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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Women's basketball begins regular season at home
SCOTT CHASEN
@SCHasenKU
The Jayhawks will kick off their regular season Sunday as they take on the South Dakota Coyotes in Allen Fieldhouse at 2 p.m.
While South Dakota isn't considered to be as much of a challenge as many other teams the Jayhawks will face, Kansas coach Bonnie Henrickson said her team's lack of in-game experience against zone defense could hurt them.
"We maybe saw 10 possessions of [2-3 zone in exhibition play], and we're anticipating to see it quite a bit against South Dakota," Henrickson said after the lahaywks second exhibition game. "It would have been good for us to play live [again the 2-3] a little bit more."
South Dakota is coming off of a 19-14 season, which culminated with a trip to the NCAA tournament. The Coyotes lost in their first round game to Stanford, a team that then went on to reach the Final Four.
The Jayhawks will need to contain Nicole Seekamp, the Coyotes' best player, if they are to emerge victorious. The senior guard averaged 15.5 points, 4 rebounds and 3.8 assists last season, including a 22-point, 5-rebound performance in the game against Stanford.
ANNA WENNER/KANSAN
Meanwhile, the Jayhawks are searching to find their way back to the NCAA tournament for the third time in the past four years, and getting the season started off on the right foot would go a long way in accomplishing that goal.
Senior forward Chelsea Gardner maneuvers away from a Washburn opponent during last Saturday's game. Kansas defeated Washburn 78-58 and will start their regular season this Sunday against South Dakota.
History is on the jayhawks side, as Kansas has won its season opener for the past nine years by an average margin of 21.4 points. However, the Jayhawks aren't just looking to sneak into the NCAA Tournament; they're looking to make some noise in the Big 12, too.
"I have really high expectations for this team, and I think
we'll go far," senior guard Natalie Knight said. "I think we defi-
nenty have the capability to even win the Big 12 this year, too."
In order to contend against the likes of Baylor, Texas and
West Virginia, the Jayhawks will need to be much improved. from where they ended last season, as they lost each of their last five regular-season conference games, before getting bounced in the Big 12 Tournament by No. 9-overall seed Baylor.
For Kansas, it all goes back to starting the season off on the right foot, as the Jayhawks won each of their first seven games in the two most recent seasons when they reached the NCAA tournament. While that may be a little more difficult this year, with a game against No. 3 Notre Dame looming as the seventh contest for the Jayhawks, there's no reason to think Kansas won't have a chance to win it's first seven games, especially considering the momentum the Jayhawks will have built up should they make it through the first couple games unscathed.
Edited by Lyndsey Havens
Women's basketball gameday: South Dakota
KIRSTEN PETERSON
@KeepUpWithKP
KANSAS
Bunny Williams, senior, forward Williams will try to capitalize on her defensive game to overpower South Dakota. Williams has a total of 10 rebounds in two exhibition games this season.
Chelsea Gardner, senior, forward Gardner will have Jayhawk fans cheering loudly again after playing exceptionally well in both exhibition games this season. With a double-double against Fort Hays State and 20 points and nine rebounds against Washburn, she won't disappoint against South Dakota.
Asia Boyd, senior, guard Boyd has a lot of potential against South Dakota after recording 19 double-digit games last season. Boyd needs to limit turnovers to the Coyotes.
Lauren Aldridge, freshman,
guard
Aldridge has been a nice addition to the Jayhawks after really carrying the team at the beginning of the Washburn game, scoring five points in the first four minutes of play. She is a leader on the court, despite being the youngest starter.
Natalie Knight, senior, guard Knight carried the team against Washburn last Sunday, scoring 21 points and being 8-for-10 from the charity stripe. Knight will continue to be a top-scorer going into the first regular season game of the year.
Tia Hemiller, junior, guard
Tia Hemiller led the team in both assists and rebounds last year. Hemiller was also the second-most accurate 3-point shooter in the Summit League at 43.2 percent.
Raeshel Contreras, senior, guard Contrares shoots accurately from the 3-point line. She made 61 three-pointers last season and will be someone for the Jayhawks to watch out for on the outside.
Nicole Seekamp, senior, guard Seekamp lead the Coyotes in scoring last season, averaging 15.5 points per game.
Lisa Loeffler, senior, forward
Loeffler ranked fourth on the team in rebounding and assists last season. Loeffler averaged 6.8 points per game last season and went 40-for-51 from the free throw line.
Margaret McCloud, junior, center McCloud lead the team in field goal percentage (59.9 percent) and was third in rebounding (5.4 rpg). McCloud didn't start any game last season, but played in 31 games averaging 17.3 minutes per game.
Edited by Drew Parks
BEN LIPOWITZ/KANSAN
Junior forward Perry Ellis goes for a dunk in Tuesday night's game against Emporia State. The Jayhawks will play UC Santa Barbara on Friday in their first regular season game.
Competition stiffens with UC Santa Barbara matchup
BEN FELDERSTEIN
@Ben Felderstein
Kansas will begin its regular season schedule on Friday night against UC Santa Barbara. After coming off of a 53-point win against Emporia State in their first preseason game, momentum is on the Jayhawks' side.
"We played a lot better tonight," coach Bill Self said. "I thought we looked more cohesive. The ball moved pretty good. We looked semi-organized at times. Not great, but pretty good."
With the game three days before the Champions Classic, Kansas will use the Santa Barbara game to prepare for one of its toughest tests of the season against Kentucky.
"Immediately after the game, coach Self told us what was coming for us. We're already on to the next game, we know it's a 'real' game," sophomore guard Brannen Greene said. "UC Santa Barbara is good. They are going to bring things that Emporia
State and Washburn didn't. They've got more size, so we've got to come in and pay attention to the scouting report even more and get the job done."
The Gauchos posted a 2013-14 record of 21-9 (12-4) and have been projected to finish second in the 2014-15 Big West Conference poll.
In 2003. Kansas defeated Santa Barbara 72-52 in their only prior meeting. The Jayhawks knocked the Gauchos out in the first round of the Wolf Pack Classic in Reno, Nevada.
"I thought it was pretty good," Self said of the team defense. "Obviously, they're not very big, but usually when they're not very big it usually creates quickness and
The Jayhawks played strong in their first two preseason games, but still have a lot of work to do if they plan on contending for their 11th straight Big 12 title. The defense looked strong against Emporia State, but their execution was often sloppy.
it's hard guarding a little guy. I thought we actually got out and defended them and our ball screen defense was a little better. It's nothing to be too excited about, but it's better than it was last week."
Kansas is as deep this year as they have been in recent memory. With 11 players getting legitimate minutes in the preseason, Self's implementation of a rotation should be interesting. In years past, Self has seemed to stick to a 10-man rotation.
"I thought everybody had a chance to play fairly significant minutes," Self said. "I thought they all contributed well. I thought Landen (Lucas) and Hunter (Mickelson) may have been our two best bigs in the first half. Frank (Mason III) and Wayne (Selden Jr.) and Perry (Ellis) didn't really plug themselves into the second half, but I thought Wayne played great both halves. We did some good things."
— Edited by Kelsie Jennings
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