6B
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Jayhawks win back confidence
Sade Morris, sophomore guard, drives to the bucket for two points. Morris finished the game with 10 points and 7 assists in Kansas '66-60 win over Missouri.
Weston White/KANSAN
After winning 11 games during the nonconference schedule and outlasting a quality Xavier squad on the road going into the Big 12 Conference play, Bonnie Henrickson's team was brimming with confidence.
Three straight losses took a little of the wind out of Kansas' sails. But Saturday's 66-60 victory, against Missouri no less, has the team moving in the right direction once again.
"Everybody was pumped up to play and really motivated," junior guard Ivana Catic said. "We had a good prep, and I think mentally it's a big deal for us to be able to pull this one off."
The message didn't miss its intended targets.
Despite jumping out to a 13-point lead at halftime by way of freshman center Krysten Boogaard's 12 points, the lajhawks struggled to put the Tigers away down the stretch. Even though it wasn't the ideal finish, Henrickson said it was important to get a league win and begin preparing for a trip to Boulder, Colo., to face Colorado.
In spite of the 0-3 start, Henrickson said she told her players there was no shame in losing to Oklahoma State, Nebraska and Baylor. The three sit at the top of the Big 12 leaderboard at a combined 11-1 while seven teams are 1-3, including Kansas.
"It feels good to get a win," Henrickson said. "The kids are excited and we'll try to build on some momentum now."
"How many people are going to go to Lincoln and win this year?" Henrickson asked. "Probably not many. How many are going to go to Baylor and win? Probably not many. Who is going to beat Oklahoma State? Nobody has yet. Not to say that it was OK that we lost three games. My point was don't tank on us here. Don't lose confidence in yourselves. Don't lose confidence in each other."
WOMEN (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
The jayhawks didn't waste any time asserting themselves against their border rivals. In addition to Boogaard's efforts - she finished with 17 points, five rebounds and three blocks in only 23 minutes - Kansas got solid performances from sophomore guards Danielle McCray and Sade Morris.
McCray contributed 15 points and 12 rebounds while Morris dropped 10 points against the Tigers to go along with a team-high seven assists. Morris said although the first three games of Big 12 play were disappointing, the Jayhawks came into Saturday's game with the mind-set that they wouldn't end the day winless.
"Yeah, we were down three games but we knew Saturday is the day we get our first win," Morris said. "And plus its Mizzou, so that's going to make it that much better."
McCray played a season-high 36 minutes after finding herself in foul trouble during the three previous contests. She said she made a point to stay off the bench so she could help her team get a win in the Border Showdown.
"Just getting our first win helps," she said. "We have a lot of momentum going into Colorado, and its one under our belt."
McCray said the win was a good first step for Kansas, and the gained confidence will be important in starting the team's big 12 winning streak tonight against Colorado.
- Edited by Sasha Roe
forward Jessra Johnson missed the front end of her one-and-one, and McCray was there to gobble up the rebound and take the foul.
with 15 points and 12 rebounds,
including two key free throws.
McCray then stepped to the freewheel line with 35 seconds left and calmly sank both shots to seal the
With 2:37 left on the clock, Missouri went on a 7-0 run to make the score 64-60 and it had a chance to bring it even closer from the free-throw line. However, Missouri
win.
The Jayhawks were excited to get their first conference win, but after the game thoughts were already turned to Tuesday night's mile-high game with Colorado.
"It feels great to have our first
win in the Big 12, and we just have to carry forward and make a strong push going to Colorado." Boogaard said.
TENNIS
-Edited by Matt Hirschfeld
Williams drops Australian Open in quarterfinals
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Defending champion Serena Williams slumped out of the Australian Open in a 6-3, 6-4 quarterfinal loss to third-ranked Jankovic.
Williams, who was unseeded and ranked No. 81 when she won here last year for her eight Grand Slam title, struggled with her serve on Tuesday and made 36 unforced errors trying to combat Jankovic's go-for-broke game.
Williams had not dropped a set in her four previous matches but looked sluggish after winning the first two games. Her usually powerful serve was broken three times in the first set and four times in the
second.
Jankovic served for the match at 5-3, only to be broken herself. Williams led 40-15 in the next game only to fall apart again, double-faulting to set up match point, then sending a forehand wide.
"It was an unbelievable match, I am still shaking," said Jankovic, reaching the semifinals for the first time at Melbourne Park and only the third time at a major.
"I came here with no expectations — it's amazing to beat the defending champion and in general a champion like Serena, it doesn't happen every day."
Williams immediately went to join her sister, Venus, to prepare for a doubles quarterfinal.
After taking the first two games, Williams became increasingly
Her shoulders frequently drooped as the points piled up against her.
sluggish and was often caught flat footed, left to watch as Jankovic's shots landed for winners or to whack unforced errors awkwardly into the net.
The fans shared her disbelief, with one shouting: "Wake up Serena!" By the time sister Venus showed up, Williams had lost the first set — squandering five break points in two games and netting an easy forehand volley on set point.
That seemed to kick-start her for a while, as Williams broke in the
After Jankovic broke her for a 3-1 lead in the second on a stinging backhand, Williams angrily spiked her racket, earning a warning from the umpire for racket abuse.
next game to get back on serve.
Both women received medical treatment at the changeover, Jankovic for a persistent thigh alliment and Williams for a blister on her right toe.
Top-ranked Justine Henin was to play No. 5 Maria Sharapova, the losing finalist last year, on Tuesday night.
James Blake advanced to a quarterfinal match against Roger Federer with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 win over Marin Cilic on Monday.
Federer followed his long five-set third-round win over Janko Tipsarevic with some close calls in a straight sets win over No. 13 Tomas Berdych.
"It's just a reminder that everyone's human. You can have a bad day," Blake said.
BASKETBALL POSTER SERIES
Look for them in conference home games against...
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Iowa State Jan. 23
Nebraska Jan. 26
Missouri Feb. 4
Colorado Feb 16
K-State Mar. 1
Texas Tech Mar. 3
COMMENTARY
McCray keeps KU floating
66-60 over Missouri marks first Big 12 win of the season
Kansas notched its first big 12 Conference victory this season in a 66-60 battle against Missouri behind a strong day from McCray. She played 36 minutes and contributed 15 points, 12 rebounds and five steals.
The performance wasn't Spiderman-flashy but it was Batman-efficient. McCray's shots just weren't falling, as she was only 5-for-18 from the field. But unlike Wednesday's 24-point defeat at Baylor, where McCray made only three buckets, she wasn't going to let a slump doom the lawhawks.
ckeefer@kansan.com
Kansas jumped out to a quick 13-point halftime lead because freshman center Krysten Boogaard found room to operate in the low post and exploited it for 12 points. Why wasn't Boogaard double-teamed like she said she expected?
Sophomore guard Danielle McCray would make a fantastic lifeguard because she saved the lajahaws' sinking season this weekend.
"We were too obsessed with McCray." Missouri coach Cindy Stein said. "We wanted to make sure that we challenged her a lot."
Instead, she started looking for Boogaard. McCray tossed in two assists to the center and the offensive focus shifted to taking advantage of Missouri's pressure on her.
And the Tigers did. But after they blocked a couple of McCray's shots and contested all of them, she didn't become restless or make any frustration fouls like Kansas coach Bonnie Henrickson said she had in the past.
Henrickson said McCray showed growth in the game because she tied a career-high by playing 36 minutes. Last year, McCray often couldn't play that long because of conditioning issues. This year, she often hadn't lasted because of foul trouble.
McCray made big shots too. With six minutes remaining, she swished a momentum-grabbing three pointer. She also made both of her free throws with less than a minute to go to make it a sixpoint game. In short, McCray did a little bit of everthing.
She just had to play that long Saturday, though. This was a must-win game for the Jayhawks and without McCray, the team's star, they simply wouldn't have stood much of a chance.
McCray took over at the end of the game. At one point, she snatched rebounds on four straight Missouri possessions. With the Tigers putting together a late comeback attempt, her dominance on the boards was pivotal.
She tipped one rebound over the heads of three Tigers and leaped as if she were Carl Lewis to grab the rebound.
"I had to do whatever it took to get our first conference win," McCray said.
She knew how elusive that first conference victory was after last season's flasco, when Kansas dropped its first nine conference games. She knows that 0-4 turns into 0-5 and 0-5 becomes 'Are we ever going to win a game for the rest of our lives?'
Now, Kansas is one of seven Big 12 teams currently at 1-3 in the conference and in position to fight its way to the postseason. If McCray produces like she did Saturday and gets her shot back, don't be surprised if the Jayhawks are playing in late March.
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-Edited by Katherine Loerk