THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2009
SPORTS 3B
BASKETBALL (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
hasn't received much national attention.
Add another opportunity that a victory against Missouri could present. Self said he thought it would force people around the nation to take notice.
Weston White/KANSAN
Kansas lost to Missouri 62-60 two weeks ago at Mizzou Arena. Self said Kansas "gave that one away." And it's hard to argue against it.
"We have a chance to help our ourselves playing a top-10 team Sunday," Self said. "If we're able to take care of business Sunday, I think we'll be in the discussion."
The matchup against the Tigers goes beyond all that for the Jayhawks, though. To them, it's about redemption.
The tayhawks led by 14 at half-time and by eight with seven minutes to go before Missouri came back. Missouri guard Zaire Taylor made a jumper with one second remaining to win the game, and fans rushed the court.
Not surprisingly, the layhawks remember the defeat better than any game this season.
Junior guard Sherron Collins gets pumped after hitting one of several three-pointers throughout the Jayhawk's 87-78 victory against Oklahoma on Monday in Norman. Now that Kansas is first in place on the Big 12, each remaining regular season game will be increasingly important to determining the team's finish and eventual seedings in postseason tournaments
"We made a lot of uncharacteristic plays and lost our poise there at the end," sophomore center Cole Aldrich said. "But you've got to learn from it and get better. It makes our team go."
If Kansas beats Missouri, it will be two games away from winning its fifth consecutive Big 12 regular season championship. Then, the layhawks' final two games — at
ference. Collins wouldn't have it any other way.
Texas Tech on March 4 and against Texas on March 7 - will become the biggest of the year, because if Kansas wins, it will clinch the con-
— Edited by Chris Horn
BASEBALL
Freshman pitcher helps team secure a victory
Jayhawks defeat Razorbacks 9-3 after productive third, sixth innings
BY JOSH BOWE
jbowe@kansan.com
It wasn't anywhere near perfect, but freshman pitcher Lee Riden-hour survived the first start of his
Faunce
His solid pitching, along with timely hitting, led Kansas to a 9-3 victory against the No. 21 Arkansas Razorbacks yesterday afternoon.
"I was really excited and my adrenaline was pumping." Riden-
Ridenhour pitched five innings, giving up two earned runs. He was
just tried to get that first pitch across for a strike"
Ridenhour
shaky at times as he allowed three walks and six hits, including a solo home run to the Razorbacks senior
Ben Tschepikow.
But he battled through his five innings and handed the game off to the bulldon to secure the victory.
Thompson
"Lee was spec.
tacular," senior centerfielder Nick Faunce said. "I was really impressed with him, even with the umpire having a really tight strike zone."
BOX SCORE
Kansas 0 0 4 1 1 3 0 0 0 — 9
No. 21 Arkansas 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 — 3
WP: Ridenhour (1-0) LP: Eibner (0-1) SV: None
HR: Tschepikow (ARK: 1)
In addition to the contributions from Ridenhour, the Kansas offense was able to put nine runs on the board, a season high. Faunce said the team had to play within its identity.
"We can't just be going for the fences when we come up to the plate," Fauncie said. "We know we have to push runners over and drive them in."
A four-run third inning took the pressure off Ridenhour early. Sophomore third baseman Tony Thompson picked up the inning's biggest hit, driving in two runs with a single. Faune also had an RBI single in the inning.
"I wouldn't even say that we've been struggling in those other couple of games," Faune said. "I feel like we've been hitting a lot of balls hard at people. Today it was good to see those balls drop, especially in clutch situations."
Ridenhour didn't need any more run support after that third inning. He used his slider effectively against the left-handed power hitters in the Razorback lineup.
"My slider was working really well for me," Ridenhour said. "I had good command of it, especially against the left-handed hitters, the power hitters that they have in the middle of the lineup."
A victory against a ranked team can do wonders for a team's confidence, and Faunce hopes Kansas can springboard from this victory and sweep the series tomorrow afternoon.
"We got to keep tough and never be satisfied," he said. "I think it was just good for our mindsets to give us the peace of mind that we can do it."
HALL COLLECTS NATIONAL AWARDS
After receiving awards from the Big 12, Shaeffer Hall's no-hitter has been recognized nationally.
Both the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and The College Baseball Blog named Hall National Pitcher of the Week for the week of Feb. 24. He was also named the Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week.
Hall pitched a no-hitter last weekend against Air Force in his first start of the season. It was only the fifth individual no-hitter thrown in Kansas history and the first since 1980.
Hall is the first Kansas player to be honored as a national player of the week since Gus Milner in 2006.
Chiefs release popular veteran players Edwards, Surtain, Huard
Edited by Brandy Entsminger
NFL
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Three often-injured veterans who hardly played last season were cut loose on Tuesday by the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Chiefs announced on their Web site they terminated the contracts of linebacker Donnie Edwards, quarterback Damon Huard and cornerback Patrick Surtain.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
None of the three played much during the 2-14 season of 2008 and
all were expected to be gone soon.
The Chiefs also said they waived tight end Michael Merritt, who played very little last year as a rookie.
The moves were made without comment by Scott Pioli, the Chiefs' new general manager, or new head coach Todd Haley.
Edwards, 35, was a fourth-round draft pick by Kansas City in 1996 and led the Chiefs in tackles for four years. He was allowed to sign a free agent contract with San Diego but rejoined the Chiefs
as an unrestricted free agent in 2007. He played in only seven games this past season and had 34 tackles.
Huard, 35, spent his career as a backup to some of the game's best quarterbacks, including Dan Marino at Miami and Tom Brady at New England. He was with the Chiefs the past five years, but injuries caused him to miss the last 11 games of 2008.
RILEY (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
“There’s some of Riley that is just not defendable,” Henrickson said. “I mean, she has that kind of speed ... You've got to be able to slow Riley down if you can, but you can't have contribution from others. You have to be able to shut everybody else down.”
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Surtain, 32, appeared in only eight games in 2008 and totaled 11 tackles.
Last season, Riley torched the Jayhawks for 49 points and made 54 percent of her attempts in two games — both Kansas losses.
Still, the depth of Riley's offensive success goes beyond any physical ability. From previous meetings, Catic noticed a certain swagger — a willingness to continue shooting and attacking.
"The best thing about her is her confidence." Catic said. "She really believes that every shot is going to go in and if one doesn't go in, she's going to get the next one."
In doing so, the Jayhawks hope to limit, but not necessarily shut
In preparation for Riley, the Jayhawks returned to the fundamental basics of defense: Stay low, don't bounce, and keep a body between the offensive player and the basket.
Oklahoma State guard Andrea Riley, center, is a force to be reckoned with on the basketball court, and the Jayhawks seem to have accepted they will have trouble holding her down. Instead, the Jayhawks plan to focus on shutting down Riley's teammates tonight.
| P | No. | Kansas | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| G | 3 | Ivana Catic | 5-8 | Sr. | 2.3 |
| G | 4 | Danielle McCray | 5-11 | Jr. | 19.0 |
| G | 20 | Sade Morris | 5-11 | Jr. | 11.9 |
| F | 24 | Nicollette Smith | 6-2 | So. | 7.3 |
| C | 14 | Krysten Boogaard | 6-5 | So. | 9.5 |
Edited by Chris Hickerson
"She's their leader in every single way," Catic said. "If she gets emotional, everyone else gets emotional — in a good or bad way."
That's why it's so important that we contain her and don't let anybody score."
down, Rilev.
When/Where...
Kansas (14-11, 3-9) vs. Oklahoma State (15-10, 4-8)
Tipoff scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday at Gallagher-iba Arena in Stillwater, Okla.
Who to watch for...
What to expect...
An Oklahoma State team that badly胜利. The Cowgirls took a hard loss to Texas Tech and in turn the Red Raiders supplanted them in ESPN's latest Bracketology. The Cowgirls are now on the outside looking in. A loss to Kansas would end their hopes completely.
Junior guard Andrea Riley. It all goes through the 5-foot-5 guard from Dallas. She averages nearly 20 shots per game. When she does give up the rock, she does it very well. She gets more than six assists a game, as well. She may be little, but she can get her shot off quick and she is always looking to score.
P No
G 10
G 13
F 1
F 32
C 33
Oklahoma State Ht. Yr. PPG
Andrea Riley 5-5 Jr. 24.0
Tary Hardman 5-10 Sr. 6.4
Tegan Cunningham 6-1 Jr. 10.9
Shaunte' Smith 6-0 Sr. 11.0
Megan Byford 6-2 Jr. 4.7
Kansas put together a complete 40 minutes in the Jayhawks victory against No. 21 Iowa State and will need to again to win in Stillwater. It will not be easy and Riley will keep it close, even by herself. But Danielle McCray and Sade Morris will split the scoring load and be too much for the Oklahoma State defense.
Why Kansas will win..
How the game is important...
27. 2 percent — Riley's shooting percentage from behind the three-point line. She sometimes settles for a deep heave, and if the Jayhawks can limit her penetration, she might be less effective.
Magic number...
Kansas is still looking at a potential bid to the WNIT. This team will get better with every game it plays, so if the Jayhawks play a few more at the end of the year, they will have more experience for next year.
Clark Goble
ANDERSON CHANDLER LECTURE SERIES
THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS SCHOOL OF BUSINESS PRESENTS AN EVENING WITH FORMER GOVERNOR
Bill Graves
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2009 · 7:00 P.M. THE LIED CENTER OF KANSAS
PRESIDENT AND CEO OF AMERICAN TRUCKING ASSOCIATIONS
Transportation at the Crossroads How the changing economy may affect the transportation of goods
KU SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
The University of Kansas
FREE TO THE PUBLIC
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