TUESDAY, MARCH 5. 2002
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN = 3B
Women Jayhawks seek to stop Longhorns, streak
By Jessica Scott Kansan sportswriter
The Kansas women's basketball team lost its record-setting 16th straight game to No. 15 Texas in its final game of the regular season. The Jayhawks will play the national powerhouse again this afternoon for the second time in two weeks — but this time, the stakes are higher.
Kansas (5-24, 0-16 Big 12 Conference) will face the No. 5 seed Longhorns at 2:30 in the first round of the Big 12 Women's Basketball tournament at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo. By winning, the No. 12 seeded Jayhawk team could add a small blip of pride to its dreary season, but Kansas coach Marian Washington said she knew how tough a task this would be.
"We've got to figure out how to contain that quickness," Washington said after Kansas' 61-46 loss to the Longhorns last week. "Maybe we've got to get back and really think about more of a half-court approach and try to cut the game in half."
When Texas (19-8, 10-6 Big 12) came to town last week, they met an emotionally charged Kansas team on its senior night. After Stacy Stephen's team led by only two at the break, the Longhorns' player took over and scored 12 of her 16 points in the second half. No Jayhawk was able to stop her on the inside, and Washington said she was worried about the upcoming game.
"The only thing that matters to me is how in the world are we going to stop Stephens," she said.
Kansas senior center Kristin Geoffroy had trouble defending against Stephens during their last meeting at Allen Fieldhouse. But Geoffroy said somehow she had hope for today's first-round rematch against the Longhorns.
"Maybe we'll get a surge of energy and possibly pull out one, maybe two upsets," Geoffroy said. "It doesn't matter who we play but who ever it is, we're going after them."
The 'Hawks are 0-9 while playing a top 25 team this season.
Washington said the team was stalled at the bottom of a ruthless conference.
2002 Big 12 Women's Basketball Tournament
March 5-7,9 Municipal Auditorium Kansas City, Mo.
First Round, March 5
Game 1: No. 8
Oklahoma St. vs. No. 9
Texas A&M, noon
Game 2: No. 5 Texas vs.
No. 12 Kansas, 2:30 p.m.
Game 3: No. 7 Texas
Tech vs. No. 10 Missouri,
6 p.m.
Game 4: No. 6 Iowa St.
vs. No. 11 Nebraska, 8:30
p.m.
Second Round, March 6
**Game 5:** Game 1
Winner vs. No. 1
Oklahorna, noon.
**Game 6:** Game 2
Winner vs. No. 4 Kansas
St., 2:30 p.m.
**Game 7:** Game 3
Winner vs. No. 2 Baylor,
6 p.m.
**Game 8:** Game 4
Winner vs. No. 3
Semifinals, March 7
**Game 9:** Game 5
Winner vs. Game 6
Winner, 6 p.m.
**Game 10:** Game 7
Winner vs. Game 8
Winner, 8:30 p.m.
Championship, March 9
Game 11: Game 9
Winner vs. Game 10
Winner, 6 p.m.
"It wasn't like we were losing to po-dunk teams—we were losing to very,very fine ball clubs," Washington said.
"The fact is that this conference is the most unreal conference this season with so many teams nationally ranked."
For the second straight year, Kansas' season will not extend to the postseason. Still, Washington billed this season as a mixture of extraordinary talent and bad timing.
"We can be proud of this conference," she said. "It's just tough that we had to be in this situation this year."
Contact Scott at jscott@kansan.com
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