THE UNIVERSITY DAIRY KANSAN
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2009
SPORTS
3B
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Kansas thwarts Emporia's game
Defense worked to hold off star athlete Cassondra Boston, but there is still room for improvement
BY ANDREW TAYLOR
ataylor@kansan.com
There's little doubt that Emporia State senior guard Cassondra Boston had the game against Kansas circled on her calendar from the time she first saw the exhibition schedule.
"You get up for it because it's a big D-I school and the fact that we're able to compete with them is pretty exciting," Boston said.
Two years ago, the last time the Hornets met the Jayhawks in an exhibition game, Boston led her team back from an early 23-5 deficit to what was almost a shocking upset in overtime.
This year was a different story for Emporia State's outstanding senior athlete as the Jayhawk defense gave Boston problems for most of the game as she went 5-for-13 from the field as her team lost 85-48.
"I knew it was going to be a different situation," Boston said. "I mean obviously they're a
really good team."
In a prime defensive effort during a 10-minute stretch in the first half where the Hornets did not have a single field goal, the Jayhawks forced a shot clock violation. Boston had the ball as the shot clock expired and threw up a prayer just after the buzzer sounded. In that moment, a smile lit up senior Sade Morris's face, who was guarding her at the time.
"It just felt good that we were able to play out the full 30 seconds and not let them get the shot off," Morris said.
The field goal drought was ended by none other than Boston as she hit a three-pointer with one minute to play in the first half.
Coming into the game, Henrickson said she worried about Boston's ability to thread the defense and drive the lane for easy baskets. Kansas managed to remove that aspect of her game by forcing Boston, a strong right-handed player, to drive to her weaker left side more often than not. Anytime
Boston managed to get into the lane, the Jayhawk defense would immediately bring help, forcing Boston to either retreat or kick it out to a teammate behind the arc.
"When I got beat I felt like I had great help." Morris said.
With that aspect of her game thwarted, Boston took the shots Kansas gave her and managed to gash her opponents from beyond the arc. On the night, 12 of Boston's 15 points were the result of three pointers.
"She's just a great player — she figured out that she couldn't get to the lane and she had to make a shot for herself." Morris said.
Throughout the game, Henrickson rotated several of her guards around Boston in an effort to contain the impressive senior athlete. While freshman guard Monica Engelman struggled to keep up with Boston in only her second collegiate game, Henrickson complimented the job done by junior guard Marisha Brown.
"I thought she did a pretty good job, she sat down and tried to stay in front of her," Henrickson said.
Morris spent a significant portion of the game on Boston as well. She had a solid game doing so, despite a few minor struggles.
"Sade did a good job of staying underneath and making her hit some tough shots," senior guard-forward Danielle McCray said.
Although the Jayhawks kept Boston from even coming close to the 29 points she notched in her last meeting with Kansas and forced an impressive scoring drought, Henrickson said she was still dissatisfied with the team's defensive effort.
"Defensively we've got to be better guarding the ball one on one and then guarding the three-point line," Henrickson said.
Follow Andrew Taylor at www.twitter.com/andrew_taylor11.
- Edited by Amanda Thompson
Junior forward Krysten Boogaard reaches to catch a pass from a teammate in the first half of Sunday's game against Emporia State. Boogaard led the team with a double-double, scoring 17 points to go with her 10 rebounds in the Jayhawks' 85-48 victory.
Ryan Waggoner/KANSAN
GAME BALL: Krysten
Boogaard — Boogaard finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds, displaying dominance in the paint with her height (6-foot-5) and skill. If she can regularly post double-doubles, opposing defenses will be running in circles to guard the array of Kansas playmakers.
Quote of the Day: "We've got a
couple of 'em that need to take her out to dinner tonight."
Coach Bonnie Henrickson on Angel Goodrich finding post players for easy buckets.
Stat of the Game: 24 offensive rebounds — Last week against Pittsburg State, Kansas struggled in this department with only 14 offensive rebounds (28
percent of its total rebounds). This week that percent ascended to 47.
Reason to hope: Double-Doubles — Both of the Jayhawks' starting post players, Krysten Boogard and Aishah Sutherland, had double-doubles against the Hornets. A large reason for that lies in how well point guards got
the duo the ball down low and in transition. If Kansas can get production like that on a regular basis from its players underneath the net, it will be tough to stop the team.
Reason to mope: Missed Opportunities — Redshirt freshmen Angel Goodrich had seven assists against the Hornets. That
number could easily have been much larger if not for dropped passes and missed baskets by her supporting cast. That's not to say Goodrich was completely free from these types of mistakes as she also turned the ball over by dropping a pass when no one was around her.
What to watch out for: Better perimeter defense One of Coach Bonnie Henrickson's biggest complaints following the game was that the Jayhawks allowed the Hornets to put up 24 shots from beyond the arc. While Emporia State only made 25 percent of them, other teams on the Jayhawks schedule may make them pay.
ROWING
Jayhawks keep up the pace in final fall season regatta
BY BEN WARD
bward@kansan.com
Among the massive field competing at the Head of the Hooch regatta in Chattanooga, Tenn., the Kansas rowing team made its presence felt.
In their last event of the semester, the Jayhawks competed in seven events during the weekend, turning in solid times in each one. The strong finish to the fall season impressed coach Rob Catloth.
Members of the Jayhawk varsity rowing team catch their breath after crossing the finish line in the 2009 Big 12 Rowing Championship. The Jayhawks competed in the Head of the Hoo roach突击队 in Chattanooga, Tenn., over the weekend.
"As a whole I think we did pretty well," Catloth said. "That's primarily what we'll take out of it — on a really big stage with some great schools, we were in the mix."
Kansas began competition Saturday afternoon by entering two boats in the Women's Championship Eight race, placing 22nd and 26th. The Jayhawks also finished 22nd in the Women's Championship Four.
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Though Kansas achieved less-than-desirable times with the larger boats, the team fared much better in its use of the smaller boats.
"That's what the fall is about," Catloth said. "It's a transition from the small boats to the big boats in the spring."
Novice Single.
Seniors Stacy Rachow and Lindsey Lawrence teamed up to place fifth in the Women's Championship Double, followed by junior Nicole Schneider and senior Katie Beall, who finished eighth.
"They were really impressive in their first singles race," Catloth said.
Lawrence said. "As seniors, we've been through a lot together, so we just went out and did what we needed to do."
Kansas began Sunday morning right where it left off on Saturday with success from the smaller boats.
Rachow placed seventh in the Women's Championship Single to lead Kansas, followed by Lawrence in 11th, junior Meagan Oven in 13th, and Schneider in 14th. From there, Beall built on her performance Saturday with a fourth-place finish in the Women's lightweight Single.
"We work really well together,"
Some novice rowers got into the act, too. Sophomore Paige Stephens and junior Cassie Sparks placed first and second, respectively, in the Women's
The jayhawks finished up the weekend at Chattanooga with the Women's Open Four, where they placed fourth, sixth and eighth. Many on the team considered the weekend's results to be indicative of the recent work they've put in.
"In all our scull boats we did really well," Rachow said, adding that sculling — where each member of the boat in a single, double, or quad race has two oars — had been a focal point of fall practices.
Though the team considered its performance at the Hooch to be mostly successful, it now faces a number of decisions
over the winter.
"We've got to identify who the strongest individuals on the team are," Catloth said. "From there, we've got to decide who's going to be on the eight and four boats for
the NCAAs in the spring."
Coupled with these personnel decisions is the need for improvement.
"We definitely have a lot to work on to get where we want to"
go," Lawrence said
Follow Ben Ward at twitter com/bm_dub.
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