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SPORTS UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY, MARCH 5, 1996
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
SECTION B
Jayhawks trampled in Buffalo stampede
No.20 Colorado rolls Kansas left in dust early in second half
By Evan Blackwell
Kansan sportswriter
SALINA — The No. 20 Colorado Buffaloes sent a message last night.
After having its three-year reign as Big Eight Conference women's basketball regular season champions ended by No. 21 Kansas, Colorado responded by pounding the Jayhawks 75-47 in the Big Eight Tournament championship game before a crowd of 4,640 at the Bicentennial Center.
"I'm really, really thrilled with how our kids played tonight," said Colorado women's basketball coach Ceal Barry.
"I felt like our kids had fun tonight."
The Buffaloes were led by junior forward Erin Scholz, who finished with 21 points and 7 rebounds on a
before the start of the NCAA tournament.
night when Colorado clicked on all cylinders. Colorado blew the game wide open in a second half, hitting 19 of 29 shots.
"Colorado played an outstanding ballgame," Kansas coach Marian Washington said.
"When you keep hitting shot after shot like that, it gives you great momentum," said Scholz. "Every time I would turn around after we made a basket, I would look into (senior guard DeCelle Thomas) eyes, she would look at me and we would be like 'Not today, baby!'
The loss left Kansas stunned, as the Jayhawks now face a nearly two-week layoff
"They forced us to hurry all night.I don't think that we showed very good poise."
"Our hearts and minds were there but we just couldn't find it. We look forward to the NCAAs and a shot at another game."
Colorado took command of the game early by sprinting out to a 9-3 lead in the first three minutes. Scholz controlled play on the inside by scoring 11 first half points.
The Buffalofoals also did an effective job of keeping Kansas from scoring often. The Jayhawks didn't climb into double figures until there was only four minutes left in the half, trailing 20-11.
Marion Washington Kansas women's basketball coach
Kansas hit only 6 of 22 shots before halftime, just 27 percent. Despite their struggles, the Jayhawks only trailed 27-19 at the break.
"Going into the half eight points down, I really thought we could come back, but we didn't," Washington said.
However, Colorado quickly closed the door on Kansas with its hot second half shooting. The Buffaloes started the second half on a 14-4 run from which the Jayhawks never recovered.
"They forced us to hurry all night," Washington said. "I don't think that we showed very good poise."
Scholz said she couldn't remember having as much fun in a game as she did last night.
"I don't think I've ever felt this good after a game." Scholz said.
Scholz was chosen the tournament MVP. She was joined on the All-Tournament team by her teammates Thomas, and freshman guard Michelle Hasheider.
Kansas junior guard Tamecka Dixon and Nebraska sophomore forward Anna DeForge rounded out the team.
Tyler Wirken / KANSAM
Kansas senior guard Charisse Sampson and junior forward Patience Grayer battle for a rebound last night against Colorado. The Jawahres were defeated by the Buffaloes 75-47 at the Bicentennial Center in Salina.
Coaches place their tournament picks
They concur at least five should be included
By Jenni Carlson Kansan sportswriter
The Big Eight Conference should have at least five teams in the NCAA tournament.
"It will be a bad day if we don't have five teams," Kansas coach Roy Williams said. "If a team goes 7-7 in this league, it ought to be in the NCAA tournament."
That is, if the league's coaches had any say in the matter. During their weekly teleconference yesterday, several coaches went as high as six teams in the 64-team field, but they agreed five should be included.
Since the NCAA expanded the field to 64 teams in 1985, a Big Eight team with a .500 record in the league or 17 victories against Division I teams has not been left out. Kansas, Iowa State, Oklahoma, Kansas State and Oklahoma State will be tournament bound if that holds true this year.
But Missouri and Nebraska, which both fell
below.500 in the conference, have 16-13 overall marks.
Even though coaches believe five teams deserve a spot, they don't agree about which are locks and which are on the bubble.
No. 5 Kansas and No. 23 Iowa State seemed to have bids locked up for several weeks. Oklahoma coach Kelvin Sampon hopes his Sooners, winners of four of their last five games, have played their way into the tournament.
Roy Williams
"We're a hot team right now," he said. "And we've done something only one other team could do in the conference."
That was defeating the Jayhawks. Oklahoma did it Saturday, 85-79, three weeks after Missouri defeated them, 77-73.
With those three teams established as NCAA tournament teams, the coaches listed Kansas State, Missouri and Oklahoma State at large possibilities.
The Wildcats played a more difficult non-
conference schedule than they did in the past, facing Illinois, California and Michigan State. Kansas State coach Tom Asbury said he didn't know how the team's 9-3 record against those non-Big Eight foes would affect K-State's chances.
"Hopefully, it won't knock us out of the NCAA tournament," Asbury said. "We have to make a dent in the Big Eight tournament; there's no doubt about that."
K-State opens the tournament Friday against Oklahoma State, another team teetering on the NCAA fence. The Cowboys trip to the Final Four last year could help them this year, Oklahoma State coach Eddie Sutton said.
"I don't think it's going to hurt us any," he said. "A team's NCAA record over the last five years is important. I just think we have a lot of things going for us that other teams don't."
Several all-conference teams were announced yesterday.
Kansas junior guard Jacque Vaughn and sophomore forward Raef LaFrentz landed spots on the all-Big Eight Conference first team selected by league players. The vote, in which players could not vote for their teammates, was conducted by the Kansas City
Star.
Members of the media that regularly cover the Big Eight also selected six specialty teams. LaFrentz also made the all-improved team while Kansas forward Paul Pierce made the all-freshman team.
The all-defense team included Vaughn and backcourt mate Jerod Haase. Two Jayhawks also made the all-bench team — junior forward B.J. Williams and sophomore guard Billy Thomas.
For complete listings of the all-Big Eight teams, see page 2B.
With Nebraska's 70-66 victory against KState on Sunday, the Big Eight tournament first-round games were set.
On Friday, No. 1 seed Kansas will face No. 8 Colorado at 12:10 p.m., followed by No. 4 K-State against No. 5 Oklahoma State at 2:20 p.m.
The day's evening session will feature No. 2 Iowa State and No. 7 Nebraska starting at 6:10 p.m. Third-seeded Oklahoma and sixth-seeded Missouri will play the final game at 8:20 p.m.
BRIER
Softball team loses two games Sunday
Kansan staff report
The No. 17 Jayhawks lost two games to New Mexico State on Sunday, dropping their third in as many games. Kansas is 11-5 this season.
After winning 10 games in a row, the Kansas softball team has started another streak — a losing streak.
Kansan staff report
In the opening game of the doubleheader, Kansas freshman pitcher Sarah Workman threw a complete game and allowed three runs on six hits. The Jayhawks扛 RBI came off senior Katie Morgan's bat in the sixth inning with the Roadrunners leading 2-0. New Mexico State picked up an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth for the final 3-1 score.
New Mexico State jumped on Kansas in the first inning with four runs. The Roadrunners added runs in both the fourth and sixth innings to make the final score 6-2.
Kansas got another complete game in the second contest, but senior pitcher Beth Robinson surrendered six earned runs on 10 hits.
'Hawks try to get best of Sooners, again
Despite on-field and on-court success, three Kansas teams had shortcomings in the classroom last fall.
By Dan Gelston
Kansan sportswriter
On-field success doesn't equal classroom win
In the opening round of last year's Big Eight Conference Tournament, Kansas beat Oklahoma 2-1 in 12 innings. Jamie Splitterf pitched 11 innings for the Jayhawks and senior cater Ted Meadows drove in the winning run with a two-out single in the top of the 12th.
The 1996 Big Eight champion women's basketball team recorded the next lowest GPA of 2.36. The men's basketball team, also Big Eight champions, finished slightly higher at 2.48.
The last time the Kansas and Oklahoma baseball teams met, Kansas had one of its more memorable victories.
The two teams resume what has become a rather lopsided rivalry at 3 p.m. today when the Jayhawks travel to Norman, Okla., to start a two-game series.
Kansas, 5-4, has won 10 of the last 16 between the two teams, and only once in the past six years has Oklahoma, 8-4, held a series edge. The two split six games last season.
Kansas attained its success against Sooner team that won the 1995 Big Eight Championship and went to the College World Series, and the 1994 team that won the national championship.
In a report on fall semester grade point averages that the University of Kansas Athletic Corporation heard Friday, football had the lowest team GPA of 1.95. That is the lowest mark by the football team since the average was first kept in 1986, and it comes after the team went 10-2 and finished No. 9 in the Associated Press' Top 25 in 1995.
Oklahoma coach Larry Cochell said he
The men's golf team turned in the best classroom performance with a 3.14 team GPA. Women's track followed closely behind at 3.10.
Bobby Randall
wasn't sure why Kansas has had its number.
"They're the toughest team for us in the Big Eight to beat," he said. "I know (former Kansas coach) Dave Bingham did an outstanding job coaching his team and getting them ready to play. Bobby Randall has
proven what he can do in this conference, so we can expect another tough series."
Cochell said he didn't need to remind his team of last year's tournament loss to get the Sooners ready.
"I'm too old for revenge," he said. "I don't get too caught up in it. This team wants to win because it's the series coming up, not because of last year."
The Jayhawks open the final season of Big Eight Conference play with a 5-4 record but haven't played in eight days after having four games canceled because of the weather.
team was ready to start conference play
"We always want to get off to a good start," he said. "But the outcome of our season isn't going to depend on these games. If we start 2-0 or 0-2, it's not going to matter a whole lot because we still have 28 games left."
Kansas coach Bobby Randall said the
Kansas has already beaten a Top 25 team in 1906. The Jayhawks won two of three games against then-No. 18 Texas two weeks ago.
"The real important thing is to play well." Randall said. "We have the confidence now to know that when we play well, we win the games."
"I'm looking forward to it," he said. "I feel pretty good about the way I've been throwing, and the team certainly has confidence in our abilities. My job is to go out and throw strikes. As long as I can keep us in the game and the defense does its job, we can win."
Belovsky said he was ready for the series.
The Sooners starting pitchers are undecided, but Kansas will start senior Clay Baird, 2-0, 5.56 ERA, today and senior Josh Belovsky, 2-1, 6.08 ERA, tomorrow.
punk team rec pta. pr
AP Top 25
Oklahoma receiving value: George Washington 103, New
Mexico 18, Stanford 59, Stanford College 31, Georgia 61,
Bradley 20, Dullet 27, E. Michigan 24, California 22,
Cedar of Alabama 18, Minnesota 13, Arkansas-Little Rock
7, Oklahoma 8, Tulane 9, Drexel 4, France 4,
St. Sara Clan 3, Temple 3, Indiana 2, Montana St.
1, Tuska 1
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