6A = THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
THURSDAY,DEC.13,2001
Women's team yet to click
Hoopsters looking to get all cylinders running together
By Jessica Scott Kansan sportswriter
With finals lurking around the corner, the Kansas women's basketball team is continuing to search for the right answer, and the Jayhawks hope they can earn a passing grade at 7:05 tonight against Wichita State (4-2).
Kansas (3-6) is off to its worst start since the 1983-84 season, when it began 3-7. After a 51-48 loss to Weber State on Saturday, the Jayhawks look to redeem themselves in their final home non-conference game of the season. Kansas coach Marian Washington said her team would need to fix one main problem before the new year.
"I think our biggest challenge is that we don't have five players that are on the same page all the
time," Washington said. "We have spurs of good things and then they break down and then we come back with another spurt. It really does hurt us."
Kansas' lack of continuity proved costly against Weber State. The Jayhawks jumped out to a quick 16-3 lead but let the Wildcats tie the score at 26 going into halftime. Senior center Nikki White said her team must focus on playing a complete game if the Jayhawks are to succeed this season.
"It's all going to have to start in practice. For a little while it's been the same way — we've been going in spurs," White said. "Once we can really chime into knowing what we need to do on a consistent basis then it will show up in games."
Kansas owns an all-time record of 30-5 against the Shockers and has a perfect 17-0 record when playing at home. Wichita State has already faced two Big 12 Conference teams this season,
earning a win against Oklahoma State and losing to Oklahoma 89-68. Five Shockers are averaging double figures while only two Kansas players consistently reach double digits. Washington said she hoped to see her freshmen contribute more on the offensive end.
"I think Blair (Waltz) is doing a great job. Blair is very offensive-minded and I'm really tickled with her," Washington said. "I think that if Chelsea (Thompson) would lift her head a little bit and realize some of the good things she's doing she could help us even more. Both of these kids are going to be very good in another year."
Senior guard Selena Scott, who leads the team in scoring (13.0), steals (2.1) and free throw percentage (.846), said she knew what her young team needed at this point in the season.
"We've just got to find it within ourselves," Scott said.
Contact Scott at 864-4858
Roundup: Tennis, swimming and golf finish strong
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7A
Texas on Senior Night at the Horejsi Family Athletic Center.
Tennis
The tennis team saw several individuals succeed this fall.
Sisters Courtney and Kristin Steinbock cruised through the doubles field at the Aztec Tennis Invitational, taking the championship after winning all three of their matches.
Senior Cheryl Mallaiah nearly captured a title in San Diego, as she advanced to the finals before falling to a top-seeded and 46th nationally ranked player from San Diego State.
Another season highlight came at the Indiana Invitational in Bloomington, Ind., when sophomore Emily Haylock and junior Kim Lorenz
won three straight matches in the Singles Flight No.2 bracket to set up an all-Jayhawk meeting in the championship match. Haylock defeated teammate Kim Lorenz in the final. Swimming and diving
The Kansas swimming and diving team finished the fall season with five wins in six dual meets. Coach Cathy Burgess' team also finished third in the Big 12 Invitational and fifth at the Minnesota Invitational.
Kansas set six pool records on the way to winning a tri-meet at Southwest Missouri State Nov.3, as it defeated SMS 99-40 and the University of Houston 91-48.
Burgess was particularly impressed by the 'Hawks win in the season's final dual season Dec. 8 at Wyoming.
The Hawks will return from
winter break with a dual at Texas A&M on Jan. 13.
Golf
The Kansas men's golf team saved its best performance for the last tournament of the fall season. The Jayhawks tied for second place in the 20-team field at the Prestige at Palm Desert.
The men's team finished fifth at both the Stanford Invitational and Jim Colbert Intercollegiate.
The women's golf team toped off its fall season with a 10th place finish out of 18 teams at the Marilynn Smith Sunflower Invitational at Lawrence's Alvamar Golf Club. The finish was the highest of the season for the women's team.
Contact Briggeman at 864-4858