THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN SPORTS
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2006
WWW.KANSAN.COM
PAGE 1B
BASEBALL
Pitchers crucial in hard-won victory
Extra innings help Jayhawks
BY ALISSA BAUER
abauer@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
No. 30 Kansas (7-4) finished its weekend trip to Los Angeles yesterday and defeated Vanderbilt in 11 innings, 5-2.
It took a long time, though.
Although Vanderbilt scored first, scraping in two unearned runs in the sixth innings, Kansas scored all of its runs in the eighth and eleventh innings.
Vanderbilt came into the game defeating USC, 6-2, in its previous outing.
Kansas coach Ritch Price said stopping Vanderbilt's momentum after a victory like it had over USC had done a lot for the team's confidence.
"We managed to salvage the weekend, obviously." Price said.
Although Kansas dropped games to USC and San Diego earlier in the weekend, the team put together a much-needed victory in extra innings.
Megan True/KANSAN
Both teams' bats were quiet much of the final game at the Public Storage Classic.
Senior pitcher Kodiak Quick (1-1) and Vanderbilt pitcher Cody Crowell (0-0) received no decisions for their 5.2 and seven inning starts, respectively.
Quick allowed two runs, which Vanderbilt generated from a bases-loaded error. A pair of lead-off hits and a walk pushed Quick out of the game in the sixth inning.
SEE BASEBALL ON PAGE 8B
Ashley Kerr, Iola senior, and Emily Adams, Kincaid junior, laugh at the start of the game while holding up a sign for their favorite player. Julian Wright, Adams and Kerr had front row seats for the Missouri game on Saturday, thanks to this dedicated camping group.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Showdown brings out fans' fervor
BY ERIC JORGENSEN
ejorgensen@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
Kansas fans cheered during a brief power outage before the men's basketball game Saturday. Then they started booing when the lights came back on and they had to continue watching the Missouri Tigers warm up.
From the 8 a.m. camping lottery last Sunday, through the darkness of the power outage, and after the Jayhawks won the tip-off, fans were energized and eager for redemption against their border rival.
Fans pretended to coach, wore retro KU warm-ups and one fan even shaved "KU" into his head. Fans did anything they could to intimidate the Missouri players and help Kansas win. It was typical Kansas-Missouri squabbling.
Thousands of students camped last week, eager to continue the rivalry.
Virgil Angleton, Wichita junior, is a member of the camping group that was first in line and first in Allen Fieldhouse. Seated behind the bench, Angleton was relaxed but excited before joining thousands in the tip-off roar.
"I'm getting great seats," Angleton said.
Angleton and his group had camped since the Sunday lottery and maintained their position in front of more than 130 groups for seven days.
Like most games, giant signs were in full force, blanketing the fieldhouse fans.
One row of signs was visible in every corner of the arena. With red writing lined in silver glitter, the anti-Missouri mantra "Muck Fizzou" was easy to read. When the signs were flipped around, they read "Where's Quin?"
Wichita freshmen Becca Fenili, Maygan Clasen, Kelly Cogman, Andrea Pearce and Jessica Richardson all helped hold the flashy signs. Attending their first basketball border showdown as students, the girls were jubilated with their close seats.
"Freakin' TV man," Coglman said of their nearfront location.
The game was broadcast by CBS.
LIFE OF BRIAN
Saturday's game warrants a refund
SEE FANS ON PAGE 4B
Dear Mizzou Basketball Team.
In regard to Saturday's game, I am writing to request a refund for the ticket that I purchased. I purchased the Student Athletics Ticket Pack for $125, or $5 per game for each home basketball and football game.
I made this purchase with the understanding that representative basketball teams from various academic institutions would travel to Lawrence to compete against the Jayhawks — and in turn entertain me.
This did not happen on Saturday, and as a result, I want my $5 back. It shouldn't be very hard for you to find your money. Just ask your favorite alumnus Ricky Clemons for some of that cash back. If you're looking for him, I'd suggest starting at White Castle.
You can send cash or check to the following address:
The University Daily Kansan
ATTN: Brian Wacker
119 Stauffer-Flint Hall
1435 Jayhawk Boulevard
Lawrence, KS 66045
Sorry, no money orders.
Now, I'm an understanding guy,
Mizzou. I know you've had a rough
couple of weeks. After the mighty
Baylor Bears took you out to the
woodshed, Gary Link, one of your
radio announcers, fired your head
coach — a job responsibility I didn't
know radio announcers had. For
Kansas' sake, let's hope Bill Self
doesn't make any jokes about Max
Falkenstein anytime soon.
Your situation would be laughable if it weren't so sad. OK, fine, it's
BRIAN WACKER
bwacker@kansan.com
sad and laughable.
And you know what the worst part is? There is no silver lining here. You won't be better any time soon, which means we here in the Free State will have to stomach more games like Saturday's.
But your pathetically-run athletics department aside, your performance on Saturday was unacceptable for any game, let alone a game against one of your biggest rivals.
You literally went more than 15 straight minutes in the second half without a field goal. Your bench played 48 minutes and scored a grand total of three points. The Jayhawks out-rebounded you by a ratio of more than 2-to-1.
Beating you so badly is about as fun as drop-kicking a three-legged dog. Initially, it sounds fun, but once you've done it, you just wish the dog would've put up more of a fight.
So as I wait for my $5, I'll be pondering as to what I'm going to spend it on — ah, who am I kidding? I'm gonna get some Chick-fil-A.
You guys have quit, and it's an embarrassment. You're a terrible rival.
With Love,
Brian Wacker
♦ Wacker is a Chesterfield,
Mo., senior in journalism.
He is Kansan.com editor.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: 57-56
KU squeaks by ISU in overtime thriller
BY MICHAEL PHILLIPS
mphillips@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
AMES, Iowa — After watching a five-point lead turn into overtime, senior guard Erica Hallman hung her head as she walked into the team huddle.
Everything was working against the Jayhawks' favor: a huge crowd of 9,000 in Ames, Iowa, neither of the team's point guards was on the court and to top it all off, Iowa State's best player, junior guard Lyndsey Medders, had just re-emerged from the locker room after hurting her ankle.
With six seconds left to play, senior forward Crystal Kemp put in the game-winner to end a 57-56 overtime slugfest.
None of it mattered though, because the Jayhawks wanted this one.
Smith defended Medders for most of the day, holding her to just 2-for-12 shooting. Medders left the game with three-and-a-half minutes remaining when she took a hard fall onto her right foot, which was injured earlier in the season.
Iowa State had a final attempt to win the game, and put the ball in the hands of Medders, but she could not elude junior guard Sharita Smith's pressure defense.
With her foot swelling, Medders simply taped it up and limped over to the scorer's table to get back in the game.
"I wasn't too surprised," Smith said. "I know she's a strong player and she's capable of playing through pain."
With Iowa State down three at the end of regulation, Med-
ders ran off a screen and made the three-point shot that sent the game to overtime.
After the game, Medders said she did not take any painkillers, and had felt the pain through the entire possession.
To keep Smith in the game to guard Medders, freshman guard Ivana Catic sat on the bench. That, combined with Kansas coach Bonnie Henrickson's suspension of junior guard Shaquina Mosley, meant the Jayhawks did not have a point guard on the court.
Hallman assumed the duties, as she did last year when the team was in a similar situation. Kansas did not have a true point guard last season.
"If she calls on me, I'm prepared to run the offense," Hallman said.
On the game's final possessions, Henrickson allowed her to make the plays.
"We didn't really set anything up," Hallman said. "It was kind of freelancing."
Whatever it was, it was exactly what the Jayhawks needed. With a record of 15-9 (4-9 Big 12 Conference), Kansas enters its final three games with the chance to make an impression on the Women's NIT selection committee.
"I'm happy for the kids, because it's been a difficult stretch," Henrickson said. "Every day we work and try to find a way to win, and they haven't quit and they haven't crumbled."
The victory is the Jayhawks' first on the road this season; their final game away from Allen Fieldhouse is tomorrow night at Texas Tech.
Edited by Janiece Gatson
Freshman forward Marija Zinic shoots over Iowa State's senior forward Brittany Wilkins Saturday in Hilton Coliseum. The Jayhawks ended the game in overtime with a 57-56 victory.
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