THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2014
PAGE 7
BEN LIPOWITZ/KANSAN
Sophomore guard Wayne Selden Jr. drives to the basket in Friday's season opener.
Big scoring runs lift Kansas over UCSB 69-59
CHRISTIAN HARDY
@HardyNFL
Twelve minutes into the Kansas season opener against University of California, Santa Barbara, Allen Fieldhouse hadn't yet awoken from its eight-month slumber. At that point, the fieldhouse had been at its loudest during introductions and the Jayhawks were trailing, 13-12.
That changed in a hurry. Within minutes, Allen Fieldhouse arose. It finally felt as though Kansas basketball was back. The Jayhawks suddenly went on an 11-2 run to regain a lead they wouldn't relinquish in a 69-59 victory against UCSB.
"We need to win games," coach Bill Self said. "We're not going to play great all the time. We need to develop an identity. ... We need to win ugly games. Tonight was one of those games."
It was the runs that pushed the Jayhawks over the Gauchos on opening night. The first run was led by freshman
point guard Devonte' Graham and his three buckets as well as a transition 3-pointer from sophomore guard Brannen Greene that got the crowd off its feet for the first time of the night.
UCSB came in position to take the lead with 13:50 left in the second half, pulling the game to 39-37. But that's when Kansas began its second run.
It started with an and-one on a driving lay-up from sophomore point guard Frank Mason after a feed from junior forward Perry Ellis. After a UCSB bucket, Kansas went off. The climax of the 16-4 run came when freshman Svi Mykhailiuk crossed a UCSB defender, drove to the bucket and dished a swift pass to fellow freshman Cliff Alexander, who put down a two-handed hammer.
the crowd "oohed" at Mykhailiuk's moves, then exploded when Alexander put home the dunk. It was the loudest the fieldhouse got all night.
thing especially when you're at home," said Graham, who finished with a team-high 14 points. "It's like having extra players on the court."
"The crowd is always a good
The freshmen got a good taste of a regular season game in the Allen Fieldhouse, but they also executed sharply during the second-half run. Eleven of the team's 16 points came from Mykhailiuk and Alexander on that run, and the first-half run came as a result of Graham's hot hand. The three combined for 27 of the Jayhawks' 69 points.
"Our bench was the best tonight," Self said. "Our bench was better than our starters tonight, at least a few players were."
"That's what we play to," Self said. "You've got to be patient. Then when you have a chance to have three or four good possessions in a row, you take advantage of it."
That second-half streak secured the win, as Kansas never lost its 10-point lead in the final nine minutes.
Edited by Yu Kyung Lee
Gardner sets milestone helps Kansas win opener
SCOTT CHASEN
@SCHasenKU
The Kansas women's basketball team defeated the South Dakota Coyotes 68-60 on Sunday, thanks in part to an incredible performance by senior forward Chelsea Gardner. Despite playing just 24 minutes due to foul trouble, Gardner poured in 24 points and 11 rebounds, while adding four blocks.
"She is pretty tough [to guard]," said South Dakota coach Amy Williams after the game. "We don't see that kind of player every day."
In the second half, Gardner became the 10th Jayhawk under coach Bonnie Henrickson to reach 1,000 career points, as she hit a key basket in the closing minutes to tie the game at 55-all. Following the basket, the Jayhawks would put the game away with a 13-5 run.
While Gardner's double-double was certainly impressive, the Jayhawks got an added boost from another senior, guard Natalie Knight. With Gardner in foul trouble for much of the game, Knight stepped up with 15 points, seven rebounds and five steals. Perhaps the most impressive statistic from her performance was that she did not commit a single turnover in 39 minutes.
"[Coach Henrickson] emphasizes all the time that in close games every possession matters," Knight said. "I've always valued taking care of the ball and not turning it over, and it was really more important [to do so] in this game than in previous games."
"She is pretty tough (to guard). We don't see that kind of player every day."
AMY WILLIAMS
South Dakota coach on
Chelsea Gardner
For Kansas, much of the struggles came against South Dakota's 2-3 zone, especially in the Jayhawks' inability to hit on open 3-point shots. The Jayhawks made just 2-of-16 3-point attempts, both in the first half.
as she missed all seven of her field goal attempts, but was able to help out in other ways, leading the team in assists and racking up two rebounds and two steals.
Freshman guard Lauren Aldridge, in particular, struggled to shoot the ball.
Aldridge ended the game with 11 points, all coming on free throws, and after the game, Henrickson complimented her ability to stay calm under pressure.
"She's got poise and composure," Henrickson said. "[Lauren] is a mentally tough kid, and she has good shot mechanics, [so with those coupled] I'm not surprised she had that kind of success at the line."
The Jayhawks will have a quick turnaround, as their next game will take place Tuesday against Texas Southern, which finished 20-13 last season, including a loss to the Jayhawks. In that game, Tigers' guard Jazzmin Parker scored 34 points in 34 minutes, but the team's 25 turnovers made it impossible for them to stay in the game. Parker is a senior this year, and containing her may very well be the key for the Jayhawks to win the upcoming game.
Edited by Emily Brown
COLUMN FROM PAGE 12
“[Graham] just has such a nice feel for the game and he definitely got the crowd into the game,” UCSB coach Bob Williams said. “He's a special player, [Kansas] knew that when it got him.”
general — than the sophomore. Graham creates plays; he rarely forces a shot, but he also doesn't hesitate to take one if it's there.
He saw 26 minutes of action Friday night; Mason received 25. When both were on the court at the same time, it was usually Graham who took the ball up, not Mason.
Before the season, Self mentioned he had a starting five in mind held like to see by the beginning of Big 12 play. After how he's been utilized early in the year, it's hard to imagine that lineup doesn't include Graham at the point.
The starting two-guard spot is still very much undecided; if both Graham and Mason continue to excel, it's not a stretch to envision Graham taking over at point and Mason regularly manning the two.
Considering how Graham played on Friday, that time may come sooner than later.
middle Orrham at the point.
"I thought that Devonte' was the most ready to play of all the freshman as far as having an understanding," Self said.
"I'm not saying he's the most talented, but it doesn't surprise me that he's played well."
Edited by Emily Brown
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