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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY JANUARY 20, 2014
PAGE 9B
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WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Kansas snaps Baylor's 44-game conference winning streak
KYLE PAPPAS sports@kansan.com
For Kansas junior forward Chelsea Gardner, Kansas' 76-60 defeat of No. 7 Baylor on Sunday came as no surprise.
The Jayhawks entered the contest winners of only one of their previous five and averaging a dismal 57 points in Big 12 play.
Kansas was led by Gardner, who recorded her best game of the season when the Jayhawks needed it most. She finished with 28 points to complement a game-high 13 rebounds.
"We came in knowing we can beat them, practicing like we can," Gardner said. "Coach Bonnie [Henrickson] gave us energy and confidence knowing we can win."
open looks and points."
The Kansas bench celebrates after a basket late in the second half. Kansas defeated the No. 7 Baylor Bears in a 76-60 upset in Allen Fieldhouse on Jan. 19. The victory ended Baylor's 53-game Big 12 winning streak, which was the nation's longest active streak.
"I knew I had to be more aggressive," Gardner said. "Once they started getting into foul trouble I knew that I could get
For most others though, Kansas' defeat of Baylor in Allen Fieldhouse was a total shock. The Bears entered Sunday's game possessing a 44-game conference win streak, while sitting atop the Big 12 with a perfect 4-0 record.
Things didn't start off so smoothly for Kansas, who fell behind by as many as 11 points early in the first half. Baylor had a palpable advantage down low, as 6-foot-4 junior Sune Agbuke blocked or altered several Jayhawk shot attempts.
JAMES HOYT/KANSAN
"We knew what we needed to do [in the second half]," Henrickson said. "Get the ball out of [Sims'] hands, make things uncomfortable and that's what we did."
Still, Kansas trailed for the entire first half, only gaining a one-point advantage seconds before halftime. But, the Bears converted a quick basket before intermission to regain the lead at 32-31.
On offense, Baylor seemed intent on force-feeding the NCAA's top scorer Odyssey Sims. The scheme seemed to work well in the first half as Sims finished 9-18 for 21 points, scoring mainly on an array of mid-range floaters that the Jayhawks couldn't seem to stop. The rest of the Bears combined for a brutal 4-23 shooting.
Kansas' staunch defense was
even more impressive in the second half, causing Baylor's Sims-or-bust game plan to fall apart. Sims took the Bears' first five shots of the second, converting on only one attempt.
The Jayhawks began to capitalize on their offensive opportunities as well, going 14-26 after shooting only 34 percent in the first.
"I was shocked when we didn't come out aggressive and confident," Henrickson said. "[In the second] we had some kick-out threes, got to the free throw line and started to score."
The game's pivotal moment occurred with just over eight minutes left in the second half. Kansas held a five-point lead when junior guard Natalie Knight drove to the bucket and was fouled by Agbuke, forcing her out of the game with her fifth foul.
Baylor coach Kim Mulkey drew a technical foul while arguing the call, resulting in four free shots for the Jayhawks. Kansas converted three of the attempts and Baylor never again got within six points.
The Bears were unable to spark a comeback as the shots
simply weren't falling. Sims finished with 31 points on 13-37 shooting (4-19 in the second) as Kansas' physical defense prevented her usual efficiency.
"I felt like the kids had confidence in the game plan," Henrickson said. "I'm excited about the buy-in and the bounceback in the game, to
keep hanging in there."
Kansas held Baylor's normally potent offense in check as the Bears recorded their second-lowest scoring output of the year while shooting only 30 percent. Even when Baylord did score, it never came easily.
As the final seconds ticked off the clock, Allen Fieldhouse erupted and the Kansas players celebrated mid-court. All the while, Henrickson's season-long mantra echoed in the back of players' minds.
"It's not who you play or where you play, but how well you play." Henrickson said. "And today we played well."
- Edited by Amber Kasselman
WIGGINS FROM PAGE 1B
jump-start the Kansas offense that had been stalling. With the Cowboys up four and one minute to go, Tharpe hit a long two-point jumper that proved to be the difference in the game.
After coming off the bench to begin the season, Joel Embid has become a focal point of the Kansas offense. The new projected top pick in next year's NBA Draft has averaged nearly 14 points, nine rebounds and five blocks since
the New Mexico game on Dec. 14. Embidid kept the Jayhawks afloat after halftime when he scored nine of his 13 points in the second half and rejected five Oklahoma State shot attempts. Embidid had a season-high eight blocks against the Cowboys' smaller lineup.
"He makes it a little more difficult to score in there, especially on some layups and different things when you think you might have something," Ford said.
Wiggins wasn't the only Kansas player to struggle against the Cowboys. Perry Ellis had
six points and four rebounds in 18 minutes while Wayne Selden scored nine and committed five turnovers against the Cowboys' zone defense.
Wiggins nearly disappeared in the second period as he went scoreless and attempted just one field goal.
"If you think about it, Perry, Wayne and Wiggins, who would have thought we would win the game with those guys having off-days the way they did," coach Bill Self said. "That means the other guys stepped up and played well."
"He's everything we wanted"
Self said. "He just had a bad day."
Jamari Traylor scored nine points and Tarik Black added eight for Kansas off the bench.
The Jayhawks have another quick turnaround and will take on No.12 Baylor (13-4, 1-3) on Monday at Allen Fieldhouse.
COLUMN FROM PAGE 1B
— Edited by Amber Kasselman
Wiggins' specialty of being able to guard the opponent's best scorer wasn't shown. He allowed Oklahoma State's best 3-point shooter Markel Brown to a handsome day. Brown was 5-9 from beyond the arc and finished with 15 points.
"[Andrew] Wiggins let Markel [Brown] get comfortable," Self said. "He [Markel Brown] got off to a great start in the second half."
Wiggins showed he is capable of playing well under pressure, such as in Ames, Iowa against Iowa State;
Wiggins had a career-high 19 rebounds. Tonight he only had two.
Smart and Wiggins will be able to show off their talents against each other again on March 1, but this time it's in Stillwater, Okla.
Wiggins' performance wasn't intimidating for Oklahoma State's head coach Travis Ford. When asked if Ford did anything special to stop Wiggins, his answer was a simple, "No."
- Edited by Callan Reilly