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kansan.com
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
Volume 128 Issue 53
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COMMENTARY
Kansas cools off in second half against Rider
Kansas basketball looked impressive in the first half against Rider Monday night, but struggled coming out of the gates in the second half. Slugish play might work against a MAAC team like Rider, but if the No. 11 Jayhawks play that way against a tougher team, like their next matchup, Florida on Dec. 3, they will struggle mightily.
If Kansas wants to stay afloat the top-25 in the rankings and the Big 12 standings, it will need to play both halves as well as it did in the first half of Monday night's 87-60 victory over the Rider Broncs. If the Jayhawks fail to do so, the No. 18 Florida Gators will walk into Lawrence unfazed, as well as leave the big guns in the Big 12, Texas and Iowa State, with not much to worry about either.
With Bill Self changing up the starting five at the start of the game, sophomore forward Landen Lucas got his first-career start. He finished up his first-half play recording six points and three rebounds. Sophomore guard Wayne Selden Jr. showed his heightened ability to distribute the ball with seven first-half assists, and freshman forward Cliff Alexander added a 9-0 run of his own including an alley-oop off a pass from one of Selden's many assists.
“[We were] playing the score as opposed to playing the possession,” Self said. “You should play to win every possession, good teams do that.”
When the Jayhawks ran off the court into locker room for halftime, they had a commanding 51-22 lead. 20 minutes later, they were outscored by two points, 36-38, and outrebounded 21-15, watching their lead slim down.
"That's the best half of basketball we've played this year," coach Bill Self said. "The first half I thought we were on point in most areas. The whole team was definitely a step slower the second half."
Mykhaiiliuk and Alexander didn't drop a single bucket in the second half, Ellis only supplied an additional six points and snagged only one more board. Selden only added two more assists and failed to score in either half.
Freshman guard Sviatoslav Mykhalliuk contributed 10 points of his own in the first 20 minutes, including two shots from the behind the arc. Junior forward Perry Ellis stepped up with 11 points, going a perfect 5-for-5 from the free-throw line.
"We just kind of stopped and we took our foot off the gas," junior forward Perry Ellis said. "We have to learn that we have to complete the full game to become a better team."
If Kansas' second half woes continue, it could be the first time in 10 years they don't win the Big 12 title.
We will just have to wait and see if Kansas can keep it up for the entire game against Rhode Island on Thanksgiving.
Edited by Miranda Davis
RIDING EASY
BEN FELDERSTEIN
@Ben_Felderstein
Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk emerges in win over Rider
In the early weeks of this Kansas basketball season, the layhawks have been struggling to find their "go-to-guy." No.11 Kansas (2-1) may have found him in 17-year old Ukrainian Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk.
Kansas guard Wayne Selden puts up a shot over Rider defender Teddy Okeaeor in the second half of play on Monday night. Selden finished the game scoreless, but had a game high 9 assists on the night.
Mykhailiuk got his second start of the year against Rider, and had his strongest performance to date, leading Kansas to an 87-60 win over the Rider Broncs (2-2) on Monday at Allen Fieldhouse. His play was highlighted by a diving save on a loose ball, a play that would end in a Mykhailiuk layup. The freshman guard finished with 10 points on 57-percent shooting to along with a team-high five rebounds and two assists.
provided the energy for the Jayhawks, who bounced back strong with a much-needed victory after a 32-point loss to Kentucky on Nov.18.
"He's (Mykhaliuk) going to be a great shooter," coach Bill Self said. "It may be because of the European ball, but he's our best guy at moving the ball."
"We were ready to get out there and get after it," junior forward Perry Ellis said. "We needed to get our confidence back up."
Kansas' big men were dominant early on, scoring 20 of the team's first 27 points. Lucas added a quick four points while Ellis scored six, including four free throws. Freshman forward Cliff Alexander put up ten big points off the bench in only 13 minutes of play, going 4-for-4 from the field with four boards to match, including a 9-0 run by himself.
He may not have scored, but his presence was certainly clear, "leading Kansas to a strong first half. Selden Jr. took only one shot, but helped Kansas shoot 66.7 percent from the field and lead 51-22 heading into halftime.
Not afraid to launch from long-range, Mykhailluk leads Kansas with 12 3-point field goal attempts and is tied for the team lead with three. He made two of his five attempts on Monday night.
ANDY LARKIN/KANSAN
Fueled by Mykhaliliuk, Kansas exploded off the tip in its second home game of the season Monday night. Sophomore forward Landon Lucas got his first career start and
"We need to continue to keep getting better and better and do what we need to do."
The Jayhawks got off to a slower start offensively in the second half, but that wasn't due to a lack of effort. Selden started the second half running the point with Alexander and Ellis down low.
Sophomore guard Wayne Selden Jr. was controlling the floor for most of the first half, as he racked up seven assists.
"We had 13 post touches in the first half, we had zero against Kentucky," Self said. "We've always been a low-to-high team."
"To be candid, it was lack of maturity," Self said on the slow second half start. "But that first half was our best half of basketball we played all season."
Ellis continued his stable play in the second half as he tied for the lajhawks lead in scoring. Ellis shot 83 percent from the field on 5-for-6 shooting and sank seven of ten from the line.
Kansas spread the ball well against Rider, as the Jayhawks combined for 22 team assists. Selden's assist numbers slowed down in the second half, but he still finished with a team-high nine assists.
Sophomore guard Brannen Greene had a breakout game, setting career highs in points scored (17), minutes (19), and field goals made (5). Greene shot 71 percent from the field and provided big minutes for Kansas off the bench.
"I was playing within the
Kansas dominated every facet of the game against Rider and will try to carry that momentum into the Orlando Classic. Kansas will next play
system, getting open shots," Greene said. "We were able to get easy buckets. Wayne (Selden) took a bigger role facilitating the ball."
Rhode Island Thursday in the first round of the tournament.
"We have three games coming up this week," Greene said. "We need to continue to keep getting better and better and do what we need to do."
Edited by Miranda Davis
Jayhawks prepare for Iona after weekend tournament
KIRSTEN PETERSON
@KeepUpWithKP
Freshman Chayla Cheadle drives the ball down the court against Georgetown during Sunday's win. Kansas will face lone Wednesday.
BROOK BARNES/KANSAN
The Kansas women's basketball team will play in its sixth game of the season Wednesday night against the Iona Gaels in Allen Fieldhouse.
Iona is led by senior guard Damika Martinez, who has already scored 103 points this season, averaging 25.8 a game. She is the key player to watch for the Gaels.
The Jayhawks finally found their identity last weekend, playing against three teams with different offenses.
"Coming out of the first game and our struggles defensively," coach Bonnie Henrickson said after Sunday's game. "I think we filled the lane better, we forced people to make an extra pass, we were more disruptive, forced some secondary offense and some bad shots at the rim."
The Jayhawks finally have a defense that's ready to take on Iona's steady offense. After this weekend, the freshmen were able to adapt quickly to the fast-paced style and learn key concepts.
"I think what [three games in three days] did for us, you know, especially with so many young kids, to kind of put them in situations that they haven't been in and see how they respond to it a little bit," Henrickson said. "The good thing is that! I feel like we've gotten better in the three games and [have]
gotten some experience."
gotten some experience.
Along with winning the three-game slate, the Jayhawks have also overcome the fatigue the fast-paced tournament brought them.
"Having three games in three days is a tough thing," senior forward Chelsea Gardner said. "But just finding energy and getting momentum played into what helped us for this game (against Georgetown on Sunday)."
Being able to play tired last weekend will be an advantage to the Jayhawks once they're fully rested against Iona on Wednesday.
Kansas (4-1) comes into this match with the better record than the 1-3 Gaels.
In Kansas' last game against Georgetown, the Jayhawks scored 14 points off of the Hoyas' 16 turnovers. In the Gaels' last game, they committed 21 turnovers, leading to 22 points for the opponent. If the Jayhawks are able to control the ball and take advantage of the takeaways, Kansas will come out on top.
lona has struggled making shots from the field and the free-throw line. In Iona's last game against the University of the Pacific, the Gaels shot 34.6 percent from field goal range and were 8-for-18 from the line.
Edited by Rob Pyatt
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL GAMEDAY VS IONA GAELS
Wednesday, Nov. 26 | 8 p.m. | Allen Fieldhouse
Natalie Knight, senior guard Knight finished the weekend with a strong performance against the Georgetown Hoyas, racking up 11 points, five assists and four rebounds, while only committing one turnover. The senior guard has stepped*up as one of the leaders of the team, but she'll certainly have her hands full as lona boasts one of the best guards in the country.
Lauren Aldridge, freshman, guard Aldridge had a pretty outstanding weekend, racking up 16 assists in three games, with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 4-to-1. The freshman guard will look to keep up her solid play, which has helped to take the pressure off of seniors Natalie Knight and Chelsea Gardner.
Chayla Cheadle, freshman, guard After playing well in her first start on Saturday, Cheadle struggled against the Hoyas, scoring just six points on 2-of-9 shooting. As a starter, Cheadle is averaging 9.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game, and she'll look to continue to help the Jayhawks in multiple areas of the game.
KANSAS (4-1)
Jada Brown, sophomore, forward
Brown started the weekend with a
strong performance, going 5-of-5
from the field and finishing with 12
points and six rebounds, albeit in a
loss. However, she struggled to do
much in the ensuing two games, averaging just one point per game, to go along with 4.5 rebounds.
Chelsea Gardner, senior, forward Gardner is averaging 20.8 points, 10 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game, and she has already had a 30-point game, a 16-rebound game and a 5-block game this season.
Damika Martinez, senior, guard Martinez has been flat-out spectacular this season averaging close to 26 points and six rebounds per game, while becoming lona's all-time leading scorer.
IONA (1-3)
Cassidee Ranger, junior, forward Ranger has struggled pretty mightily this year, and she was even replaced in the starting lineup by Aalyah Robinson last game. However, Robinson had a pretty subpar performance, racking up four turnovers while shooting 0-of-5 from three-point range and 0-of-4 from the free throw line.
Joy Adams, junior, forward Averaging 16.5 points and 11.8 rebounds per game, Adams has started the season off quite well. In fact, she has managed to grab at least 11 rebounds in every single game, and Adams has hit the 20-point scoring mark in two of the Gaels' four contests.
Marina Lizarazu, sophomore, guard Lizarazu has started all four games for the Gaels, and she's been solid, averaging 9 points and 5.3 assists per game. Lizarazu has only gotten better while playing alongside Martinez, and the Jayhawks will have to be careful to not allow her to get going on offense.
Aurellia Cammock, sophomore forward
Cammock has been fairly forgettable this season, averaging just two points and 4.5 rebounds per game, and she's already had three games with more fouls than points. Cammock will need to play far better if she doesn't want to be the next one to lose her spot in the starting five.
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— Scott Chasen
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