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KANSAS 79,CREIGHTON 64
PAGE 1B
Junior guard Danielle McCray lunges toward a loose ball during Monday's game against Creighton at Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks defeated the Creighton Bluejays 79-64, and will play again Thursday night against Arkansas.
Kansas wins WNIT game at home
BY JAYSON JENKS jjenks@kansan.com
This is familiar territory for Kansas, a team that played in the Women's National Invitational Tournament a season ago, winning one game before losing the next.
But the Jayhawks hope the similarities between last season and this current one end there. After barely missing the NCAA tournament last week, Kansas defeated Creighton 79-64 in the second round of the WNIT.
And this much quickly became clear in the moments after the victory: Kansas' sights are set squarely on a tournament championship.
"This year's it's glaring. It's starring us in the eyes," junior forward Danielle McCray said. "Being so close to the NCAA tournament, we're just trying to prove to the committee that we should be a
team that could be in it next year
and we will be in it next year."
Last year, McCray said Kansas lacked the drive to desperately want to win the tournament. But the Jayhawks made their aspirations well-known, even in the moments following the announcement that they failed to make the NCAA tournament.
In the past week, players and coaches looked into the past for inspiration by finding teams that played well in the WNIT one season and used it as a platform to make the NCAA tournament the next.
"Last year, we weren't even hopping we would be in the NCAA tournament," senior Ivana Catic. "When it didn't work out this year, we said, 'let's take advantage of what we had.'"
But the story of Monday night's game lay in the first half, when Kansas started miserably before
eventually finishing magnificently.
The jayhawks appeared thoroughly uninterested in the opening five minutes. They missed open shots, turned the ball over and played rather soft and unaggressive defense. And, consequently, Creighton began the game on a 6-0 run.
"Coming off about a week of practice with no games, it kind of showed," McCray said. "If we play like we did tonight, we won't have success Thursday (against Arkansas)."
Yet Kansas flipped those trends quickly, taking control of the game midway through the first half and never relinquishing the lead.
PAGE 4B
"The game got away from us in the first half." Creighton coach Jim Flanery said. "We missed layups and then gave up layups."
As slow and sluggish as Kansas looked in the beginning of the
WOMEN'S REWIND
For full coverage of the women's basketball game against Creighton, check out page 4B.
game, the Jayhawks looked like a completely different team in the half's final eight minutes. And, in many ways, they were.
Early in the game, Kansas allowed Creighton open and relatively easy shooting attempts. But the Jayhawks clamped down defensively as the half wore on.
The Bluejays made just three of their 21 shots in the final 11 minutes of the first half.
Sure, Creighton missed some open looks and tumbled at away some golden chances at layups, but Kansas' defense had a lot to do with the poor shooting numbers.
"We turned up our defense and they didn't score," Sade Morris, junior guard, said. "We just turned up our defense."
On the other end of the floor, Kansas executed on offense, placing scorers in more favorable positions. McCray turned in a performance that has become the norm this season: 25 points and 13 rebounds.
Morris though, regarded as Kansas' best perimeter defender — and matched up against Creighton's best scorer in Chevelle Herring — provided a spark in a
SEE WOMEN'S ON PAGE 4B
Newcomers realize dream of NCAA tournament
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Freshman guard Tyrone Appleton (32) screams after a basket by junior guard Sherron Collins as newcomers Travis Releford, Quintrell Thomas, Markieff Morris and Mario Little watch on. All of them, as well as Marcus Morris and Tyshawn Taylor, logged at least one minute of playing time in Sunday's game against Dayton.
BY CASE KEEFER
ckeefer@kansan.com
MINNEAPOLIS — Six years ago, Mario Little went to the store, bought all the junk food he could and settled down in front of a television.
It was the night of the 2003 national championship between Kansas and Syracuse. Little hated Syracuse. He wanted nothing more than for the Jayhawks to be crowned national champions.
Little remembers his disappointment after watching Carmelo Anthony record 20 points and 10 rebounds to lead Syracuse to an 81-78 victory. But the feeling he remembers better from that night is a positive one.
"I just sat there and watched it," Little, a junior guard, said. "Just thinking, 'maybe someday, I'll be there."
Kansas vs.
Michigan
State
Not playing at Kansas - Little
SWEET SIXTEEN
Around 8:35 p.m. Friday in Indianapolis.
said that never crossed his mind. Not even necessarily playing in the national championship. No. Little just wanted to be a part of the NCAA tournament.
Now, it's happening. Kansas has won its first two NCAA tournament games and is headed to Indianapolis for the Sweet Sixteen later this week. No one is enjoying the experience more
SEE MEN'S ON PAGE 5B
COMMENTARY
Team hints at future talent
Eight games is just a glimpse into the women's basketball season. Not enough to judge
season. Not enough to judge the lajahawks comprehensively, but plenty of time to see the tantalizing potential hiding behind their inconsistent play.
Then again, if you had watched Monday night's lackluster 79-64 victory against Creighton, you might agree with the selection committee's decision to leave Kansas out of the field of 64.
Kansas isn't an NCAA tournament team. Early-season stumbles and conference letdowns ensured that. But if you had watched coach Bonnie Henrickson's team rack up six victories in its last eight games, you might think differently.
Not exactly what you would expect from an NCAA tournament embark, let alone a team hoping to embark on a lengthy WNIT run.
The Jayhawks missed their first seven shots. Creighton collected 15 offensive rebounds with only one starter taller than six foot. The Bluesjay even outscored the home team by two in the second half after Kansas ended the first half on a 23-6 run.
Henrickson said she asked her players how they would grade their defensive performance in the locker room after the game. The consensus answer, which Henrickson said she was inclined to agree with, was a D. At least they are honest.
The most frustrating part is that the Jayhawks know what heights they're capable of reaching Victories against No. 5 Baylor and No. 21 Iowa State during Kansas' current run speak to that.
And even though their performance Monday night wasn't perfect, there were still those signs of superior talent and potential poking through all the imperfections that make you wonder what could have been.
Juniors Danielle McCray and Sade Morris combined to score 46 points and pull down 16 rebounds against a Creighton squad unable to deal with their superior athleticism and length. Kansas shot 54 percent from the field, bouncing back decisively from its sluggish start.
Even freshman forward Aishah Sutherland, who didn't see a second of playing time in the two teams' matchup earlier this season, contributed a career-high 15 points and 12 rebounds.
There were a few rough spots, streaks of inconsistency and even a lack of effort at times, but Kansas is still to the WNIT third round. The season continues, and hope remains that this postseason run — NCAA tournament or not — will better prepare the Jayhawks for a make-or-break season next year.
Kansas will play host to Arkansas Thursday at 7 p.m. in Allen Fieldhouse, where it is 14:3 this season. A victory against the Razorbacks would send the Jayhawks to the WNIT's equivalent of the Elite Eight.
Kansas may not be an NCAA tournament team now, but inconsistencies aside maybe these past eight games are an indication of what is to come.
Edited by Melissa Johnson