JAYHAWK
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Basketball
Inside Sports today
The Kansas men's tennis team won the Ice Volley Showcase in Minnesota last weekend.
SEE PAGE 5B
Yesterday's game - Kansas vs. Missouri
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SECTION B, PAGE 1
MONDAY, JANUARY 25. 1999
Tigers pounce on 'Hawks at Allen
Missouri only conference team to beat Kansas twice in four years
By Kevin C. Wilson
Kansan sportswriter
The only team to beat the Kansas men's basketball team in Big 12 conference play has done it again.
Fuelled by a tenacious defense and some outstanding guard play, the Missouri Tigers gave the Jayhawks their first home conference loss in 36 games with a stunning 71-63 win yesterday at Allen Fieldhouse. The victory came 13 days after Kansas broke a three-year losing streak at the Hearnes Center with a 73-61 win.
Missouri guards Brian Grawer and Keyon Dooling combined to score 33 points, and the Tigers defense held the Jayhawks backcourt in check as Kansas (13-5 overall and 5-1 in the Big 12) dropped its big Big 12 game of the season.
Grawer, who came into the game averaging 7.5 points per game, tied a career-high with 18 points and connected on four crucial three-point baskets. In comparison, Kansas guard Ryan Robertson scored only two points on a miserable 1-of-10 shooting.
"The biggest difference of the game was Grawer," Kansas guard Ryan Robertson said. "He made all of his threes and made a lot of his shots and scored 18 points. And then me, I didn't make my shot. I didn't score a lot. I only had two points. So right there is a big difference."
The play of Dooling, Missouri's freshman point guard who is averaging 6.4 points per game, also was important in helping the Tigers improve to 13-4 overall and 4-2 in the Big 12.
Dooling connected on 6 of 7 shots from the field and scored 15 points in his match-up with Kansas freshman Jeff Boschee. The Jayhawk point guard, who
was scoreless in the first half, shot only 4 of 11 from the field for 11 points.
The play of each team's backcourt was a complete turnaround from the game in Columbia, in which Dooling and Grauer combined for only 15 points. On the other side, Robertson, Boschee and guard Marlon London combined for 42 points in the game in Columbia, but they managed to connect on a combined 5 of 25 shots for a total of 13 points on Sunday.
"If you look back at the last game you'll see that our guards really hurt them," Williams said. "They really did a good job today of getting out to Ryan and Jeff and bothering their shots.
"You've got to give Missouri credit. They did a good job of fighting through screens and got out to put a hand up on our shots. We drove it to the basket or got the inside and they blocked a lot of them."
The 11 shots blocked by the Tiger's were the most by a Kansas opponent since Oklahoma rejected 11 shots on Jan. 18, 1989. Guard Jeff Hafer's five blocks tied the most by a Kansas opponent in Williams' 11 years as head coach.
The Jayhawks were paced by center Eric Chenowith, who scored 13 points and snared 13 rebounds despite shooting amiserable 5 of 16 from the field. Forward T.J. Pugh matched his career-high with 13 points and pulled down seven rebounds, while Nick Bradford added 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Jayhawks.
Despite outrebounding Missouri 46-32, including 24-7 on the offensive glass, the Jayhawks slipped into a tie with Texas for the Big 12 lead.
"You should always win the game if you outrebound the other team on the offensive end 24 to seven," Williams said. "But that also tells you that you missed a heck of a lot of shots."
Lester Earl holds his head as the Jayhawks lost to Missouri 71-63. Yesterday's loss dropped the Jayhawks to a 5-1 Bia 12 Conference record for the season. Photo by Christina Neff/KANSAN
Mizzou feels no sense of urgency in Sunday's win
Kansan sports editor
By Erin Thompson
Missouri put the brakes on a two-game losing skid yesterday at Allen Fieldhouse.
Amid controversy surrounding freshman point guard Keyon Dooning and coach Norm Stewart, the Tigers shut down the Jayhawks offensively in a 71-63 win.
After losing to Kansas Jan. 11 and Colorado Jan. 16, Missouri coach Norm Stewart said his team did not feel any urgency to win.
"That was an outstanding ball game and an outstanding win," Stewart said. "Every
game is just a single game. It's a great win for them (the players). But there's no sense of urgency."
Missouri forward Albert White concurred.
"Even if we'd have lost," White said. "We'd still have 11, 12 games to go."
Whether feeling a sense of urgency or hyped about the traditional rivalry, Missouri showed up ready to play. The Tigers' defense held Kansas guards Ryan Robertson and Jeff Bosche scoreless in the first half
the Missouri defense not only frustrated the Kansas guards but the Kansas fans as
well, Witnessing only the second home loss in four years, fans made an early exit with the Jayhawks only down by five and with a minute still remaining in the game.
Stewart said the fans' behavior, including their booing him, did not bother him. It was part of what made it so fun to play in Lawrence.
"This is a great place to play," Stewart said. "This and the Hearnes Center are two of the best places in the nation to play."
tion of the Big 12
Missouri guard Jeff Hafer said he was impressed with Missouri's ability to persevere in a traditionally tough game after difficult losses.
"There's no greater rivalry than Missouri, Kansas," Hafer said. "And coming off two tough games, to come in here and win shows a lot about the character of this team."
Kansas had not lost a conference game at home since 1994, when it lost to Missouri. Missouri is also the only team to defeat Kansas in conference play since the forma-
The Tigers, now only one game behind the Jayhawks in conference standings, hope to capitalize on the win.
"With most of the top teams being knocked off this week," Hafer said. "We should be able to use this to propel us back on top."
Junior guard Lynn Pride glides to the hoop for a second-half layup. Pride finished with 19 points and six rebounds against Texas Tech. Photo by Graham K. Johnson/KANSAN
Jayhawks dominate Texas Tech with size, strength in big upset
By Matt James
But when the struggling Kansas Jayhawks, significant underdogs, came out Saturday and dominated the nation's sixth-ranked team en route to a 55-45 win at Allen Fieldhouse, a few jaws dropped around the nation.
Kansan sportswriter
The way teams play at home in the Big 12 Conference, it should have been no surprise at all.
"It was a great game and a great crowd," said coach Marian Washington. "One of the things we thought we needed to focus on was their interior offense. I can't say enough for our interior defense and it began with Nakia (Sanford). We had to make them work for everything, and they did."
The Jayhawks, home after losing back-to-back games on the road, played inspired basketball and showed no signs of fatigue or frustration as they controlled the Texas Tech Lady Raiders with strong inside play.
What the Jayhawks did most effectively was not worry about the areas where they have been struggling, such as three-point shooting — they only attempted one — but rather concentrated on taking advantage of their team's strength, size. With four starters over 6 feet tall, the Jayhawks have a
"They were a lot bigger than we were on the floor," said Texas Tech coach Marsha Sharp. "They were extremely physical and we didn't handle that very well. I think at the outset we got intimidated a little."
That intimidation came from Sanford, a 6-foot-3-inch center, who scored 11 points in a strong effort, and 6-foot-1-inch forward Jaclyn Johnson, who grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds.
lineup that few teams can match up against.
The tandem of Johnson and Sanford led the Jayhawks' best defensive performance of the year. Their mission was simple - slow down Tech All-American Angie Braziel. They held the Big 12 scoring leader to just 15 points, six short of her average.
"She hasn't played against anyone who made her shoot over them," Sanford said. "She usually gets a lot of layups, so we made her work harder for her shots. She's a great player and she's going to get her points, but I don't think she was as effective as she's been against other teams."
Tech's quick, sharp-shooting set of guards is led by senior Rene Hanebutt. She scorched the Jayhawks in last year's Big 12 tournament for 23 points, but to stop her Saturday, the Jayhawks needed only junior Lynn Pride.
"Hanebutt's not only a great threepeep shooter, but she's also very effective off the dribble," Washington said. "We just had to have somebody on her that could force her to change her shot. Lynn did that all game."
Pride did more than change her shot, she shut her down completely. The tenacious defender denied Hanebutt the ball for minutes at a time and held her to just 3 points on 1-of-7 shooting.
"I knew she was a great scorer," said Pride. "I took it as a personal challenge to stop her."
Pride led all scorers with 19 points and sophomore Brooke Reves added 11 points and 8 rebounds, including three timely buckets in a crucial, three-minute stretch late in the game. The last came on a no-look pass from Pride, electrifying the home crowd and giving the Jayhawks an eight point lead with four minutes remaining.
Those outside the Big 12 Conference may have been surprised by Saturday's score, but Texas Tech wasn't looking past the Javahaws at home.
"This is an awfully good Kansas team." Sharp said. "I know they've been a little bit disappointed with their consistency, but they were big and physical and really took charge of the game. They were what we thought Kansas would be when we saw them on our schedule."
Commentary
Pride's play has all but tug
Sure, his sister Lynn Pride's display at Allen Fieldhouse solidified her status as the preseason pick for the big 12 Player of the Year. scoring a game-high
A slight sense of disappointment washed over Trey Pride while he watched his sister cradle the basketball as the seconds dwindled in the lower right-hand corner of the television screen.
19 points and shackling sixth-ranked Texas Tech's top outside shooter Rene Hanebutt, who finished with more fouls (four) than points (three).
But the 55-45 Kansas win — the team's first win against a top-10队 since beating Virginia Nov.
Mike
Harrity
sports@iansan.com
20, 1994 — wasn't enough for Trey. While the Pride family huddled around the television in their mother's home in Garland, Texas, cheering Lymn at most every leap and stride, Trey waited for the shout-out from his little sister.
When the two talked on the phone last week, Lynn had promised to tug on her ear before shooting a free-throw as a sign of acknowledgment for her brother, who would be watching the Fox regionally televised game back home.
"My mom said she thought she did it, but I never saw it," Trey said. "She should have one it enough times to make sure I'd see it. They won, and she played good and all, but I'm gotta get on her about it as soon as she calls home."
But Saturday, Trey watched and waited.
It never happened.
Sorry Trey, your sister was too busy gliding around the court, making play after play. Lynn seemed to be around every loose ball, barreling into the Texas Tech bench for one, diving over press row for another — a move that left her with a bleeding gash on her right forearm. After a quick bandaging, she played on.
Or there were the successive crisp passes she fired from beyond the three-point arc to a waiting Brooke Reves under the basket late in the second half. After the second of the passes, which Reves turned into a three-point play after being fouled Pride turned in a convincing portrayal of a drum major, striding down the court before being interrupted by a bug from Reves as the cheering from the crowd of 4,738 poured from the stands.
There was the one-on-four fast break with six minutes left in the first half when she pulled up in the lane and popped a jumper, shrugging off the slap on her arm from a defender and drained the free throw unfazed.
"I just wanted to come out and help us win a game since we've been struggling," said Pride, whose team had lost three of its last four games before pushing its record to 14-6 Saturday. "I wanted to do everything possible to get this win."
Pride, though, wasn't the sole reason for the victory. Center Nakia Sanford and forwards Heather Fletcher and Jaclyn Johnson helped lock down Texas Tech center Angela Braziel, holding the national player of the year candidate to 15 points on 7 of 19 shooting.
But it was Pride — the team leader in points (18.7), rebounds (7.1), steals, blocks and minutes — whose contagious energy lifted her team back into national prominence a week after falling out of the polls for the first time this season.
"I'm used to seeing her play that good," said Trey, 21, who readily admits that his 20-year-old sister still gets the best of him when they play one-on-one. "She was hustling hard and doing everything out there."
Well, everything but the fug.
Harrity is an Kansas City, Kan., senior in journalism.
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