Head-Royce opened the 2025-26 season with a 58-37 loss at School of the Deaf on Wednesday, Nov. 12. The Jayhawks fell to 0-1 as 37 turnovers overshadowed an 18-point night from senior guard Abigail Kim. School of the Deaf finished with 23 steals and scored 16 points off turnovers.
Head-Royce scored the first four points. Sophomore forward Laila Jagusch scored on a feed from Geneva Walker, and Walker followed with a basket assisted by Kim for a 4-0 lead, the Jayhawks' largest of the night. School of the Deaf answered with 10 straight points, three of the baskets coming off turnovers. The game's only tie came at 4-4, and School of the Deaf led the rest of the way.
Harper Tong ended the run with a free throw, but School of the Deaf kept building its lead. A 6-0 spurt pushed the margin from 16-9 to 22-9. Emmy Mitchell made two free throws and Kim added a basket to cut the deficit to 24-15, and Missgana B. scored on an assist from Jagusch to make it 26-17. School of the Deaf then scored six straight to go ahead 32-17. The Jayhawks put together their best stretch there: Kim made two free throws, Walker added one and Kim scored on a putback to make it 32-22. School of the Deaf answered with another 6-0 run to lead 38-22.
Head-Royce kept answering. Osa Enabulele scored on a putback, Mitchell added a basket, and back-to-back baskets from Kim and Tong made it 42-30. The Jayhawks never got closer than 14 after that. School of the Deaf scored eight straight points to go from 48-34 to 56-34, and it pushed the lead to its largest margin, 23 points, at 58-35. Kim scored the final basket of the game.
Kim led Head-Royce in scoring on 8-of-16 shooting and added four rebounds, two assists and a block, although she also had 10 turnovers. She scored eight of the team's 15 field goals. Mitchell, a senior forward, had four points, eight rebounds, four steals and five blocks. Enabulele scored four points off the bench, while Walker and Missgana B. each had three. Sophomore guard Kara Waldrop grabbed six rebounds, five of them offensive, and assisted on one of Kim's putbacks.
The shooting numbers told much of the story. Head-Royce made 15 of 51 shots (29.4 percent) and was 7-of-13 at the free throw line. School of the Deaf shot 38.2 percent (29-of-76) and had 12 assists. The Jayhawks held their own on defense with seven blocks and six steals and forced 19 turnovers, but they scored no points off those turnovers. School of the Deaf won the rebounding battle 41-38, including a 20-15 edge on the offensive glass, and outscored Head-Royce 10-6 on second-chance points. The Head-Royce bench scored seven points.
Head-Royce (0-1) visits University on Friday, Nov. 14.