KANSAN.COM / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / MONDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2010 / SPORTS
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
3B
Freshman forward Jackson carries Jayhawks in victory
BY KATHLEEN GIER kgier@kansan.com
The Kansas women's basketball team started its season with a comfortable 73-40 victory over South Dakota. Freshman forward Tania Jackson led the Jayhawks in scoring with 13 points.
Jackson, who hit two threes Sunday, is one of two players on the team who has a green light from Henrickson to shoot from beyond the three point line. Coach Bonnie Henrickson said Jackson got some open looks because of senior center Krysten Boogaard's play in the paint.
"Just like today, Krysten is working hard and Tania is wide open because Tania's guy is down there with her, so we throw that to Tania because she spaces the defense and she can get up and score," coach Bonnie Henrickson said.
Once again, Kansas found success in its ball rotation and bench depth with every player seeing time on the court and scoring.
"If we can get that kind of lead
and not drop off then I think everyone today was able to bring something to the table whether on the offensive end or the defensive end," Henrickson said.
The rotation takes pressure off of specific players when everyone can contribute.
"I think it is really good that everyone can score, and we are going to need that coming off the bench, and we will need all of that to transfer knowing that everyone can make a basket and score it," sophomore Angel Goodrich said.
The Jayhawks were more aggressive on defense and when fighting for loose balls. Kansas had 16 floor burns and took two charges in the win.
"I thought defensively, we didn't start with the bounce we had against Washburn, but I thought a couple minutes into it we got it and dictated more where the penetration went," Henrickson said.
Senior Marisha Brown emphasized the importance of creating offense from defensive plays.
"I just try to get in the passing
lane and stay intense because I don't want to take a play off, so I do whatever I can to help my team," Brown said.
The team is still struggling with turnovers and ended the game with 16. Many of the turnovers were caused by miscommunication on passes
"We were aggressive today and we had been in pretty good shape after the first two games we were positive assistant to turnover and we were sloppy with it today," Henrickson said. "We threw some things that weren't going to get there and we threw some things that should have been a shot."
"I think we just need to be more cautious of where we throw it," Goodrich said. "I think we see it and then we pause and then we throw it and it is too late then. I think we need to just throw it when we see it and not wait."
Goodrich thinks that the passing trouble can be fixed with more practice and more game situations.
—Edited by Tim Dwyer
Freshman guard Keena Mays is fouled by South Dakota forward Amber Hegge as she attempts a lay up. Mays finished with five points, dished out five assists and pulled down seven rebounds.
Jerry Wang/KANSAN
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Freshman guard takes lead
BY MEGAN RUPP
mrupp@kansan.com
She didn't have the most firsthalf minutes of this year's freshman class on Sunday, but Keena Mays's momentum-changing contributions in the first half earned the point guard even more play time during the second half.
With only six first half minutes, Mays' energy was quickly realized by South Dakota coach Ryun Williams, who almost immediately called a timeout. The stall didn't slow Mays. In the next minute of play, Mays earned an assist, a defensive rebound and headed to the line after getting fouled while attempting to put back her own missed lapup.
throw a better ball."
"I produced more in the second half because I was still just getting my feet wet in the first," Mays said. "I played better defense in the second, but I still need to take better care of the ball."
Making few rookie mistakes, she ended the game with five assists, seven rebounds and multiple deflections — but don't expect the humble freshman to bragg about it.
Mays had five turnovers, most of which resulted from her hesitance to take the open jumper. Freshman nerves still plague her shooting confidence, leading her to opt for the extra pass over taking the shot.
The layhawks struggled to get the ball inside and keep post-play active, something Mays said she's trying to work on in her own game. In keeping that focus, Mays made some passes she shouldn't have, but coach Bonnie Henrickson said she was proud of her eagerness to keep the posts involved.
"I love that Keena was so aggressive, but some of those she just needs to take the shot and turn the guy she's trying to throw it into a rebounder." Henrickson said. "She sees it, but she's got to
What might still be a work in progress on the offensive end, Mays made up for with a dynamic defensive performance. Mays' consistent help defense enabled her to grab six defensive rebounds. She said she was glad to have helped get the team moving with those rebounds that opened up fast break opportunities.
and outcome of a game.
"Having someone come in the game and do that to get us going just gives us a spark," Goodrich said. "She can do that every time she steps in the game because she has everything a point guard needs."
Goodrich said right now, Mays needed to focus on being a little
Her inexperience wasn't evident in the speed she used to push the ball up the floor. She said she loved playing a fast-paced game. Sharing the floor with
"I played better defense in the second, but I still need to take better care of the ball"
KEENA MAYS Freshman point guard
teammate Angel Goodrich gave her team more of an opportunity to do so, she said. The two point guards took the floor together only a few times during the game, but Goodrich said she hoped it would happen more often.
"If we get to play like that more and more, I'm going to get more excited because she sees a lot of things and keeps the ball moving," Goodrich said.
Still, Goodrich said she hoped Mays would build confidence in her ability to change the game's momentum on her own. She said she believed Mays' first-half minutes were enough to prove the effect Mays can make on the pace
Goodrich said she liked having the option to rely on Mays to take the point because it gave her more opportunities to play the shooting guard and look to score. Together, the two present a new threat: speed. While the inside game was largely overlooked in the South Dakota face-off, the pace of the game was recognizably quicker with Goodrich and Mays in the game.
more saltie.
While on the bench,
Goodrich said she noticed Mays' unwillingness to risk a miss. She said she thought Mays would have fewer
Goodrich said in practice, Mays was confident in her ability to knock down the open jumper, but hasn't showed the same initiative come game time. Against South Dakota, Mays was not only tentative to take the jump shot, but also shied away from open layup opportunities.
"Keena gets to the rim a lot and she could easily score, but she tries to pass," said Marisha Brown, senior guard.
turnovers as soon as she garnered the confidence to shoot instead of resort to a risky pass.
Mays reluctance led her to score only five points, despite numerous opportunities to reach double-digit scoring. Still, her teammates are confident that with experience Mays will develop the self-assurance she needs to up her scoring contributions.
"She's really impressing me a lot," Goodrich said. "She did make some freshman passes, but it'll come."
Edited by Roshni Oommen
Quote of Game
"The good news is we scored 73 points and we shot it well."
Jerry Wang/KANSAN
—Coach Bonnie Henrickson
Stat of the Day
The Jayhawks recorded 10 assists for the second straight game and all players scored during the game.
Redshirt freshman Tania Jackson led the Jayhawks with 13 points. She shot 4-5 from the field and 2-3 from beyond the arch. She ended the game with four rebounds as well. This is her first regular season game after missing all of last season with a knee injury.
Left, sophomore forward Carolyn Davis shoots over South Davis guard Katelyn Edwards during the second half. Davis was one of two Jayhawks to score in the double figures with 12 points and tied for a career best five blocks.
Player of Game
Notes
- Kansas out rebounded South
* Dakota 53-33.
- The Coyotes did not score for over eight minutes in the first half while Kansas scored 13.
- All Jayhawks scored for the record game in a row.
- South Dakota was held to 16 points in the first half.
—Kathleen Gier
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