Volume 124 Issue 118
Monday. March 26, 2012
kansan.com
Yes, it took only seven seconds for the bubble of tension that was the Edward Jones Dome to pop. Seven simple seconds that took everything from nervous doubt to ecstasy.
And the spark that lit the Jayhawks fire came from Jeff Withey. The Jayhawks' seven footer took a chance with four fouls, but that chance ended up leading Kansas to the Final Four.
"The whole run started because of Jeff," freshman guard Merv Lindsay said. "That capped the run. Ever since I got here in the summer, everyone was on Jeff, but at the end of the day it was to get him ready. And now he's ready."
In seven seconds, everything changed.
COMMENTARY Withey's play big in victory
Withey showed just how ready he was with the clock reading 2:06 and Kansas winning 71-67. North Carolina forward John Henson caught a pass at the free throw line and took one hard step to the basket while Withey left his post at the rim to take a step of his own to greet him.
The two did meet, and Henson shot the ball. Or he tried at least. Withey's arms overpowered Henson's, and the shot was blocked. But that wasn't the hard part.
The ball lofted in the air, and for a game that was moving so fast, everything seemed to stop.
And then explode once again.
And then explode again. Withey smacked the ball toward senior guard Tyshawn Taylor and once the ball met Taylor's hands, he ran.
So Taylor dribbled four times toward the basket. He lofted in the air and did so while drawing contact from White. The whistle blew with the clock at 1:59, the layup fell and pandemonium rang out in St. Louis.
White punched the air while Taylor and junior guard Elijah Johnson walked toward the sideline together. Taylor stared into nothingness, determined to finish off North Carolina with the ensuing free throw. As for Johnson, he screamed, along with every Kansas fan in the building.
"It felt good," Johnson said. "It felt like icing on the cake. That's one of my favorite lines. It was sweet. Definitely sweet."
"He made eye contact with me after the block," Taylor said. "So as soon as it came back to the ground, he just tipped it as hard as he could and I just starting leaking out."
And the sweetness continued. Taylor made his free throw to give Kansas a 74-67 lead. A few minutes later, Taylor would cut a piece of that same net, and even he knew the play, the tip from Withey, gave him that chance.
"It was just the perfect play."
The footrace began with the clock reading 2.03. Taylor versus Stilman White, the freshman guard for North Carolina. White ran trying to extend his first shot at glory, while Taylor ran hoping to extend his last chance at glory.
Kansas fans, sensing the moment, began to rise. They had seen Taylor do so much good along with so much bad in his four years at Kansas that there was no telling what would come next.
Edited by Pat Strathman
KANSAS TOO MUCH FOR NORTH CAROLINA PAGE 4B
Grading the Jayhawks
Check out how the Jayhawks fared in the Elite Eight victory @ KANSAN.COM
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
TARA BRYANT/KANSAN
Sophomore forward Tania Jackson rests after the NCAA Women's Regional Semifinals at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa on Saturday. Kansas lost to Tennessee 84-73.
Despite loss, Sutherland enjoys her final seconds
RYAN MCCARTHY
rmccarthy@kansan.com
DES MOINES, Iowa — With just under three minutes to play in the Sweet 16 women's basketball game, Tennessee had secured a 78-64 lead over Kansas on Saturday.
Kansas' lone senior, forward Aishah Sutherland, was guarding fellow senior Glory Johnson, one of the most highly decorated forwards in the SEC. With similar builds of length and athleticism, it was as even of a battle Sutherland had seen all season.
After controlling the tempo for much of the first half, the Jayhawks appeared worn down by the depth and size of the Lady Vols.
"She has a lot of hop to her," Sutherland said. "Instead of jumping up to get a rebound, I had to box out more. She was there to get the rebounds, and it was great to play against someone as athletic as me."
But despite the 84-73 loss for the Jayhawks looking inevitable, Sutherland was still enjoying her
last few moments on the college court
It's been quite the ride for
It's been qu. Sutherland and the Jayhawks.
After squeaking into the tournament as one of the last four teams in, Kansas took advantage of some favorable match ups in
face off against one of the blue bloods of women's college basketball.
Little Rock, Ark., and were able to advance to the Sweet 16 to
AISHAH SUTHERLAND Senior forward
"Being able to play a team like Tennessee is a blessing," Sutherland said. "They're not in our conference, and usually, we don't get to play against schools that have the
history like that. Being able to play against them was exciting
in itself."
The Johnson-Sutherland tussle was overshadowed by the star power brought out by the guards in this game.
Junior forward Angel Goodrich continued her craftiness with 23 points, carving up the Lady Vols defense, just as she had done with Delaware and Nebraska.
For Tennessee, it was the guard combo of freshman Ariel Massengale and sophomore Meighan Simmons who led
SEE BASKETBALL PAGE 7B
SOFTBALL
Home series ends with two victories
ALEC TILSON
ALEC TILSON
atilson@kansan.com
The Kansas softball team needed just two weekends of conference play to match its Big 12 win total of two from a season ago.
After twenty-five road games and three rainouts, Kansas (22-6, 2-4) won two of three games against Oklahoma State this weekend in its first series at Arrocha Ballpark this season.
The series win came a week after being swept at Missouri and gave the Jayhawks something they never had last year - a conference win at home.
GAME ONE
For seven-and-a-half innings the game remained scoreless.
Freshman pitcher Alicia Pille (10-3) threw eight strong innings. She allowed just two hits and struck out 11 in keeping a clean sheet for Kansas through the top of the eighth inning.
That's when freshman infielder Chanin Naudin stepped to the plate, turned on a 1-0 pitch on the inside corner and sent the ball
"She pitched me that same pitch the last two at bats, and I just missed both of them," Naudin said. "I was like, 'okay it's coming again. It's my best pitch to hit.'"
soaring over the left field fence for her first career home run. Ballgame over; Kansas w 1-0.
Up to that point, the teams combined for just five hits as Oklahoma State's Kat Espinosa pitched seven strong innings before giving up the homerun.
The Kansas defense helped out as well. After Oklahoma State's first base runner reached safely in the fifth inning, freshman catcher Lexi Bryant threw her out trying to steal second base.
Pille said she knew one of her teammates would eventually come through, so she just continued to pitch until it happened.
"I'm so excited, so proud of her," Pille said on Naudin. "I knew someone was going to score but I didn't know how."
GAME TWO
Sophomore pitcher Kristin Martinez struggled with control in the first inning, allowing one run on a hit, a walk and a wild pitch,
so coach Megan Smith called on junior pitcher Morgan Druhan to take the ball.
And Druhan answered the call. She pitched five innings in relief, giving up one earned run on two hits as she kept Kansas within a run.
"She did a great job," Smith said. "She was just locked in. I think you could see it. She's a fierce competitor."
It was during the third inning when Kansas scored its three runs, and all of the offensive pieces were working together.
A leadoff walk, followed by a bunt single, a sacrifice bunt, then a sacrifice fly gave the Jayhawks one run with a runner on third.
As Maggie Hull stepped into the batter's box, she focused on making a minor adjustment her hitting coach Adam Roorbach had stressed. Sure enough, she connected on a two-run homerun to the deepest part of park and gave the Jayhawks a 3-1 lead.
"I was trying to make adjustments, but nothing seemed to be working," Hull said. "I'm definitely giving coach R. the credit for it."
GAME THREE
Kansas went on to win 3-2.
The bats on both teams came to life on Sunday.
The teams combined for 15 hits after putting up a total of 14 in the first two games, but Oklahoma State came up with the clutch swings.
Oklahoma State, playing to avoid the sweep, scored first when it put up one run on Pille in the first inning. Kansas, however, answered with a run of its own in the bottom half on an RBI-single by senior outfielder Liz Kocon.
The Cowgirls took advantage of a fourth-inning Kansas error that helped load the bases with one out. Oklahoma State would go on to score two runs that proved to be the difference in the 3-1 victory over KU.
Aside from the disappointment of dropping the last game of the series, Kocon said the team is proud that it took advantage of its first home games of the season.
Edited by Pat Strathman
"It feels really good to get a home win and let our fans see that we do fight to win," Kocon said.
SUNDAY'S SINGLE RUN
Kansas scored only one run in Sunday's game against Oklahoma State. Here is how it happened.
- Sophomore infielder, Ashley Newman singled to left field. She advanced to second on a passed ball.
- Junior outfielder, Rosie Hull flied out to left field.
- Junior outfielder, Maggie Hull struck out swinging.
- Senior outfielder, Liz Kocon singled to right field for an RBI; Newman scored.
- Junior infielder, Mariah Montgory singled through the right side; Kocon advanced to second.
- Freshman catcher, Lexi Bryant struck out swinging.
1 RUN, 3 HITS, 0 ERRORS, 2 LOB.