SPORTS
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2005
PAGE 1B
WWW.KANSAN.COM
▼ WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: 76-54
Buffaloes trampled
Rachel Seymour/KANSAN
Erica Hallman, junior guard, looks over Colorado's Yari Escalera, freshman guard, for an open pass during yesterday's game. Hallman led the team with 18 points.
BY PAUL BRAND
pbrand@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTWRITER
Yesterday's victory against Colorado showcased the changing fortunes of two Big 12 Conference teams.
Different season. Different teams. Two different directions.
As frustration and impatience ate away at a struggling Colorado squad, Kansas kept its cool and rolled to an easy victory, 76-54. The 22-point margin marked the largest conference victory since March 1, 1997 when Kansas beat Oklahoma 92-69.
"What Kansas showed was more discipline in their shot selection," Colorado coach Ceal Berry said. "They stayed with
their game plan and did what they needed to do."
The outcome also gave the Jayhawks, 11-11 (4-7 Big 12), their highest number of Big 12 Conference victories since the 2000-01 season when they notched five conference triumphs.
Before this season's twogame sweep of Colorado, Kansas was mired in an eight-game losing streak to the Buffaloos. This season, however, Colorado, 8-14 (1-10), has fallen to last place in the league, while Kansas has risen to eighth place. Nearly one year ago Colorado finished out the conference schedule in third place while Kansas ended up 11th in the 12-team conference.
While struggling to convert
offensive opportunities, Kansas allowed Colorado to stay in the game for most of the first half. The Jayhawks traded the lead three times in the first 20 minutes and did not seem ready to pull away.
Backup point guard Yari Escalera proved to be the spark off the bench for the Buffalooes and helped them stay within striking distance.
"I thought Escalera came off the bench and ran the team very well." Berry said.
When physical fatigue set in for Colorado, its shot selection suffered and Kansas took full advantage by extending its three-point lead to nine in the final 1:30 of the half. The
SEE TRAMPLED ON PAGE 4B
MEN'S BASKETBALL: 89-60
Kansas rocks Colorado
BY KELLIE ROINETT
krobinett@kansan.com
KANKSAN SPORTWRITER
Kansas pulled away from Colorado late on Saturday, but after the 89-60 victory, both the players and coaches talked more about their upcoming games than their recent triumph.
"We can't think about this win too much," senior guard Aaron Miles said. "We need to focus in on Texas Tech."
Indeed, the Jayhawks need to turn their full attention to their six remaining conference games, because their closing schedule is difficult. After Saturday's victory, they sit atop the Big 12 standings with a perfect 10-0 record. But with remaining games at Texas Teeh, Oklahoma and Missouri, and a home match against Oklahoma State, the race for the Big 12 regular-season title is very much alive.
"Our three toughest road games will all be coming up, and we still have tough home games," Kansas coach Bill Self said. "We still have a lot to play for and a lot of tough games ahead of us."
"It certainly wasn't the atmosphere we've had the last two times we played at home." Self said. "That's not the crowd's fault. Obviously our guys didn't have the same energy level early."
Kansas players and fans alike seemed to take Saturday's game against Colorado for granted. In front of a quiet, albeit sold out, crowd, Kansas led Colorado by only single digits for the first 28 minutes.
With 11:52 remaining in the game Colorado, junior forward Julius Ashby hit a lay-up that pulled the Buffaloes within seven points of the lav hawks at 57-50.
Just as it seemed Colorado was in striking range of Kansas, there was a media time-out, and Self challenged his team to put the game away so he could empty the bench.
"He told us we sucked," senior guard Keith Langford said. "We shouldn't be up on Colorado by single digits at home. When we play like that we're only fooling ourselves."
The motivational speech worked, and from that point on the game belonged to Kansas.
Langford started attacking the defense, and in a span of 10 minutes, Kansas went on a 32-8 run and increased its lead to 31 points.
"I looked up, and we were up nearly 30 points," Langford said. "We saw what can happen when we put our foot on someone's throat."
As promised, Self removed his starters for the last three and a half minutes of the game. Kansas
SEE ROCKS ON PAGE 4B
Rylan Howe/KANSAN
Senior guard Aaron Miles Jumps past Colorado sophomore guard Marcus Hall during the second half of the game against Colorado Saturday afternoon. Miles bounced back from a mediocre performance at Kansas State to score 17 points and dish out nine assists during the 89-60 victory against Colorado.
THE RANT
RYAN COLAIANNI
rcolajanni@kansan.com
Tech gets in the zone to face Kansas
Despite falling in Ames, Iowa, on Saturday, Texas Tech is still a good team.
Until the defeat this weekend, the team played some of the best basketball in the conference. No one would have thought Texas Tech was going to have a good year. They lost Andre Emmitt to graduation, and what a huge loss that should have been. Emmitt was a three-time first team all-Big 12 selection during his career with the Red Raiders. He averaged more than 20 points per game.
Like he has done so many times before, however, Tech coach Bobby Knight found a way to make something out of nothing. The Red Raiders were picked to finish seventh in the conference by position to make the NCAA Tournament. They are third in the Big 12 with a 7-3 conference record.
Knight's lead scorer, Ronald Ross, was a nice role player last season, averaging more than 10 points per game. Now he's averaging more than 17 points. Knight's team is also efficient. The team is shooting nearly 50 percent from the field and is out rebounding its opponents.
Knight may be the best X's and O's coach in America because he is able to get his team mentally prepared for each opponent they face. Tonight's game should be no different.
I am sure that Knight will have concocted a zone defense that will cause fits for the Kansas big men. If Kansas is able to beat the zone, like they did in the second half against Colorado, it could be a long night for Texas Tech, no matter how well-coached they are.
Because of Tech's lack of strength inside, the zone will be crucial. Of the team's top-four leading scorers, Devonne Giles is the only forward. Giles will likely be guarded by junior forward Christian Moody or whichever Jayhawk forward is playing opposite of senior forward Wayne Simien
Leading the Red Raiders in rebounds is Giles, with 6.5 per game. And while the team averages more rebounds than its opponents, this will be the first time the Red Raiders will face an inside force as great as Simien. Simien took the Big 12 scoring lead this weekend and has maintained a firm lock on the rebounding title, all season. Simien will cause fits for the Red Raider front line tonight.
Knight is a genius in terms of preparing for games. He may go a little crazy sometimes, but as far as his basketball knowledge is concerned, there is no one better. He is one of the best coaches of all time, but unfortunately, he will likely be remembered for his antics than for his coaching.
This is a critical game for both teams. The Red Raiders desperately need to rebound from the loss to Iowa State. They also need another marquee victory to impress the NCAA selection committee. For the Jayhawks, a victory in Lubbock will move them closer to their goal of finishing the conference season undefeated.
Tonight's game in Lubbock and next week's game in Norman, Okla., will be the only difficult road games left for Kansas.
♦ Colaiani is a McLean, Va., sophomore in journalism and political science.
TRACK AND FIELD
Jayhawk runner sets record in 3,000-meter event
The Kansas track and field team earned national attention Saturday while competing with several top-25 schools at the John McDonnell-Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark.
BY PATRICK SHEAH
psheah@hansan.com
KANSAN SWIFTWRIVER
Junior Benson Chesang shone in the nationally televised event broadcast on ESPN2. His performance proved worthy of coverage as he dethroned Congressman and former KU
FOR MORI
- Check tomorrow's University Daily Kansan for additional coverage on Benson Chesang's record-breaking run.
track superstar Jim Ryun in the Kansas record books in the 3,000-meter run.
Chesang finished first at the meet with a time of 7 minutes, 59.46 seconds. His nationally qualifying time beat by one sec-
and Ryun's time, which held the KU record for 37 years.
"This means a lot to Benson," coach Stanley Redwine said. "It says a lot about him, because both men were such quality runners."
Also at the invitational, pole vaulter Amy Linnen pushed Ekaterina Sultanova out of first place in the record books as she jumped 13-feet 11-1/4 inches. Linnen, a senior, qualified for nationals with her sixth place finish at the meet. Sultanova, a freshman, finished seventh with
a jump of 13-feet 7-3/4 inches.
Linnen hopes to make this year a memorable one because it is her last year of eligibility.
She holds the women's national indoor pole vault record with a 2002 vault of 14-feet 10-1/4 inches.
Thrower Sheldon Battle returned from the ISU Classic with an NCAA-qualifying finish in the shot put.
The junior qualified with a throw of 63-feet 3-1/2 inches, placing second at the meet.
"Sheldon did a great job and
Chesang
one makes him third in the KU record books.
His performance this weekend makes him
Spinner and jumper Brooklyn Hann also placed second in the 60-meter hurdles, with a time of
we're definitely pleased," Redwine said. "We truly believe that he's on track for an automatic qualifying performance."
8:48. The senior replaced the previous second-best record, which she set last year at the Big 12 Championships.
Other noteworthy finishes included junior middle-distance runner Jeremy Mims' NCAA-qualitying finish of 1:48.90 in the 800-meter run. He finished 13th at the ISU Classic. Freshman Matt Baysinger finished second in the 600-yard race with a time of 1:10.94. He has finished in the top three in the last three meets.
- Edited by Jesse Truesdale