FOOTBALL The Jayhawks' 2005 season includes a game against new Division IA Florida Atlantic University PAGE 6A
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 1,2004
www.kansan.com
Basketball improves to 3-1
Jayhawks defeat Denver, 67-44
BY PAUL BRAND
pbrand@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTSWITER
For the program's 600th all-time victory, this year's edition of the Kansas women's basketball team posted a dominant showing reminiscent of the Jayhawk teams of the past that produced many of the first 599.
In last night's 67-44 victory against Denver (0-3), Kansas improved to 3-1 and showed the potential of their developing offense, hitting 51 percent of its shots from the field.
Junior forward Crystal Kemp led the way with 18 points on a nearly flawless 9-10 shooting performance. Junior guard Erica Hallman followed close behind, scoring 17 points and running a smoother offense than in previous outings, recording five assists and only one turnover.
"I think she is making good decisions in the half-court offense," coach Bonnie Henrickson said. "I thought her shot selection tonight was very good."
Hallman also showed her marksmanship by nailing seven of 10 shots, including three out of four from the three-point line.
"The last two games I've been struggling," Hallman said. "It's good to kind of get a rhythm back."
Kansas closed the half on a run that produced a commanding 41-15 advantage at the break.
Everything seemed to be falling in for the Jayhawks during the first 20 minutes as they scorched the nets with 16-25 first half field-goal shooting. Kansas sharpshooter also hit 6-
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11 from behind the arc to contribute to the Jayhawks' 26-point halftime lead.
See the story on page 6A that goes with this story.
Clutch shots with the shot clock winding down bailed the Jayhawks out on several possessions in the first half. Henrickson noted that part of the team's scoring efficiency was due to simply running the offense better in these stages than in the previous games.
Alex Plassmeyer/KANSAN
"I think we are a much better team offensively when we have a feel for screens, which lead to open shots," Henrickson said.
The big lead allowed Henrickson the luxury to sit key starters in the second half, which provided much-needed rest for a Kansas team that lacks depth. The Jayhawks are in the middle of a grueling nine-day stretch that includes four games and ends on Sunday at No. 18 Minnesota.
"I think it's big for us," Henrickson said of the ability to rest players. "As a staff we want that to happen, but there was no guarantee."
Kemp played only five minutes in the second half, and Hallman and senior guard Aquanita Burras played only seven minutes. Junior guard Heather Hayes also saw her first action as a Javhawk.
Kansas next takes on Washburn at 7 p.m. Thursday at home.
- Edited by Ashley Bechard
Senior guard Blair Waltz shoots for two over Denver's Jennifer Whetten last night at Allen Fieldhouse.
Junior forward Christian Moody pulls down a rebound during Monday night's victory against Nevada. The Jayhawks will play the Pacific University Boxers on Saturday in Allen Fieldhouse.
Depth and balance to improve 'Hawks
BY MIRANDA LENNING
mlenning@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTWRITER
Cindy Yeo/KANSAN
Kansas' last two victories have been by a combined 73 points. Lopsided scores are welcome imbalances for the Jayhawks' winning record. But when it comes to shot selection and playing time, Kansas coach Bill Self wants to alive the team more balance.
"When I say balance, Wayne [Simien] needs to take the most shots, and Keith [Langford] needs to take the second most shots." Self said. "We need to figure out how are we going to score if Keith and Wayne don't."
During Monday's game, Simien and Langford combined for 26 of the Jayhawks' 85 points, but the team also got 13 points each from freshman guard Russell Robinson and sophomore
guard J.R. Giddens.
Self said he was impressed with the play of the Jayhawks' bench. All 14 players on the Kansas roster played in the game. Nine players contributed more than 10 minutes and eight scored at least five points.
He said he wanted the team to create opportunities for its best players but also to be able to score when its best players had off nights.
Simien and Langford combined for 24 points a week ago against St. Joseph's, but Simien scored 20 of those points. Senior guards Mike Lee and Aaron Miles were able to pick up Langford's slack, however, combining for 24 points, providing balance to the Jayhawk lineup on a bad night for Langford.
SEE DEPTH ON PAGE 7A
Soccer coach looking to build on success
BY KELLI ROBINETT krobinett@kansan.com KROBINETT SANPS SWITWRITE
The Kansas women's soccer team is coming off its best season in University history. The team won its first Big 12 Championship and earned the eighth overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. Mark Francis was named Big 12 Coach of the Year, four players were All-Big 12 first队 selections, and nine others received Academic Big 12 honors. In a phone interview, Francis shared his thoughts on the past season and what is up next for the Jayhawks.
A: I think it was good. It was an excellent season. It finished earlier than we wanted to, but things like that happen. We did a lot of things we hadn't done before. Winning the conference and being ranked in the top 10 most of the season were both firsts. The tournament was a little disappointing, because we didn't go further.
Q: What are your thoughts on the season now that it has been over for a while?
FRANCIS
Q: Do you ever think that could have been Kansas when you watch a lower ranked team in your own region, like Santa Clara, knock off North Carolina and get to the Final Four?
A: I don't know. If I knew that, maybe we'd still be playing. We were playing some better teams. Three of those were in one game. Texas was maybe the best offensive team we played all year. That doesn't come as
Q: Your defense didn't allow more than one goal in a game in the regular season, but in postseason play, opponents scored seven goals in four games. What was the difference?
dwell on that too much though. We just have to look forward to next year so it doesn't happen again.
A: Sure. We can't
too much of a surprise to me because they're good up front. Not much you can do about it now.
A: I would say winning the conference. That was a big accomplishment.
Q. What was your favorite moment from this season?
A: Those guys were a great group. I was real disappointed for those guys. You know, I felt like we were good enough to go further. They'll never get another shot at it. That was probably the hardest part, for those guys. They'll graduate doing a lot of things the program never did before, so I think they should be happy about how things went.
Q: What will you miss most about your senior class?
Q: How proud does it make you feel when you have several players receive academic awards to go along with on-field success?
A: They are all students first. It is great, especially with the season they
have in the fall. It's remarkable that they can keep up their grades like that. It's a great reflection of the program.
Q: How has your recent success affected recruiting?
A: It's affected it. We're recruiting better players now, players of the quality that will help us continue to get better. It's had a good effect on our recruiting so far.
Q: What is your off-season schedule like?
A: Right now they're lifting, because that's all they can do. Spring season will start in February. We will practice just like we do in the regular season. Then we will play games. We have five dates to play against other teams.
Q: How excited are you about next year?
A: We've got a great group coming back, and we've got a great group coming in. We'll be young, but we'll also be very talented.
- Edited by Rupal Gor
ALISSA BAUER
abauer@kansan.com
Jayhawks' 4-7 record still worth considering
There is a promising basketball team to watch, and who would want to think back on such a dismal football season, anyway? Right?
Football season is now behind us and a bowl game no longer a possibility.
We have time to reflect on the season, but the 4-7 Jayhawk football season is but a distant memory now that basketball season is in full swing.
The Big 12 North champions, the Colorado Buffaloes, claimed the conference title with 7-4 overall record and a 4-4 conference record. Even with an embarrassing 2-6 conference record, the Jayhawks were separated from the head of the North by only two games.
As sad as 4-7 may sound, Kansas football does not seem so pathetic when put into context of those around them. The entire Big 12 North this season was a drastically weakened subdivision.
Wrong.
Colorado held the top spot and Kansas shared the bottom, but with whom? None other than last year's Big 12 North champs: Kansas State.
Even more interesting is the fact that against Big 12 North opponents, Colorado went 4-1, outscoring opponents 122-103. Kansas posted a 2-3 Big 12 North record, also outscoring their opponents, 99-98.
The Wildcats, who upset the then-undefeated Oklahoma Sooners in the Big 12 Championship game, could scrape together no better than two conference victories this season as well.
SEE BAUER ON PAGE 7A
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