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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 5, 2014
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
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Jayhawks end regular season with loss to WVU
KYLE PAPPAS
sports@kansan.com
It was just too perfect. Looking to secure at least a share of its first conference title since 1992, West Virginia was at home, celebrating senior night and taking on a Kansas team that had dropped its past four contests.
So it was really no surprise when Kansas walked off the court in WVU Coliseum to the Mountaineers' mascot firing his musket in the air and John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads" blaring from the loudspeakers following its 60-67 defeat.
As has been the case much of the season, Kansas forward Chelsea Gardner's usual role was compromised by foul trouble. After picking up an early two, the junior from DeSoto, Texas, spent the final 16 minutes of the first half on the bench. Junior forward Bunny Williams grabbed seven rebounds in place of Gardner, but there was simply no replacing her presence in the post.
Senior guard CeCe Harper and junior guard Natalie Knight carried the load offensively for Kansas in the first half. Harper played strong driving hard to the basket and regularly creating plays off the ball.She took advantage of
several mismatches in transition, but also maintained the awareness to slow things down when needed. She finished the half with nine points and four assists.
Knight has been inclined to step up in Gardner's absences throughout the year and Tuesday night was no different. She hit four of her seven attempts — including a couple big threes — to keep the Jayhawks close every time the Mountaineers appeared to be staging a run. She led all players with 10 first half points.
Still, Kansas was unable to take advantage of a seven-minute scoreleast streak by West Virginia midway through the first. The Mountaineers were abysmal, missing 11 straight shots and throwing up a few airballs during the stretch. But the Jayhawks only managed to gain a three-point lead and would eventually head into halftime trailing 28-32.
Things would only continue to get worse for Kansas in the second. Plagued by fouls and turnovers — they finished with 17 — West Virginia began to build on its already comfortable lead. It stretched to as many as 13 during a dominating second half performance.
in the second as well; a quick foul sent her back to the bench with three on the night. Harper was the only Jayhawk contributing much on offense, but peppered in several unforced errors to go along with her 10 second half points.
Gardner was a non-factor
Kansas pulled within five with just under two minutes remaining, but was never a legitimate threat to the Mountaineers' title hopes. Kansas sullenly walked into the locker room as the final buzzer sounded; West Virginia celebrated at midcourt and brought out the scissors for the inevitable cutting of the net.
It was the final game of the regular season for a Jayhawks squad that has certainly seen its share of ups and downs this year. They conclude Big 12 play at 5-13, tied with Kansas State for eighth in the conference. Losers of five straight games heading into this weekend's conference tournament in Oklahoma City, it's clear that something must change before then.
The Jayhawks finish the regular season at 12-18 overall and will need to run the table from here to receive a NCAA tournament invite.
Edited by Kate Shelton
Junior Chelsea Gardner goes in for the basket against TCU on Feb. 12. Gardner was plagued by foul trouble in the Jayhawk's final regular season game against West Virginia. Kansas lost 60-67.
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NHL
Columbus Blue Jackets' Artem Anisimov, left, of Russia, settles the puck in front of Dallas Stars' Alex Goligoski in the third period of an NHL hockey game in Columbus, Ohio, Tuesday, March 4. Anisimov scored on the play. Columbus won 4-2.
Columbus routs Dallas for third win in a row
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Artem Anisimov scored twice, including a late insurance goal, as the Columbus Blue Jackets held off a third-period Dallas rally for a 4-2 win over the Stars.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Columbus climbed into a tie for seventh with the Rangers in the Eastern Conference. The Blue Jackets have won three in a row and are vying for only their second postseason appearance since joining the league in 2000.
Columbus scored on the first shot of the game and bolted to a 3-0 first-period lead on goals by Boone Jenner,'R.J. Umberger and Anisimov against backup Dan Ellis. Ellis was shaky early in making his first appearance since Feb.1. Sergel Bobrovsky made 31 saves, one on an open shot by Jamie Benn with 5 minutes
ing to a one-goal lead.rovsky solidly tracked pucks near the crease tire game to improve to against Dallas. men Alex Goligoski or Daley had goals the third period s. With the loss, h had won five of its in eighth place Eastern Conference. 3-0 entering the third Columbus seemed in even though it had drastically outshot since ing the big lead near the endpoint of the first. But the stars finally broke through, scoring about two minutes apart.
Goligoski fired home a rebound on the power play from near the crease, his fourth goal and second in as many games after a 48-game drought. Daley followed with his fifth
on a redirection from between the circles off soft point shot by Sergei Gonchar. Dallas kept coming, but Anisimov made it 4-2 with his 18th and fifth in four games on a backhand after circling toward the crease from behind the net.
The Blue Jackets benefited from one stick-handling club after another by Dallas' defensive corps to easily pull ahead in the first period.
Skating into the Dallas zone with speed, Jenner sent a long snap shot from the left circle into the far corner above Ellis' outstretched glove for his 11th.
Just over four minutes later, the Stars' Jordie Benn cleared the puck into traffic to
Aaron Rome then swept the puck off Brandon Dubinsky's stick in the slot to a streaking Umberger, who scored his 17th
teammate Cody Eakin, who bobbed it into the slot to Anisimov. The big center turned and sent a backhander past Ellis to make it 3-0.
The Stars cutshot Columbus 12-1 in the second period but didn't have many prime scoring chances other than two by Tyler Seguin on a power play that Bobrovsky smothered.
NOTES: The Stars traded injured D Stephane Robidas to the Ducks on Tuesday for a conditional fourth-round pick. ... Columbus played without injured defensemen Fedor Tyutin and Ryan Murray, both out with lower-body injuries. ... Dallas entered 16-5-3 against the Blue Jackets in Nationwide Arena. ... Dallas C Rich Peverley did not play due to an upper-body injury. ... Stars LW Antoine Roussel become the fourth player from France to appear in at least 100 NHL games.
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