THE UNIVERSITY OF DARRY KANSAS
FRIDAY, MARCH 27, 2009
SPORTS
3B
ARKANSAS 23 36 - 59 KANSAS 36 39 - 75
KANSAS (20-13)
Player FG-FGA 3FG-3FGA Rebs A Pts
Danielle McCray 11-17 4-7 8 1 35
Nicollette Smith 0-2 0-1 6 3 1
Krysten Boogaard 1-1 0-0 0 0 2
LaChelda Jacobs 0-2 0-0 3 0 2
Ivana Catic 1-2 0-0 2 8 2
Aishah Sutherland 4-9 0-0 11 1 8
Kelly Kohn 0-1 0-1 1 0 0
Sade Morris 9-12 2-3 4 2 23
Porscha Weddington 2-7 0-0 2 0 4
Marija Zinic 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Rebecca Feickert 0-1 0-1 0 0 0
Team 8
Total 28-54 6-13 46 75 18
ARKANSAS (18-14)
<table border="1"><tr><td>Player</td><td colspan="2">FG-FGA</td><td colspan="2">3FG-3FGA Rebs</td><td>A</td><td>Pts</td></tr><tr><td>Whitney Jones</td><td>3-7</td><td>0-0</td><td>6</td><td>1</td><td>11</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Ayana Brereton</td><td>6-13</td><td>2-7</td><td>7</td><td>1</td><td>15</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Shanita Arnold</td><td>3-6</td><td>1-1</td><td>4</td><td>2</td><td>7</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Ceira Ricketts</td><td>4-17</td><td>0-0</td><td>4</td><td>4</td><td>10</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Lyndsey Harris</td><td>0-5</td><td>0-1</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>1</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Jamesha Townsend</td><td>0-0</td><td>0-0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Ashley Daniels</td><td>1-2</td><td>0-0</td><td>4</td><td>0</td><td>3</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Julie Inman</td><td>1-3</td><td>1-1</td><td>1</td><td>0</td><td>3</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Brittney Richardson</td><td>1-4</td><td>0-2</td><td>1</td><td>0</td><td>4</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Charity Ford</td><td>1-4</td><td>0-0</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>6</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Ashlea Williams</td><td>0-0</td><td>0-0</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Team</td><td></td><td></td><td>4</td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Total</td><td>20-61</td><td>4-12</td><td>35</td><td>8</td><td>59</td><td></td></tr></table>
GAMENOTES
Junior guard Danielle McCray pushes through Arkansas' Charity Fly and Brittney Richardson during the third round of the WNIT Thursday. McCray tied her career high with 35 points in the lakers' 79-64 victory.
Tyler Waugh/KANSAN
WEDDINGTON SEES INCREASED MINUTES
Junior forward Porscha Weddington logged 18 minutes against Arkansas after playing just seven minutes in Kansas' last four games.
Facing a quick Arkansas team, Weddington afforded Kansas a better option in the post.
"I told her two days ago, 'Porscha, you have to be ready'; figuring she could match some of that athleticism,"coach Bonnie Henrickson said.
KANSAS GRABS VICTORY NO. 23
For the first time since the 1999-2000 season, Kansas reached the 20-win mark. By defeating Arkansas, Kansas improved to 20-13 on the season.
"That's a benchmark in basketball," Henrickson said. "I would've liked to have gotten there sooner but we'll take it."
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Jayson Jenks
Catic emerges as postseason leader
BY CLARK GOBLE
cgoble@kansan.com
Apparently senior Ivana Catic believes in jinxes.
When told after Kansas' win over Arkansas she has had just three turnovers in four postseason games, Catic laughed and scooted her chair to the nearest table. There she performed one of the oldest superstitions around: knocking on wood.
"It has really helped me," Catic said. "As a senior, I kind of wish I would have started that earlier because I think it really opened my eyes to some things."
In Thursday night's game, Catic continued to control Kansas offense with extreme efficiency. She turned it over once to go with eight assist in the 75-59 win in the third round of the Women's NIT. She attributes the increased efficiency to watching more film.
Coach Bonnie Henrickson says she felt Catic has improved in the postseason as well.
"She has done a good job of managing possessions and making good decisions," Henrickson said.
Catic said her understanding of the offense helped her pace the layhawks when a few of the starters picked up two fouls and were relegated to the bench. Sophomore Krysten Boogaard picked up two fouls in three minutes and didn't check back into the game until the second half. Sophomore Nicollette Smith also picked up two early fouls.
Late in the first half, Catic was the lone starter on the floor. In order to keep the offense flowing until halftime, Catic huddled her teammates after every dead ball.
"I just told whoever was in to stay aggressive and not turn the ball over," Catic said. "Sometimes I think we get nervous when [Danielle] and [Sade] aren't in."
Her contributions didn't just show up in the box score. She went to the floor several times to either maintain or reacquire Kansas' possession. Henrickson also noted that Catic tipped a few rebounds to teammates.
Catic's steady point guard play helped the Jayhawks acquire a 13 point lead at halftime. She recorded seven assists to go with no turnovers in the first half.
The differences in body language between the Razorbacks and Catic were striking. Arkansas looked confused and unorganized when warming up for the second half and their bench rarely showed much support.
Catic yelled and swung her arms in the air after junior
Danielle McCray buried a threepointer early in the second half and applauded every Kansas effort when she took a quick break on the bench.
Catic said her energy and hustle plays mostly come from her extreme desire to keep her season going.
"It's exciting to still be playing in March when a lot of teams aren't playing anymore." Catic said. "It's March Madness, and it's a once in a lifetime opportunity for me to go all the way."
— Edited by Justin Leverett
WOMEN'S (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
suits them best, McCray and Morris have thrived in Kansas' last four games.
"This time of year, those players that play those kinds of roles, you gotta be able to step up and play," Hemrickson said.
During that stretch, McCray has averaged 26 points per game, while Morris has contributed 21 points per game.
Yet, just as important, Kansas appears to have found the third scorer that has eluded the Jayhawks for much of the season.
While McCray's and Morris' scoring performances have been well-noted, freshman forward
Aishah Sutherland has quietly developed into a productive post
option. She's averaging 10.3 points and 7.8 rebounds in her last four outings, providing Kansas with much needed balance.
"I've noticed that we win a lot when I play a good game," Sutherland said.
"These teams are fighting for the same thing. They're trying to win, they're trying to advance."
Kansas neither generated nor answered runs. Not surprisingly,
DANIELLE MCCRA1 Junior guard
There's an old cliche in sports that states basketball is a game of runs. In the beginning of the season,
the Jayhawks began conference play 2-9.
But as the season progressed, and Kansas began winning, that trend no longer held precedent. Take Thursday night as a perfect example.
Early on, Kansas grabbed control of
the game after a sloppy beginning. The layhawks pieced together a 14-0 run midway through the first half, building a significant cushion.
Sparking that run were, of course, McCray and Morris. The duo combined for 12 of the 14
points in helping Kansas create separation from Arkansas.
" (Sade) has even been bringing energy to me" McCray said. She's been doing good and we're in a rhythm and in
a tempo and that
"I've noticed that we win a lot when I play a good game."
the first half had little to do with defense or offense. Four of Kansas' starting five found themselves
AISHAH SUTHERLAND Freshman forward
makes me feel good about myself. "That's when everyone feels good about themselves"
seated on the bench for large chunks of the first half.
But Kansas' biggest problem in
The rest of the Jayhawks managed just two points in the final five minutes of the first half. But here's the key: Kansas allowed Arkansas to score only six points in that same stretch.
us confidence that 'hey, we made this great run, let's knock them out when we come back out'
"It gives us that edge going into halftime." Morris said. "It gives
Arkansas opened the second half with a 7-2 run, giving the impression that Kansas lead may not have been so secure. But the Jayhawks quickly squelched any comeback hopes and enhanced their lead as the second half continued.
"We know that you can't settle for anything in any basketball game," McCray said. "These teams are fighting for the same thing. They're trying to win, they're trying to advance."
— Edited by Sam Speer
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