6B
SPORTS / MONDAY, MARCH 8, 2010 / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / KANSAN.COM
NO.14 TEXAS A&M 78,KANSAS 54
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL REWIND
Jayhawks keep suffering from rash of injuries
Freshman guard Monica Engelman is blocked by Texas A&M forward Danielle Adams as she attempts a lay-up. Engelman scored 8 points on 3-of-11 shooting and the Jayhawks fell 78-54 at Allen Fieldhouse.
BY ANDREW TAYLOR
ataylor@kansan.com
Freshman forward Carolyn Davis watched helplessly from the bench as No.14 Texas A&M dominated Kansas en route to a lopsided 78-54 victory Saturday.
Davis suffered a concussion in last Friday's practice after her head collided with freshman guard Monica Engelman's knee. As a result, Davis could only offer words of encouragement as Kansas once again struggled to adjust to life without one of its premier players.
"It was emotional for me because I was the one that gave her the con-
" Erwelman
cussion, Engelman said.
Davis has transformed into one of the more dominant freshmen in the Big 12. Since the start of conference play, Davis has averaged 12.5 points per game, which places her in the conference's top 20 scorers and also puts her
second among Big 12 freshmen.
With that kind of production, Davis was a player the layhawks could scarcely afford to lose. Yet that's exactly what happened.
"What Bonnie has gone through this year, no one should have to go through that."
The story is now a familiar one; the Jayhawks have encountered it several times this season.
First, freshman Angel Goodrich哄她 HCL in a Jan. 12 loss to No. 15 Oklahoma State.
Goodrich's natural passing ability
was the driving force behind the jayhawks offense. With Goodrich running the show Kansas' offense averaged 72.7 points per game, but in her absence it has foundered, averaging only 62 points per game.
GARY BLAIR Texas A&M coach
Less than a month later, in early February, Kansas lost senior guard Danielle McCray, another keystone player. McCray led Kansas in scoring with almost 20 points per game, and Kansas especially needed her to perform well after Goodrich's injury. That made her loss even more devastating for Kansas and for coach Bonnie Henrickson.
"What Bonnie has gone through this year, no one should have to
The loss of just one star player can often mask the success a team might have achieved otherwise. Take Nebraska for example.
go through that',
Texas A&M coach
Gary Blair said.
After a knee injury ended Kelsey Griffin's
season before it even began last year, the Cornhuskers struggled throughout the season on their way to a 15-16 overall record and an early exit from the WNIT.
This year Nebraska returned all but one player from that sub-500 squad, including a healthy Griffin. The addition of Griffin to a well established core helped guide Nebraska to the first ever undefeated Big 12 conference record.
It's not realistic to assume Kansas
would have mimicked that success story this season if it had not suffered any injuries, especially considering that it had lost four games before the first injury. But it's hard to deny that it has affected the results of this season.
"I think they've adjusted kind of
well, but the results don't show that much". McCray said.
Kansas has now lost seven of its last eight games, including five straight. The last three defeats have been by an average of 24 points.
"It has been a struggle this year and if we want to end up our strongest we just have to keep pushing and fighting," senior guard Sade Morris said. "No matter what we come across we just have to keep fighting and fighting."
*rent
Quintiles can help you pay for it
If you qualify and participate in one of our safe doctor-supervised trials,you may earn up to $5,000.
The good news for the Jayhawks, in this instance, is that Davis is not out for the season and she will likely return to the lineup before the Big 12 tournament, which begins Thursday.
Located just east of Metcalf on 115th St. in Overland Park, Kansas
Call today (913) 894.5533 or StudyForChange.com
"We're cautiously optimistic she'll be able to go next week," Henrickson said. "The good thing is we'll get her back. We've been through ones where we don't get them back."
Edited by Jesse Rangel
Game ball
Sophomore forward Aishah Sutherland
Sophomore forward Aishah Sutherland
Sutherland finished with a team-high 13
points, missing just one of her six shot attempts.
She also logged four rebounds and two blocks,
but played just 25 minutes because of early
foul trouble. Sutherland has scored 10 or more
points 16 times this season and leads the Jay-
hawks with 7.2 rebounds per game.
Sutherland
Reason to hope
Junior center Krysten Boogaard
Boogaard
With Carolyn Davis sitting on the sideline with a concussion, junior Krysten Boogaard entered the starting line-up once again. She occupied that spot for the first 15 games of the season. Boogaard was perfect from the field on the night, scoring on all three of her attempts en route to nine points. It was the third time this season that Boogaard earned a shooting percentage of 100. Boogaard's nine points also represents her best offensive performance since a Jan. 3 loss to New Mexico State.
Reason to mope
In the closing minutes of Friday's practice, Davis crashed to the floor, hitting her head on Monica Engelman's knee on the way down. Davis was diagnosed with a concussion and consequently missed Saturday's game against Texas A&M. In her absence the Aggies post players, led by Danielle Adams, tore through the Jayhawk's defense for 29 combined points. Also, no Jayhawks came close to making up for the 15.5 points per game Davis has averaged since the injury to Danielle McCray.
No Carolyn Davis
Davis
What to watch for
The post season
Saturday's 78-54 loss to Texas A&M marked the conclusion of the Jayhawk's 2009-10 regular season. The post season, which begins with the Big 12 conference tournament in Kansas City next Thursday, is now all Kansas can look forward to. It seems that the Jayhawks will need to win the conference tournament in order to earn a bid to the NCAA tournament. Considering that Kansas has no wins against Big 12 teams ranked above it, that scenario will likely not occur. Thus Kansas will probably spend its post season attempting to match last season's run in the WNIT.
— senior guard LaChelda Jacobs
Quote of the game
"We've still got to keep our heads high. In the Big 12 tournament, everybody's record is clean."
Stat of the night
30
Jacobs
There was a heap to choose from here, but Kansas' 30 turnovers trumped all else. By far a season-high (or low should I say), the Jayhawks often drove into walls of defenders only to have the ball poked away and quickly turned into a transition layup on the other end. Hendrickson said that her team lacked discipline and that her point guards struggled to handle one-on-one pressure.
Max Rothman and Andrew Taylor
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Louisville gave Freedom Hall a memorable send-off.
Louisville pulls off upset of Syracuse
Kyle Kuric scored all of his career-high 22 points in the second half and the Cardinals upset No.1 Syracuse 78-68 on Saturday, providing one last highlight at their 54-year-old home.
Louisville (20-11, 11-7 Big East) may also have assured itself a return trip to the NCAA tournament by sweeping the season series from the Orange (28-3, 15-3). Their only other loss all season came against Pittsburgh, and Saturday was their first road loss.
Although Syracuse led by eight points late in the first half, Kuric was a one-man wrecking crew in the second. He made 9 of 11 shots — including four 3-pointers
— to make for a happy ending at Freedom Hall, before Louisville moves to a new downtown arena in the fall.
Associated Press