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SPORTS
WWW.KANSAN.COM/SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
1B
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 5, 2003
Kansas to avenge Iowa State
Big 12 Conference play ends tonight for'Hawks
By Ryan Greene rggreene@kansan.com Kansan sportswriter
Tonight, a bittersweet regular season will come to a close for the Kansas women's basketball team.
The Jayhawks (10-16, 3-12) have improved this season on last year's 0-16 in the Big 12 Conference but still have not reached their full potential. Tonight, Kansas looks to end its conference schedule by getting revenge against Iowa State. On Jan. 11 in Ames, the Cyclones squeaked by the Jayhawks with a 72-70 victory.
Kansas coach Marian Washington said she was relieved that her team would get to play at least one home game following an emotionally draining road stretch at Kansas State and Missouri.
Washington said it was a good way to finish the Big 12.
"We had a very good game against them in Ames, so I know they will go in with some confidence," she said.
Sophomore guard Aquanita Burras liked the way the offense executed in the first game, and knowing what Iowa State will bring beforehand is helping Kansas prepare more efficiently.
"I think they're going to stick with the 2-3 zone, and we're just trying to perfect our offense to try and abuse that," Burras said.
KANSAS VS. IOWA STATE KANSAS (10-16)
With a victory tonight, the team can finish as high as ninth, but with a loss, it could see an 11th place finish. Washington not only wants the team to win to build confidence but also because Iowa State could be Kansas' first round opponent in next week's Big 12 tournament.
"I think it would be a real confidence booster for us going into that tournament," Washington said. "I think it would be a really important thing for us
P No. Player Ht. Yt. PPG RPG
F 22 Farona Ransburg 6-4 9-11 11.0 8.0
F 40 Crystal Kempa 6-2 Fr. 10.8 5.6
F 40 Blaire Mizwal 9-0 So. 7.1 5.2
G 21 Leila Menguc 5-6 Jr. 2.7 2.2
G 21 Aqanta Buratas 5-9 Jr. 1.8 4.8
IOWA STATE (11-15)
G 23 Erica Hallman 5-8 Fr. 8.3 1.6
F 33 Nichole Roberts 6-1 Fr. 3.8 4.3
F 30 Stacey Becker 5-9 So. 4.1 0.7
P No. Player Ht. Yt. PPG RPG
G 12 Anne O'Nail 5-11 So. 10.1 4.8
G 13 Anne Wiley 5-9 Sr. 19.2 2.6
G 15 Holly Borowryk 6-1 Sr. 1.3 1.5
F 43 Mary Coelfd 6-0 Sr. 6.8 4.5
F/C 45凯丽 Kriener 6-0 Sr. 9.8 5.8
G 10 Erica Junod 5-7 Jr. 6.0 3.8
G/F 11 Mary Fox 6-0 So. 5.5 6.0
F/C 51 Brittany Wilkins 6-3 Fr. 4.1 2.5
**Opponent:** Iowa State
**When:** 7:05 Tonight
**Where:** Allen Fieldhouse
**Radio:** 90.7 KJHK, 1320 KLWN
to have a great game and hopefully a game that we will win as we prepare for that first round. "
Note:
Four players were named yesterday to Academic All-Big 12 Conference teams.
Junior guard Leila Menguc, sophomore center Valerie Migicovsky and sophomore guard Blair Waltz were named to the first team, while sophomore guard Brandi McGinest was named to the second team.
To qualify, student-athletes must maintain a 3.0 grade point average or higher, either cumulative or from the two previous semesters and must have participated in 60 percent of her team's scheduled contests. Freshman athletes and transfers are not eligible.
—Edited by Christy Dendurent
Kansan file photo
Sophomore guard Aquanita Burras led the Jayhawks with 14 points in the Jayhawks' 72-70 loss to Iowa State Jan. 11 in Ames, Iowa. Burras, who leads the team in steals and field goal percentage, and the Jayhawks face the Cyclones tonight at Alien Fieldhouse in their final match of the season.
Iowa State tries to overcome road struggles against Kansas
Cyclones to challenge Jayhawks tonight look to extend streak
By Shane Mettlen
smetten@kansan.com
Kansas sports writer
The Iowa State women's basketball team will be hoping that tonight's trip to Lawrence goes better than last year—off the court, that is.
On Feb. 6, 2002, the Cyclones' team plane had to make an emergency landing
en route to the match-up with the Jayhawks. The team eventually arrived at Allen Fieldhouse two hours before tipoff, but managed to shrug off the adversity and hand Kansas a 75-50 loss.
When the two teams meet again in the Fieldhouse, at 7 tonight, the Cyclones may get more of a challenge from the Jayhawks. Iowa State trailed most of the way against Big 12 Conference bottom dweller Nebraska while shooting only 32 percent from the field but managed a late rally to defeat the Huskers Saturday.
"The will of this team took over, and I think a lot of people wanted to win because it was the seniors' last home game, and they made it happen."
"The will of this team took over, and I think a lot of people wanted to win because
Lindsey Wilson Iowa State senior
it was the seniors' last home game, and they made it happen," Iowa State senior Lindsey Wilson said. "I'm just glad my teammates came through, and the intensity out
there was really amazing."
The Cyclones have struggled on the road this season, winning only one game outside the Hilton Coliseum. Iowa State has had recent success against Kansas though. The Cyclones won the last four meetings with Kansas but have won only four times in Lawrence.
For Kansas the game provides an opportunity to close out the regular season on a positive note. The Jayhawks have lost three straight including a 73-52 spanking at Missouri Saturday.
The Jayhawks are optimistic going into tonight's game despite their recent
struggles but will need a better effort defensively than in the first meeting with the Cyclones this season.
"It was a game we could have won," Kansas coach Marian Washington said. "We lost to the 3-point shooters, and we were just not there."
Washington said Missouri was a difficult game.
"I was very,very disappointed, especially on the defensive end," Washington said. "Hopefully, we will be able to rebound for this last game."
— Edited by Erin Chapman
Slow motion attack
Dan Nelson/Kansan
Instructor Owen Livingston (right) demonstrates a move with the help of Topeka junior Jason Ziegler at a meeting of the Ki-Aikido club in Robinson Center. Livingston said the group was preparing last night for an upcoming tournament later this month.
Collison's off-court behavior speech make him a fan favorite
I wear a men's watch. It's a big, silver, chunky thing. People comment on it often, and every time I love to tell this story.
The watch belonged to my grandpa. During World War II, a Japanese fighter plane was shot down in front of him. He took a piece from the wing and made it into the watch that now adorns my left wrist. My grandpa died two years ago after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease. He used to sputter stories of being scared and wanting to "get off the ship." Even safe in his own bed at 85 years old, he was transformed into a scared young man fearing for his life.
If I had to talk about my grandpa at Allen Fieldhouse center court in front of 16,300 people. I don't think I could. Listening to Nick Collison mention his own grandpa on senior day on Saturday brought tears to more eyes than just mine.
Kelly McNearney editor@kansan.com
My best friend admitted to dabbing
away his own masculine tears at Collison's emotional display, and I was convinced of what I always suspected. Nick Collison is the finest athlete I'll ever see.
I've had to interview a lot of people as a journalist. Each one has had the same answer to one question. Favorite Kansas basketball player? Nick Collison.
The reasons vary from, "Did you see him against Texas?" to "He's not too showy like some players," and, my personal favorite, "He just seems like such a nice guy."
That's the crazy thing about celebrity,1
guess. We fall in love with the guy because we've conjured up an image in our heads that he's the all-American boy from Iowa who probably helps old ladies cross the street and would ask permission before dating your daughter. Really, we don't even know him.
But there's something more here. Roy Williams said Collison was one of the reasons he stayed in coaching. He said the Collison family was phenomenal. Dick Vitale said Collison embodied everything you could want in a college athlete. And there's something to be said for a guy who is his sister's wedding attendant of honor and teaches basketball to his kid brother.
Then there is that 3.7 grade point average. In one conversation with Nick, he was genuinely excited at the possibility of becoming an Academic All-American. An athlete who cares about school and is
SEE McNEARNEY ON PAGE 8B
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