Morgan R. scored eight straight points in that stretch, including a basket off a turnover and a second-chance basket, and Melina M. finished the run with a basket on a Morgan R. assist to make it 22-7.
St. Joseph Notre Dame scored the next four points, but Morgan R. answered with two more baskets for a 26-11 lead. After three Knights free throws, Head-Royce went on a 7-0 run. Elena K. made a free throw, and Morgan R. added a basket off a turnover and a second-chance basket as the Jayhawks took a 31-14 lead into halftime. Morgan R. had 28 of her team's 31 first-half points, twice as many as St. Joseph Notre Dame scored as a team. She scored again to open the second half, which completed the run and made it 33-14.
St. Joseph Notre Dame got no closer than 16 points the rest of the way. With Head-Royce up 49-30, Morgan R. scored four straight baskets, two of them second-chance points and one a layup off a turnover assisted by Elena K. Vera W. capped a 10-0 run with a basket that made it 59-30, the Jayhawks' largest lead at 29. Elena K. scored Head-Royce's final points for a 61-33 lead before St. Joseph Notre Dame closed on a 9-0 run, with Nia scoring seven of those points.
Morgan R. scored 22 points in the second half and grabbed nine offensive rebounds. Elena K. had a team-high five assists, along with three points, five rebounds and two steals. Kalia K. pulled down eight rebounds, and Melina M. finished with two points, three assists and three rebounds. Freshman Vera W. scored four points off the bench with three rebounds and two steals, and Abigail K. had three steals.
Head-Royce shot 45.9 percent (28-of-61) from the floor, while St. Joseph Notre Dame shot 31.3 percent (15-of-48). The Jayhawks outrebounded the Knights 44-24, with a 18-11 edge on the offensive glass that turned into a 17-8 advantage in second-chance points. The game was sloppy for both teams: Head-Royce committed 38 turnovers and St. Joseph Notre Dame committed 34, and each team had 20 steals. The Jayhawks outscored the Knights 10-6 in points off turnovers and got six points from their bench.
Nia led St. Joseph Notre Dame with 11 points and six steals, and Safah added 10 points.
Head-Royce is 12-2 and has won nine games in a row.