2008 KANSAS BASKETBALL
9
DECEMBER 2, 2007
California dreaming Hawks win on big stage Chalmers make the clutch three-pointer.
BY MARK DENT mdent@kansan.com
LOS ANGELES — The only thought on Rodrick Stewart's mind was to not turn the ball over.
Junior guard Mario Chalmers had just passed him the ball as the shot clock ticked down with less than 30 seconds to go and Kansas nursing a 55-53 lead. Stewart, a senior guard who transferred from Southern California, had already been called for two travels and a charge during his homecoming game. He couldn't mess up again.
Sureenough, Stewart found Chalmers open, and Chalmers made a shot from several feet behind the three-point line as the shot clock expired. The basket sealed Kansas' 59-55 victory against Southern California.
Kansas coach Bill Self designed a play that should've ended with senior forward Darnell Jackson shooting the ball down low. Chalmers said he passed the ball to Stewart because he thought Stewart had a better angle to throw the ball to Jackson. Stewart instead passed the ball immediately to Chalmers.
Although the play was designed for Jackson, he had no problem letting
"I think Mario's the big-shot guy for us," Jackson said. "If Mario's not out there, it's Brandon. One of those two is always going to make big shots for us."
The shot was pretty; the rest of the game wasn't. For the second Sunday in a row, the Jayhawks won an ugly game against a quality opponent.
The victory certainly wasn't easy for Kansas. Self said that USC would probably be the best team the Jayhawks would face until conference play and that his team needed this test.
"You have to win games where you don't play great, especially on the road," Self said. "That was one of those grind-it-out games where we competed hard. We didn't execute worth a flip, but we competed hard."
Junior guard Brandon Rush shoots in the first half of the Dec. 2 USC game in Los Angeles.The victory wasn't pretty, but some clutch play in the final minutes sealed the score at 59-55.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
KANSAS 85 47 EASTERN WASHINGTON
DECEMBER 5, 2007
Rush dominates the glass
Junior guard Brandon Rush is used to leading his team in points. But in an 85-47 victory against the Eastern Washington Eagles, Rush grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds.
Kansas coach Bill Self said Rush's impressive rebounding meant he was closer to being fully recovered from knee surgery. But it also might have been a reflection on the size advantage Kansas possessed in the game.
Except for one player, Eastern Washington's entire roster was smaller than 6-foot-4. The Jayhawks exploited it and out-rebounded the Eagles 48-27.
Senior forward Darnell Jackson and sophomore forward Darrell Arthur had a field day in the paint and combined to score 32 points.
"We figure if you get inside, a lot of good things will happen," senior guard Russell Robinson said.
Case Keefer
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Senior guard Russell Robinson fights for a steal against Eastern Washington. The Jayhawks outplayed the Eagles in all facets, winning 85-47.
BARTONline.org
Online College Courses
Having trouble getting your class schedule to work?
Need to add a class?
Dropped a class?
Enroll now for summer and fall sessions. Most general education courses transfer to Kansas Regent schools.
Find our schedule online!
www.bartonline.org
Online college courses offered by Barton County Community College
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN