THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2009
SPORTS
7B
INVITATIONAL (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
fielder Cattlin Noble scored in the 65th minute and junior defender Lauren Jackson scored after running the length of the field. A late goal by junior Rachel Morris made the final score 5-0.
On Sunday, it took even less time for Kansas to get the game-winning goal against South Dakota State.
"We kept a team off the board that's a very dangerous offensive team," Francis said.
"I think it was smart of the coaching staff to start her and let her know that they do believe in her," Johnson said.
After the jackrabbit kickoff, Morris took down a cross from Berry and shot high over the keeper to score her second goal of the weekend. It took just 23 seconds.
Francis said the defense was also impressive. He noted a renewed effort to pressure the ball and create turnovers.
Dolinsky scored in the 20th minute, and Johnson settled a corner and scored in the 55th minute. Morris scored her third goal of the weekend in the 70th minute, effectively ending any Offensive Player of the Tournament debate.
Johnson said that Morris was a player who sometimes needed some confidence.
With a game at Oklahoma State looming on Friday, Francis said he was happy with what he had seen in the non-conference part of the season. He pointed to their resilience after their disappointing weekend in Colorado Springs, Colo.
BASKETBALL Spain takes European title for first time ever
— Edited by Abbey Strusz
KATOWICE, Poland — Pau Gasol had 18 points and 11 rebounds to lead world champion Spain to a 85-63 win over Serbia in the final of the European basketball championship Sunday.
The victory gave Spain its first European title after six runner-up finishes, including a one-point loss two years ago to Russia in front of its home crowd.
The Spaniards dominated from the start at both ends of the court, playing pressure man-to-man defense and getting out on the break for easy baskets to take a lead.
"It was a great game, and obviously we won the final that we lost twice before this year, so I'm extremely happy and it's an unforgettable day for us" Gasol said. "We just worked so hard to win this championship and I'm just super proud of my teammates."
Guard Rudy Fernandez chipped in with 13 points for Spain, while Uros Tripkovic led Serbia with 15 points.
"We lost the first half, and probably the game was finished," Serbia coach Dusan Ivkovic said. "The Spanish team was better and they deserved absolutely this title."
Spain was pegged as the favorite coming into the tournament, but struggled early, dropping its opener to Serbia 66-57 and losing a second-round game to Turkey.
"We were aware of our individual quality, but we weren't playing as well or as good as we should have collectively," Gasol said. "So we sat down, and were like it's now or never, we have to react, we have to work together, we have to start having fun playing, playing with enthusiasm. And it just clicked."
Did it ever. The team won its final five games by an average of 21.2 points.
"At the beginning we were a little bit concerned, but with hard work and great commitment from players we get to be an excellent defensive team, and we showed it in the last games" Spain coach Sergio Scariolo said.
Serbia, a surprise finalist, had the youngest team at the tournament with an average age of 22.4 years. For the first time in the tournament, Serbia's youth showed.
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Rugby loses 50-0 with partial team present
CLUB SPORTS
BY MAX LUSH mlush@kansan.com
Typically, a rugby match is played with 15 players on each team. The men's club rugby team went to Manhattan with 13. Kansas State took advantage of this, making the final score of the match 50-0.
The score, however, was not indicative of how the layhawks played short-handed. Both teams played very physically, the difference was the backline play (skill players, like wide receivers) of Kansas State.
"They used their pumbers to their advantage, they always had overlaps on the outside, and they spun it out there whenever they needed to," Nick Mancini, Los Angeles senior and team captain, said.
Matters got worse for the
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Jayhawks midway through the first half, when their 8-man (the player at the rear back of the scrum), senior Adam Lauridson, had to come out of the game with what the team said was a fractured cheek bone, leaving the team playing three players short for the remainder of the game.
It dealt a large blow to the Jayhawks' strongest part of their game, the forward pack. Scrummaging (a way to restart the game where both forward packs push against each other to try and win the ball) became an area that the Wildcats exploited. Out of the
17 scrums the jawhacks had in their favor, they lost possession in the scrum 9 times.
"In scrimmaging we had to mix and match a lot of guys; much of our forwards were in a position they have never played before," said Brandon Holland, Lawrence junior, who plays hooker but played prop in this match.
Even in such a lopsided match, there were positives and learning points taken from it.
"I thought our line-outs went fantastic, and our one-on-one tackling in the open field was very solid." Mancini said. A line-out is how you restart play if the ball goes out of bounds. The Jayhawks lost only one line-out on the day because of the throw not being straight.
GAME NUMBERS
Kansas State Kansas
Lineouts for/lost: 2/0 5/1
Scrums for/lost: 4/0 17/9
Penalties Against: 5 7
There is still hope for the team
to make it to Westerns, the playoff system that teams from the Central Division compete to get into. For the Jayhawks, the road has gotten much more difficult. Only one team from the Central Division makes Westerns by playing Merit Table matches inside the division. Each team plays everyone home and away; the best record makes it to Westerns.
For now it is back to the practice field for the team.
"We need to get our numbers out at practice and games," coach Matt Schwartz said. "We have a lot we need to work on in order to get better this season."
NFL
Next week the team goes to Truman State to play its next Merit Table match.
"We are going to go home and regroup, then get ready for Truman State," Holland said.
New York Jets back trash talk with a victory
Edited by Alicia Banister
ASSOCIATED PRESS
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Rex Ryan sent a message to the fans. His New York Jets delivered one of their own.
Rookie Mark Sanchez outplayed a Super Bowl champion quarterback and the Jets backed up their big talk, shutting down Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. 16-9, on
Patriots 16-9 on Sunday.
"We believe that we are the better team today," Ryan said. "We went out and showed it. I think our fans are huge in this victory."
So huge, in fact that Ryan said he
call, causing a tough time for the Patriots' offense all game. Brady was forced into consecutive delay of game penalties in the third quarter.
"I've got to do a better job," Brady said. "They don't come up very often, but when they do, they hurt. And they hurt us today."
Ryan also said the Patriots had the better coach and quarterback coming in.
"Sometimes we talk a little bit, but it's only because we have confidence in our football team."
REX RYAN New York Jets coach
Hold on. Rex.
Don't sell yourself
short.
was giving the fans a gameball that would be placed in the team's trophy case.
The fans clearly answered the
"I thought they were the difference," Rvan said.
The victory was the first for the Jets (2-0) over Brady at home, and the first over the Patriots (1-1) at the Meadowlands since 2000. And, it came after a week during which Ryan reiterated his offseason comments that he didn't come to "kiss Bill Belichick's rings" and sent a voicemail to season ticket holders, urging them to be loud.
New York Jets cornerback Dwight Lowery (21) reacts with teammates after deflecting a pass to New England Patriots wide receiver Joey Galloway (13) for the Patriots last offensive play of the game during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game Sunday at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. The Jets won the game 16-9.
"The big deal is, we're a football team that should be respected," Ryan said. "Sometimes we talk a little bit, but only because we have confidence in
ASSOCIATED PRESS
end to that, it's great."
our football team."
Brady had a chance to tie it for the Patriots, getting the ball at the Patriots 10 with 1:48 left, but the Jets' defense stopped him as Dwight Lowery knocked away a pass to Joey Galloway on fourth down.
Earlier in the week, lets safety Kerry Rhodes said New York wanted to "embarrass" New England.
"Honestly, I was thinking interception," Lowery said, "but the angle I was at, I couldn't really get a pick. Knocking it down was the second thought and I just got it out of there."
"Kerry made a statement, we stood behind him and we had his back," defensive end Shaun Ellis said.
"It's a major win for us," Ellis said. "To close that out and put an
Sanchez came out throwing in the second half after a quiet first two quarters and connected with Dustin Keller on a go-ahead touchdown, and the jets' defense clamped down on the Patriots.
Brady was unable to engineer his 30th comeback victory as Sanchez took a knee twice to seal it. Brady had beaten the Jets in 12 of the previous 14 games he had faced them overall.
"We had a chance there," Brady said. "We just didn't execute in that 2-minute possession. It's something we've been good at, but the jets were better at it today."
Sanchez finished 14 of 22 for 163 yards and the touchdown to Keller, while Brady was 23 of 47 for 216 yards and an interception. He was without one of his favorite targets as Wes Welker sat out with a knee injury, and Randy Moss was held to four catches for 24 yards.
"We're not really firing on all cylinders right now," Brady said. "To not get the ball in the end zone is unacceptable."
The Patriots got three field goals from Stephen Gostkowski
a week after the Jets' defense held the high-scoring Houston Texans without an offensive touchdown in a 24-7 win.
"That's a statement not just to us," cornerback Darrelle Revis said, "but to the league that every week we're going to come out here and try to get a shutout."
Sanchez was 3 of 5 for 15 yards in the first half, but connected with Jerricho Cotchery for a 45-yard gain to the Patriots 11 on the first play of the third quarter.
After a 2-yard run by Thomas Jones, Sanchez found Keller in the back of the end zone to give the jets a 10-9 lead 1:03 into the third quarter.
Jay Feely added two field goals to make it 16-9 with 9:48 remaining.
"Give the Jets credit," Belichick said. "They just did a better job than we did today and I don't think there's really a while lot more to say about it."