8A
SPORTS / FRIDAY, MARCH 26, 2010 / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN KANSAN.COM
ILLINOIS STATE 71, KANSAS 51
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL REWIND
WOMEN'S (CONTINUED FROM 10A)
tightened Illinois State's lead 11-9, but the Redbirds followed with a 12-0 run. From that point on, Kansas could never gain momentum.
Illinois State sophomore Katie Broadway kept it that way with an array of three-point shots. She sunk a three-pointer to close the first half
and spaced the Redbirds half-time lead to 33-18. In the opening seconds of the second half Broadway converted yet another three. With just more than 10 minutes remaining in
"Sade wasn't aggressive, so I said, 'Aren't you insulted that they're not guarding you?' "
and concentration, defensively"
Henrickson said.
the second half, she swished another three, this time putting the Redbirds ahead 53-33.
"When your half-court offense is struggling, you want to use your speed and athleticism," Henrick-
Henrickson said that her team was unable to establish any production in their transition game.
Led by Broadway, Illinois State made 10 of its 12 three-point shots. The Redbirds' three-pointers kept Kansas from ever being able to cut into its deficit.
BONNIE HENRICKSON Kansas coach
"How many are uncontested? We play screens wrong and poor focus
son said. "We never got that chance."
The loss marks the end of the careers of five seniors.
But the group set the stage for the future of kansas basketball.
headlined by freshmen Engelman, Davis and Angel Goodrich, Engelman and Davis.
"You've got to play for yourself and your teammates." Morris said. "You've got to be willing to struggle and go through the hard times to get where you want to be."
GAME BALL
Monica Engelman
Edited by Taylor Bern
Despite going 5-of-16 from the field, Monica Engelman led the Jayhawks with 14 points. She played aggressive for most of the game, but had trouble getting her shot to fall. Engelman helped cut the Illinois State lead to as low as 11 with a few key baskets in the second half, but in the end she was unable to will Kansas to a victory.
STAT OF THE NIGHT
Illinois State shot 10-for-12 behind the three-point line. That statistic climbed as high as 91 as the Redbirds opened the game with 10 makes and only one
83. 3%
miss from three-point range. in many instances, Illinois State put up uncontested shots as Kansas found itself out of position on defense.
Kansas' seniors scored just four points in the 71-51 defeat to Illinois State last night. That means Jayhawks underclassmen put up 47 points on their own. This bodies well for next season, as the Jayhawks will return their leading scorer (Engelman) from the post-Danielle McCray stretch of their season. There's definitely room to improve between now and then, but this gives Kansas something to build on moving forward.
Underclassmen
REASON TO HOPE
REASON TO MOPE
Post play
WHATTO WATCH FOR
The Jayhawks relied heavily on their post players in the first two games of the Women's NIT, but they couldn't do that last night. Kansas' front court scored 24 of the teams 51 points, but not enough of those baskets came in the paint. Illinois State outscored Kansas by two beneath the basket. In addition to that, freshman forward Carolyn Davis attempted only one shot after making 9-of-10 baskets en route to 25 points in a victory against Creighton.
Kansasrecruits
The Jayhawks' 2010-2011 class features three Texas natives in CoCe Harper, Keena Mays and Diara Moore in addition to Brooke Jelniker from Colorado. All four signers had solid high school seasons and were nominated as potential players for the McDonald's All-American team. Mayhs also recently led Timberview High School to the Texas 4A state title. She finished the game with 10 points and 10 assists.
QUOTE OF THE NIGHT
"They punched us in the mouth right away, and we just didn't have an answer"
Coach Bonnie Henrickson
— Andrew Taylor
NBA
Former Jayhawk signs with Bucks
Former Kansas men's basket ball player Darnell Jackson is now a member of the Milwaukee Bucks after the Cleveland Cavaliers dropped him earlier
this week.
The Bucks picked Jackson up Thursday after the Cavaliers released him to make room for center Zydrunas ilgauskas.
out of their last 11, are currently in fifth place in the Eastern Conference right now. But even if they hold on to the playoff spot, Jackson will not be eligible to play in the postseason because of waiver rules.
Jackson, 24, appeared in 27 games this season for the Cavs, averaging 4.2 minutes per game The Bucks, who have won nine
Lack of focus leads Flyers to 4-3 loss against Wild
Corey Thibodeaux
ASSOCIATED PRESS
PHILADELPHIA
Philadelphia goalie Brian Boucher felt the pack squirt out of his glove, then heard teammate Chris Pronger yell, "In the air!"
Next thing Boucher knew, the puck was in the net, after bouncing off Boucher and into the net, giving Kyle Brodziak an overtime goal and sending the Minnesota Wild to a 4-3 comeback victory Thursday night.
The Wild sent the reeling Flyers to their sixth loss in their past seven games, threatening their playoff hopes.
Despite being outshot 35-21, Minnesota came back from a two-goal deficit entering the third period. Martin Havlac scored Minnesota's second goal, and
Andrew Brunette's deflection off a shot through traffic from John Scott tied it with 6.37 left.
"When you have a lead going into the third, especially a two-goal lead, those are the wins you expect to have." Boucher said. "It's disappointing not to get two points. There's not much more to say."
Philadelphia is seventh in the Eastern Conference, four points ahead of ninth-place Atlanta in the race for the eight playoff spots. They earned one point for reaching overtime, moving five points ahead of the ninth-place Atlanta Thrashers and New York Rangers.
Minnesota trailed 2-0 just 418 into the game, after rookie Oskars Bartulis and Simon Gagne scored for Philadelphia. Bartulis' goal
was the first of his NHL career and came 3:39 minutes into the game, when a save by wild goalie Niklas Backstrom deflected off Bartulius' right skate and in.
Gagne followed with a score of his own 39 seconds later, on a snap shot that flew past Backstrom's right arm for his ninth goal in 14 games.
"It's a lack of focus, a lack of concentration, a lack of desire." Pronger said. "That game should be locked down at 3-1. This late in the season, that's just unacceptable."
But the Wild roared back with two goals in the third period and secured the win in overtime. Unlikely to make the playoffs, Minnesota jolted to the Flyers, who held a team meeting after the loss.
SOFTBALL
Kansas opens difficult Big 12 stretch at 17th-ranked Texas A&M Aggies
BY ZACH GETZ
zgetz@kansan.com
twitter.com/zgetz
Freshman intelfielder Mariah Montgomery said she didn't know what to expect in Big 12 play. But she knows that she's excited for it to begin.
"I'm ready to prove to people that we can play with the better teams in the conference," Montgomery
an opportunity to improve byplaying such difficult competition
said. "There’s a lot of highly ranked and I’m excited to see where we stand up against them."
"You want to play in a competitive conference, and you want to go up against the best," Smith said. "It's great for experience and great for the younger players."
Kansas softball conference play today against No. 17 Texas A&M in
Six of the 10 conference teams are ranked in the top 25 and Texas Tech is receiving votes just outside the poll. Kansas (14-15) enters conference play as the only Big
"I'm ready to prove to people that we can play with the better teams in the conference."
MARIAH MONTGOMERY
Freshman Infielder
Kansas' first four Big 12 series are against ranked opponents. Coach Megan Smith said she saw
College Station, Texas. The Aggie (27-7) feature one of the best players in the conference, Megan May, who leads the Big 12 in hits, home runs, RBIs and walks.
12 team with a losing record.
KANSAS AT NO.17 TEXAS A&M
way.
Jobe said the Jayhaws looked forward to the amplified competition that comes with conference play.
After six weeks of week end tournaments, senior first baseman Amanda Jobe said she was eager to be able to get conference under-
Where: College Station, Texas
"Last week we played six different teams in four days." Iobe said "It's nice to just focus on one team, and it's a lot easier to break down scores and those kinds of things."
When: 1 p.m.today and noon Saturday
"It's fun to prepare for those games because they're always going to be tough and they're always going to be a dogfight lobe said.
Smith said that the freshman class would not be afraid to play in such a tough league.
"Our younger players have no fear, and they go out and just play. Smith said, "That's some thing that's going to help us in the future in terms of building this program."
Edited by Taylor Bern
NCAA BASKETBALL
Butler defeats Syracuse moves on to Elite Eight
BY DOUG ALDEN Associated Press
SALT LAKE CITY — Butler became the latest mid major team to knock off a top seed in the NCAA tournament.
Willie Vensley scored five of his 13 points during an 11.0 run down the stretch, and the Bulldogs rallied to upset No. 1 seed Syracuse 63.59 on Thursday night in the West Regional semifinals for their 23rd straight victory.
The fifth seeded Bulldogs (31-4) fought through Syracuse's varnited zone defense and kept the Orange (30-5) from getting their fast break going most of the night.
Now, after reaching the regional finals for the first time in school history, Butler is one win from going home to Indianapolis for the
Final Four.
Gordon Hayward scored 17 points and started the celebration while dribbling out the clock after the Bulldogs forced Syracuse into its 18th turnover.
Wes Johnson had 17 points and nine rebounds for the Orange, the second No. 1 seed to go down. Northern Iowa starmed top-ranked Kansas in the second round of the Midwest Regional last weekend.
There were some mild boos — but not as many as you'd think — when the score was announced at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, N.Y., where West Virginia beat Washington in the East Regional semifinals.
Scoop hardline added 14 points and five assists and Andy Rauttins scored 15, including a 3 pointer to open the second half. That sent
But the sloppy Orange couldn't overcome all their turnovers, and the 2-3 zone that so many won' dered whether Butler could crack was no match for the Bulldogs' sharp shooting in the final minutes after Syracuse had taken a 54-50 lead with 5:23 left.
the orange on a 15-4 run that gave them their first lead.
The Orange didn't score again until Jardine's layup with 35 sec onds remaining cut Butler's lead to 61-56.
Jackson finished with just four points, but did pull down nine rebounds.
Syracuse's loss left No. 2 seed West Virginia as the only Big East team remaining in the tournament. The league received eight bids most of any conference.