PAGE 8
TUESDAY, MARCH 26, 2013
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
KANSAS 75. SOUTH CAROLINA 69
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL REWIND Seniors carry team to Sweet 16 Kansas 42|33-15
MAX GOODWIN
mgoodwin@kansan.com
"Pure joy," Kansas coach Bonnie Henrickson said with a perfectly simple way to describe the emotion for Kansas after a 75-69 victory over South Carolina in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
With 13.6 seconds remaining in the game and the Jayhawks leading the Gamecocks, 74-69, senior guard Angel Goodrich jumped into the passing lane of South Carolina guard leasia Walker's inbound pass from the half-court side line for a steal.
Goodrich was fouled immediately by Walker and emerged with a smile of delight. The play cemented the win for the Jayhawks after Goodrich made one of two free throws, earning Kansas the first No. 12 seed to advance to the Sweet 16 of an NCAA tournament since 1996, and only the second No. 12 seed ever to make it that far.
Kansas may have won without
that steal from the 5'4 inch point guard, but it was a symbolic way to finish the heroic effort by the trio of senior Jayhawks.
Guard Monica Engelman scored a career-high of 27 points. Engelman forced her way into the paint and made shots at the rim. She drained several of her signature mid-range jumpers. And she went 2-for-4 from behind the arc, where she has been on fire through the two Big 12 tournament games and two NCAA games for the Jay-hawks.
Engelman ended the first half with 18 points. She received help from Goodrich, who dished eight assists and scored 15 second-half points. With forwards Carolyn Davis and Chelsea Gardner in foul trouble, Goodrich was fouled as she launched a 3-point shot from
the left-wing and drained it. She went to the foul line and converted the four point play.
Forward Carolyn Davis battled through apparent pain after banging her left knee on her fourth foul of the game in the late stages. Davis fell to the ground with a grimace and grabbed the brace on her knee that had been surgically repaired a year ago.
Minutes later, with 3:50 left on the game clock, Davis returned to the game with four fouls.
At 2:28 with the score tied, 69-69. Davis caught the ball deep in the post and played while being fouled. Davis let out a yell of emotion. She would miss the free throw, but from that point, Kansas did not allow another South Carolina score.
Junior guards Cece Harper and Marksika Hawkins made their plays on defense to help extend the season. They each finished with two steals a piece, and Hawkins added a block. Gardner did her part on the boards, collecting 12 rebounds.
Kansas scored 75 points on the South Carolina defense that entered the game, allowing an average of 49 points per game this season (fifth in the nation). The Jayhawks played at the pace they wanted, scoring baskets in offensive transition and ending the first half with 42 points.
Before the game, the one clear advantage for Kansas was size in the post, but it was guards Goodrich and Engelman who provided the majority of the offensive production.
After the game, it appeared the one true advantage that Kansas had was the playmaking ability of seniors and drive to delay the end of the season.
Kansas will play the winner of the match-up between Notre Dame and Iowa on Tuesday night.
—Edited by Jordan Wisdom
ASSOCIATED PRESS
South Carolina forward Ashley Bruner (21) shoots around Kansas forward Chelsea Gardner (15) during the second half of a second-round game in the women's NCAA college basketball tournament in Boulder, Colo.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
South Carolina guard Tiffany Mitchell (25), forward Ashlew Bruner, center, and Kansas guard Angel Goodrich, bottom, fight for possession of the basketball during the second half.
Kansas 42 | 33----75 South Carolina 41 | 28----69
JAYHAWK STAT LEADERS
Points
Engelman 27
Rebounds
Gardner 12
Assists
8
Goodrich
KANSAS
Player Pts FG-FGA Rebs A TO's
Carolyn Davis 12 6-11 5 1 5
Chelsea Gardner 5 1-6 12 0 0
Angel Goodrich 20 7-15 3 8 1
Monica Engelman 27 10-18 5 3 4
Markisha Hawkins 5 2-4 2 1 0
CeCe Harper 4 2-4 3 0 4
Asia Boyd 0 0-1 0 0 0
Bunny Williams 2 1-4 6 1 1
Team Totals 75 29-63 36 14 15
MENT
Player Pts FG-FGA Rebs A T0's
Ashley Bruner 16 8-21 12 2 2
Aleighsa Welch 16 6-14 11 1 3
Ieasia Walker 11 4-14 1 4 4
Sancheon White 3 1-4 4 0 0
Tiffany Mitchell 7 2-8 6 0 3
Elem Ibiam 12 5-8 10 1 1
Khadijah Sessions 4 1-3 0 1 0
Wilka Montout 0 0-0 0 0 0
Totals 69 27-72 44 9 13
Monica Engelman, senior guard
GAME TO REMEMBER
Engelman
Engelman had her best game as a Jayhawks when it mattered most. She scored a career-high 27 points to propel the upset of No. 4, South Carolina.
The Kansas bench isn't known for putting up high points, but the trio of A.Boyd, Bunny Williams and CeCe harper combined to score just six points on 3-0 9-shooting.
QUOTE OF THE GAME
Jayhawks' Bench
GAME TO FORGET
"They willed themselves to win."
—— South Carolina coach Dawn Staley on Kansas' unlikely upset
Staley
KEY STATS
42
South Carolina gave up a season-high 42 points in the first half.
26.8
2
Kansas held USC to under 27 percent shooting in the second half.
Number of 12-seeded teams to reach the Sweet 16.
4
Number of Sweet 16 appearances the Jayhawks have.