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MONDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2011
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
KANSAS 76. ALABAMA 80
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL REWIND
43----76
PETE PAIOR/THE CRIMSON WHITE
Sophomore guard Keena Mays goes in for a layup against Alabama on Sunday. Mays led the team with a career-high 21 points. Kansas lost to Alabama, 80-76.
Four clutch 3-pointers from sophomore guard Keena Mays kept the Jayhawks close, but it was still not enough to rally a victory as Kansas lost 80-76 to Alabama on the road.
Jayhawks suffer first season loss
33
KATHLEEN GIER
kgier@kansan.com
Mays hit her final three with just nine second left in the game to bring the Jayhawks within two
points. She finished with a careerhigh 21 points highlighted by 4 of 6 shoots from beyond the arc.
"That's where she is a playmaker," coach Bonnie Henrickson said.
Mays hit the game-winning shot against Wake Forest on their first road test.
"I know my team especially needs me on away games," Mays said. "It feels good."
Mays played with a shooting sleeve after hyper-extending her elbow a week ago against Florida Atlantic in the final day of the Basketball Travelers Classic.
Alabama's Meghan Perkins hit two free throws to seal the game. Both teams had uncharacteristic days from the line. Alabama shot 75 percent from the line after shooting 60 percent in their first eight games.
Below average free-throw shooting hurt the Jayhawks, as they shot only 47.1 percent. They were 8 of 17 despite shooting 72 percent for the season before this game.
"We were just a bad free-throw shooting team today," Mays said.
Kansas had the opportunity for 13 free throws in the second half, but was only able to convert six.
"We were kind of kicking ourselves for that," Davis said. "We were looking at all the different things that were key to us not being able to pull a win out. That was one of them."
Senior forward Aishah Sutherland carried the Jayhawks early scoring the first six points of the game. She finished with 15 points.
Kansas scoring was balanced between the guards and forward, as Mays and junior forward Carolyn Davis each contributed 21 to lead their contingents. Davis tied her season-high after shooting 9 of 15 from the field.
Kansas has relied on the post for scoring for much of the year, centered on Davis who was recently named to the Wooden Award Early Season Watch List.
Junior guard Angel Goodrich helped pace the Jayhawks with 12 assists and nine rebounds as she played all 40 minutes for Kansas. This was her third game of the season with double digit assists. Goodrich also drew three charges.
The Jayhawks scored 38 points in the paint, but struggled to defend the Crimson Tide as they scored 48. Kansas also lost the rebounding battle on both ends and finished with 35 compared to 42 from Alabama.
"Early on it was a lot of pressure," Davis said. "They were in a power post defense. It was hard to get the ball inside, but it started to wear down and they were able to get it into me."
Kansas
The Jayhawks will take a day off and return to practice on Tuesday. Kansas suffered its first loss of the season and will look to recover when they host Wisconsin at 7 p.m. on Thursday.
Kansas started the game with turnovers on the first two possessions. Turnovers continued to cause a problem for the Jayhawks who tallied 11 in the first half. They finished the game with 16 turnovers.
"She is the littlest guy on the court in the middle of the lane mixing it up with everybody," Henrickson said. "Her toughness today was off the charts."
Edited by Stefanie Penn
43 | 37----80
Alabama
Top Stats
Points
Rebounds
Mays 21
Davis
Assists
9
Goodrich 12
Kansas
Player FG-FGA 3FG-3FGA Rebs A Pts
Angel Goodrich 2-7 2-3 9 12 7
Aishah Sutherland 7-13 0-0 6 1 15
Carolyn Davis 9-15 0-0 9 0 21
CeCe Harper 1-3 0-0 0 0 2
Natalie Knight 0-5 0-3 1 1 0
Monica Engelman 3-5 0-1 1 2 8
Keena Mays 8-12 4-6 1 2 12
Tania Jackson 1-3 0-0 0 0 2
Totals 31-63 6-13 35 18 76
Alabama
Player FG-FGA 3FG-3FGA Rebs A Pts
Jasmine Robinson 10-19 2-4 5 0 24
Meghan Perkins 6-11 0-0 6 1 17
Erin Hogue 2-7 0-0 5 1 4
Khristin Lee 1-6 0-0 5 4 2
Ericka Russell 3-7 0-0 2 0 7
Aneesah Daniels 3-7 0-0 13 1 9
Shafontaye Myers 2-4 1-2 1 1 9
Jessica Merritt 5-9 0-1 3 0 5
Totals 32-70 4-10 42 8 12
Quote of the Game
"There is not a bad free throw shooter on this team. Emotionally you have to be poised and composed and focus on making it and we didn't do that."
Coach Bonnie Henrickson
Henrickson
Notes
- Mays scored a career-high 21 points
- Davis tied a season-high 21 points.
- This is Kansas' first loss on the season
- Goodrich recorded her third double digit assist game on the season.
- Mays is battling a hyper-extended elbow and Davis has a stress fracture in her foot.
Key Stats
Assists
Free throw percentage
Turnovers
Players in double digits
3-pointers for Mays
BIO
Assists for Goodrich
Game to Forget
Freshman Guard Natalie Knight: Knight played 26 minutes for the Jayhawks but failed to score. She recorded one rebound, one assist and one turnover.
Knight
Game to Remember
Sophomore Guard Keena Mays
Mays hit four well timed three pointers to keep Kansas in the game. She scored a career high 21 points. In 28 minutes she shot 8 of 12 highlighted by a 4 of 6 performance from beyond the arc.
Mays