BASEBALL
The Kansas Jayhawks fell to 2-9 on the season after losing to the Northwestern Wildcats 5-3 yesterday. Page 2B
U N I V E R S I T Y D A I L Y K A N S A N
Sean R. Croster / KANSAN
Kansas senior center Greg Ostertag holds the Big Eight championship trophy high above his head as fellow senior guard Greg Gurley celebrates close behind. Ostertag, Gurley and senior walk-on Scott Novosel played their final game in Allen Field House yesterday.
KANSAS KU BASKETBALL
MONDAY, MARCH 6. 1995
SECTION B
'Hawks cook up a 'Country' feast
Kansas center Greg Ostertag blocks a shot by Oklahoma State center Bryant Reeves. Reeves, who scored a career-high 33 points against Kansas on Feb. 6, was shut out for the only time in his college career during last night's game in Allen Field House.
Kansas enjoys taste of conference title
By Christoph Fuhrmans Kansan sportswriter
Both Kansas and Oklahoma State had "Big O's" during yesterday's Big Eight Conference championship showdown in Allen Field House.
After scoring a career-high 33 points against the Jayhawks on Feb. 6, Oklahoma State senior center Bryant Reeves went 0-for-8 from the floor and was held scoreless for the first time in his college career as Kansas won the conference championship 78-62.
Kansas' Big O was a sharp contrast. Ostertag had 10 points, 10 rebounds and blocked five shots in his final game in the field house.
"If you had told me before the game he wasn't going to score anything I would have probably slapped you and called you crazy," Kansas senior center Greg Ostertag said of Reeves.
Ostertag's fellow seniors, forward Greg Gurley and walk-on guard Scott Novosel, also had personal success. Gurley had 13 points after recovering from a slight concussion in the first half, and Novosel had an assist in three minutes of playing time, the most he has had in a game this season.
"I think the satisfaction I feel more than winning is getting kids to believe in what we're trying to do," Kansas coach Roy Williams said. "On days like today there's no better feeling in the world."
The No. 3 Jayhawks improved to 22-4 overall and finished the conference season at 11-3 while the No. 18 Cowboys fell to 20-9 and 10-4.
Ostertag quickly passed his emotion on to the crowd when he scored the game's first points on an assist from Novosel who, along with Gurlev, started for the first time ever.
All three senior Jayhawks were introduced with their parents in an emotional pregane ceremony with Gurley and Ostertag both crying.
The Jayhawks went on a 7-0 run and jumped out to an early 11-2 lead. But the Cowboys responded with their own 7-0 run and cut the lead to 11-9.
Each team set the tone for the game during their respective runs with three-pointers from Kansas sophomore guard Jacque Vaughn and Oklahoma State senior guard Randy Rutherford.
Most of the Cowboys' points came from the outside with Rutherford scoring a career-high 45 points, but little came from the inside because of a non-scoring Reeves.
The Jayhawks, on the other hand, had a balanced inside and outside scoring attack. Kansas freshman guard Billy Thomas scored 17 points on five-of-nine three-point shooting, and sophomore forward Scot Pollard had nine points to complement the performance of Ostertag.
"It was a fantastic effort by our team," Williams said. "We had five good days of practice that we could work on stopping Randy Rutherford and Bryant Reeves."
Kansas did stop Reeves but was unsuccessful in trying to stop Oklahoma State's other star, Rutherford.
"I was just hoping he was going to cool down," Vaughn said. "One time I cut him off from the middle and he took a
After making a three-pointer at the 9:52 mark in the second half, Gurley was fouled and went to line for a one-and-one much to his surprise.
step back and still made the shot with my hand in his face." Despite Rutherford's success, no player scored more points in a single possession than Gurlev.
"When I hit the three, I thought it was going to be just one shot," he said. "I didn't even realize it was a one-and-one. I started to run to the other end."
0 run to take a 44-33 lead. The Cowboys cut the lead to 60-53 after a three-pointer by Rutherford with 5:47 left.
Before Gurley's five-point play, the Jayhawks went on a 13-
But consecutive three-pointers by Gurley and Thomas put the game away.
"It was just a great atmosphere for college basketball," Gurley said of winning the conference title in his last game at the field house. "I couldn't have written it any better."
BOX 2. Box score for the Kansas-Oklahoma State game Page 2B.
One-man show one no-show undo Cowboys
By Robert Moczydlowsky
Kansan sportswriter
If bets had been placed on the number of points Oklahoma State center Bryant Reeves would score yesterday, Oklahoma State coach Eddie Sutton would be a poor man.
"I would have bet my salary that Bryant playing 40 minutes without a score was impossible," Sutton said. "This was probably the worst game I've seen him play. Maybe the moon wasn't right last night."
Oklahoma State's Randy Rutherford probably would disagree.
"I don't know what it was," he said.
"Today they all seemed to go in."
Whether the moon had any effect on Rutherford's 45-point explosion remains to be seen, but the senior guard isn't ruling anything out.
Rutherford's career-high game is the second-highest opposing player total ever against the Jayhawks, and his 11 three-pointers broke the Big Eight Conference record for threes in one game.
Kansas center Greg Ostertag seemed a little flabbergasted when he tried to describe Rutherford's performance.
"Uh, hot — wait, en fuego,
Ostertag said, laughing. "I have
never seen anyone shoot the ball like
that."
Reeves also was impressed by Rutherford's point total, adding that if he had played well, the Cowboys might have fared differently.
"Randy played a great game," he said. "If I'd have been able to get on the board, things might have been different. This was the most embarrassing game I've ever played."
Sutton said Reewes' lack of points was the most influential factor on the game's outcome.
"When your All-American center doesn't score any points, it is very hard to beat a team like Kansas," he said. "We need Bryant if we want to win. This is a very good Kansas team. I think they've got a chance to win in Seattle."
Jayhawks make tournament cut
By Jenni Carlson Kansan sportswriter
By Jenni Carlson
After losing its two regular season games against Oklahoma, the Kansas women's basketball team defeated the Sooners 88-81 yesterday in the second round of the Big Eight Conference Tournament.
SALINA · The third time was definitely more charming than the first two.
"We were just fired up," said Kansas senior forward Angela Aycock, who had 25 points and nine rebounds. "The last time we played, Colorado gave us a lot of momentum going into the tournament. We're still rolling."
Against Oklahoma, Kansas got out to a quick 19-5 lead and stretched it to 28-11 with 11:23 remaining in the first half.
"We got off to a terrible start," Oklahoma women's basketball coach Burl Plunkett said. "When you get off to a slow start like we
SCORES: Box scores for both the Missouri and Oklahoma games. Page 2B,
Kansas continued to increase its lead in the second half. After a three-pointer from Kansas sophomore guard Angie Halbleib at the 15:58 mark, the Jayhawks held a 20-point lead. 56-36.
did in the first half, it takes so much to catch up, that when you finally do, it's hard to keep going."
"They're a great club," Kansas women's basketball coach Marian Washington said. "A great club finds a way to get back into the game."
But the Sooners almost pulled off the comeback and proved Plunket wrong.
Oklahoma went to its strength on the post. During the next 13 minutes, Sooner centers and forwards combined to pour in 32 points.
And with 3:44 left in the game, Oklahoma was right back in it. A four-foot bank shot from Oklahoma senior center Mandy Wade tied the game 74-74. The Sooners took their first and last lead one minute later, 79-77.
Aycock then showed why she is one of the Big Eight's best. She caught a pass on the right side and launched a three-point shot that put the Jayhawks on top to stay. They outscored Oklahoma 11-4 during the final three minutes of the game and pushed their
record to 20-9.
"Everybody loved me if it had gone in like it did and hated me if it didn't," Aycock said. "I just had to take that shot."
The Jayhawks earned the chance to play the Sooners with a 74-67 victory against Missouri on Saturday night. After being tied early, Kansas went on a run.
From the 10:39 to the 4:42 mark, the Jayhawks outscored the Tigers 18-0.
"It was really pretty frustrating." Missouri junior forward Erika Martin said. "But thought we could come back. We fight hard to come back."
And the Tigers did just that. Missouri closed Kansas' 18-point lead to 11 at halftime and to six points with 16:04 remaining in the game.
The Tigers' run at the Jayhawks was reminiscent of last year's first-round matchup between the two teams. Kansas seemed to have the game in hand at halftime before falling to Missouri and exiting the conference tournament early.
Washington said last year's demise didn't really enter the Jayhawks' minds during the Tigers' second-half run.
"I think what happened to us last year helped," she added. "It was not a surprise that they were going to make runs as they did. What we wanted to do differently this year was respond."
Senior guard
Angela
Aycock
dodges Missouri forward Erika
Martin during the big Eight Conference tournament in Salina. The Jayhawks beat the Tigers Saturday night in the first round of the tournament.
Valerie Crow / KANSAN