Today is the first day to pick up basketball tickets for the four games taking place during winter break. Ticket pickup runs through Wednesday at the Allen Fieldhouse ticket office and online at kuathletics.com. There is a fee for online pickup.
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2006 WWW.KANSAN.COM
SPORTS
PAGE 1B
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Kansas falls short in championship
Ryan McGeenev/KANSAN
Kelly Kohn, freshman guard, sprints past Iowa's Kristi Smith for an attempted basket Sunday at the WBCA Classic in Kansas City, Mo. Although the Jayhawks had enjoyed a sound victory over Seton Hall the night before, they fell short against Iowa in the championship match, Josinge 63-49.
Low scoring percentages doom Jayhawks
BY CASE KEEFER
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It wasn't until three minutes remained in the WBCA championship game that Lindsay Ballgwet hit the Javhawks' first three-point shot.
It wasn't due to a lack of attempts. Kansas shot only 1-for-13 from three-point range and 33 percent overall in a 63-49 loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes.
"It's frustrating when you go into practice standing at that arch and knocking them down, then you get into the game and you just don't have the momentum you should have." freshman guard Kelly Kohn said.
Kohn had no problem finding the basket in Sunday's game, but had difficulty knocking down her shots. In 28 minutes, she was only 2-for-12 from the floor.
"I need to start recognizing better shots for myself," she said. "When to take it all the way in, and when to pull up."
Once again, Marija Zinic was the high point of the Jayhawk's performance. Zinic scored 16 points and played well defensively against Iowa's 6-foot-6 sophomore center, Megan Skouby.
"If there's anything we've taken away from the weekend, it's gaining the trust to throw it into Marija." coach Bonnie Henrickson said.
Zinic was the only Jayhawk selected to the all-tournament team. The Jayhawks advanced to the championship game against Iowa after defeating Seton Hall 64-50 on Saturday.
Iowa had three players recognized as all-tournament. The Hawkeyes also possessed a noticeable size advantage against Kansas. Three of the team's starters were at least 6-feet tall, as opposed to only Zinic for the lavwhaws.
"They had a lot of tall players," Zinic said. "But I think we did a pretty decent job with them."
The Jayhawks didn't let size dictate the game. Kansas led Iowa in points in the paint, 32-20 and offensive rebounds, 18-7.
The Jayhawks got off to a fast start, shooting 66 percent in the first seven minutes of the game. Following a fast break layup from Kelly Kohn, Kansas was only down 15-14.
In the second half, the Jayhawks got off to another quick start with a 12-2 run.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
SEE TOURNAMENT ON PAGE 6B
Jayhawks win opener
Sophomore Brandon Rush scores 21, leads team to 91-57 victory
Brandon Rush, sophomore guard, drives down the court in Allen Fieldhouse Saturday night. Rush said he "came out more aggressive" in the regular season opener against Northern Arizona. He scored 21 points, had four assists and one steal in 27 minutes of play.
Jared Gab/KANSAN
BY SHAWN SHROYER
Sophomore guard Brandon Rush said he started a chain of events in Friday's practice that ended in coach Bill Self kicking the entire team out of practice. After Saturday's game against Northern Arizona, Rush knocked down a microphone before the post-game press conference.
But during Kansas 91-57 defeat of Northern Arizona, the sophomore guard could do no wrong.
Coming off a subpar preseason where he shot just 29 percent from the field, averaging 11 points in two games. Rush reminded everyone that he is Kansas All-American on Saturday.
"Today I came out more aggressive," Rush said. "And my teammates, they looked for me while I was open, so that really got me off to a good start in the first half and it just rolled over to the second half."
In addition to his six rebounds, four assists and a steal, Rush shot 64 percent from the field on his way to 21 points — just three points shy of his career high. If not for the lopsided score, he just might have surpassed his career high.
"I wanted to come out here and prove to everybody that I'm what everybody says I am." Rush said.
Making Rush's performance even more impressive was that he couldn't slack off on defense to focus on offense. He was matched up with Northern Arizona guard Stephen Sir, who led the NCAA in three-point percentage last season.
Sir did manage three three-point shots, but those were his only points of the game.
"One thing I was aware of going into the game was that he can play off me and still defend my shot because he has such long arms," Sir said of Rush. "I felt like I could have shot the ball a little better today, but a lot of that is because of him."
Like Rush, the rest of the Jayhawks also dominated the Lumberjacks.
Kansas owned the interior, outscoring Northern Arizona 44-16 in the paint. The Jayhaws outran the Lumberjacks as well, scoring 13 fast
SEE RUSH ON PAGE 5B
'Cats gain confidence defeating Longhorns
Kansas v. Kansas State Saturday, Nov. 18, 2:30 p.m.
Kansas hopes bye week will assist in victory against Kansas State for bowl eligibility
BY RYAN SCHNEIDER
Uh oh.
Charlie Rodel/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Ron Prince just might have something brewing in Manhattan. And that could mean a whole lot of trouble for this weekend's Sunflower Showdown.
Kansas State wide receiver Cedric Wilson dives past Texas safety Marcus Griffin to score a touchdown during the third quarter of the Wildcats 45-42 victory Saturday. Kansas will play Kansas State this weekend at Memorial Stadium in the 104th game of the Sunflower Showdown.
The Wildcats certainly aren't the team picked to finish dead last in the Big 12 North Division. Fresh off its shocking 45-42 upset of No. 4 Texas Saturday, Kansas State should be the favorite coming into the game against Kansas. And with Kansas needing a victory in one of its last two games to become bowl eligible, a confident Wildcat team isn't exactly what Mark Maneino wanted to see.
The good news for Kansas is that the bye week has given the team chance to address some lingering injuries to freshman quarterback Kerry Meier and senior running back Jon Cornish. But, a week removed from its blowout victory against Iowa State, Kansas must find a way to pick
up where it left off.
Momentum and confidence are certainly something the Wildcats aren't short on now.
"To be honest with you, we told our players all week don't be surprised if you jump out early on these guys and beat them," Prince said.
"You could say that, but the kids believed it."
In the last 20 years, Kansas State is 8-1 against Kansas after a victory the week before. Another victory would give the Wildcats their best record in three seasons and put Prince and his team in contention for a late December bowl game.
For Kansas State, a victory the week before the Sunflower Showdown has usually been a good omen.
Big 12 power rankings
Kansas, though, has much more riding on Saturday's game than just bowl positioning. The Jayhawks have to actually qualify for a bowl game first. At 5-5, Kansas needs one more victory to become bowl eligible for the second-straight season.
1. Oklahoma 5. Missouri 9. Kansas
2. Nebraska 6. Kansas State 10. Colorado
3. Texas 7. Texas A&M 11. Baylor
4. Texas Tech 8. Oklahoma State 12. Iowa State
Texas falls from the top spot for the first time this season because of its shocking loss to Kansas State. Nebraska has already punched its ticket to the Big 12 Championship game in Kansas City.
The key in the 105th edition of the Showdown just might be the play of both teams' freshman quarterbacks. For Kansas, Meier has been sharp, when healthy. Meier had his best game of the season a week ago against Iowa State where he accounted for
With Freeman's gradual improvement, the Wildcats have gotten hot at just the right time.
two touchdowns. For the Wildcats, quarterback Josh Freeman certainly has the hot hand. Fresh off his four touchdown performance against Texas, Freeman was named the National Player of the Week by the Walter Camp Football Foundation.
"Our plan was to be the best team in November," Freeman said. "That's the equivalent of playoff football —
be the best in November — and were on our way to do that."
That certainly seems like a possibility.
Kansan senior sportswriter Ryan Schneider can be contacted at rschneider@kansan.com.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Edited by Kristen Jarboe
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