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8B SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY OF DAILY KANSAS
MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2008
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Jayhawks lose grip on ball, turn game over Coach's words propel women in first half play, dissipate in second
BY ANDREW WIEBE awiebe@kansan.com
Before Saturday night's game against Texas A&M, Bonnie Henrickson talked about her team's lack of mental toughness and resiliency during Kansas' 59-41 loss at Colorado.
The lajhawks' inability to take care of the ball against the Buffaloes led to 27 crippling turnovers compared to six assists. In the wake of the loss, Henrickson said her team needed to mature considerably in order to have success during the remaining conference schedule.
After leading the defending Big 12 Conference champion Aggies 30-29 at halftime, it appeared as though the Jayhaws had taken the message to heart. Freshman center Krysten Boogard dominated the low block, recording eight points, four rebounds and three blocks to lead Kansas. Sophmore guard Danielle McCray seemed to be on pace to register her third consecutive double-double with five points and six rebounds.
More importantly, Kansas turned the ball over only six times and
dished out six assists against a texas A&M team that had forced its opponents into 23 turnovers per game.
Unfortunately for Kansas, the progress shown in the first half vanished in the second as Texas A&M stepped up the defensive pressure to coast to a 58-51 victory by way of 21 offensive rebounds and 15 second half Kansas turnovers.
"We said at halftime that if we wanted to win the game that we would have to box out," Henrickson said. "We just never had an answer."
Specifically, Kansas never had an answer for the relentless play of Aggie's junior forward Danielle Gant. Though slightly undersized at 5-11, Gant scored 14 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, nine of them on the offensive glass.
"Danielle Gant is one of the best offensive rebounders in the league." Henrickson said, "and she made us look awfully soft."
Gant also benefited from Texas A&M coach Gary Blair's decision to challenge Kansas' guards by implementing a full-court man press when the contest was tied at 41 with 12 minutes left. She finished with six
steals, four in the second half, to go along with three blocks.
Henrickson said poor decisions by Kansas' guards were the main culprit for the inability to maintain possession against the press. McCray and fellow sophomore guards Sade Morris and LaChelda Jacobs combined for 13 second half turnovers that fueled the Aggies 23-9 advantage in points off turnovers.
"Our turnovers didn't really give us a chance down the stretch," Jacobs said.
The loss drops the Jayhawks to 1-5 in Big 12 Conference play with a daunting trip to Oklahoma on Wednesday. Morris said it was frustrating to lose another game that was winnable but that Kansas had to learn its lesson quickly or the frustration would continue.
"This is a game we definitely should have won," Morris said. "All we had to do was box out and make better passes, and we would have come away with the W"
Edited by Daniel Reyes
Taylor Mcintosh, senior forward, struggles to regain control of the ball during Saturday's game against Texas A&M.
Lisa Lipovac/KANSAN
FOOTBALL Super Bowl breeds rivalry between Boston, New York
Paul Pierce spotted a few pais seated courtside at Madison Square Garden and wanted to
make nice. So on his way to the foul line, the Boston Celtics star stopped by to slap hands and say hey to Plaxico Burress, R.W. McQuarters and some other New York Giants.
Real friendly, real peacenut A minute later, Pierce went
"With the Super Bowl, with New York Yankees-Red Sox, that's just the way New York-Boston sports are," Pierce said. "For some reason when we play the Knicks, it's a heated game."
Oh, for the record: Pierce hopes the New England Patriots beat his buddies Sunday.
ballistic. His trash talking with Quentin Richardson of the Knicks escalated, and both of them were ejected.
Be it on the field, court,
diamond or ice, that's how it is
between Beantown and the Big Apple.
Goes beyond Babe Ruth, Bucky Dent and Bill Buckner, too.
Associated Press
Marla Keown/KANSAN
Marta Keown/KANSAS
Sade Morris, sophomore guard, looks for an open teammate Saturday evening against Texas A&M. Morris finished the game with 10 points.
Easy does it
Weston White / KANSAS
Cameron Jacques, Shawnee senior, practices his tight rope walking. The group is mainly comprised of the Rock Climbing Club members, but non-members are welcome, too.