THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
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team had bigger goals than just individual honors and conference championships.
He also didn't address the possibility that he could leave for the NBA at the end of the season, saying he refused to think about it at this time.
"Nobody should be thinking about that," he said. "This is what we've been practicing for, so if you're thinking about that, it's not going to be very good for the team."
On a team that seems to find a new superstar every night, Wright has provided a consistent presence for the Jayhawks. His rebounds and points are impressive, but he also leads the team in blocks and is ranked third in steals.
"I feel like I can be a major contributor during any stretch of the game in any statistical category" he said.
Kansan senior sportswriter Michael Phillips can be contacted at mphillips@ansan.com.
Edited by Darla Slipke
BASEBALL (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
"I think we got to come out strong, not play down." Afenr said. "But yeah I think we'll play good and have another confidence booster."
Jayhawk lineup, Afenir's confidence increased with each hit.
The goal of this series of home games is to prepare the Jayhawks to take on powerhouse No. 10 Arkansas (10-5) this weekend in Fayetteville, Ark.
"If we can get a couple of the other guys get a couple of knocks this week before we get to Arkansas," Price said. "Then we should have the right frame of mind mentally to play."
Kansan sportswriter Alissa Bauer can be contacted at abauer@kansan.com.
Edited by Darla Slipke
MLB
Rangers defeat Rockies 8-2 despite hitter's return
TUCSON, Ariz. — Todd Helton returned to the lineup and immediately flashed his sweet swing.
After missing two games with inflammation in his right knee, the Colorado Rockies' slugger had two hits and an RBI on Monday in an 8-2 loss to the Texas Rangers.
Helton has said he will be more cautious with nagging injuries this spring and might not play as many games. The first baseman is 4-for-7 in three games.
Texas starter Robinson Tejeda had few problems with the rest of the Rockies' lineup, pitching two shutout innings. He allowed two hits and struck out one.
Josh Rupe followed with two scorelearnings. A.J. Murray, recovering from shoulder surgery a year ago, retired the side in the eighth.
The Rangers went 15 innings without giving up a run before Colorado scored two uneared runs in the fifth against Frank Francisco.
Rockies starter Ubaldo Jimenez yielded three runs and four hits in three innings, striking out three.
Oscar Rivera allowed two runs in two innings, but struck out five.
Texas was led by former Colorado catcher Miguel Qjeda, who hit a two-run homer in the fourth off Rivera for a 5-0 lead.
Ian Kinsler and Jerry Hairston Jr. each had two hits and an RBI for the Rangers. Hairston also stole two bases and scored twice.
Strong Baylor pitching not enough for victory
》 BASEBALL
BY SHAWN SHROYER
Baylor (9-6)
Up: Senior right-hander Jeff Mandel (1-3) gave Baylor a strong start against Pacific with seven strikeouts in 6.2 innings, but the Baylor offense failed to overcome the mere three runs he allowed. The Bears lost 3-1.
In the hole: Freshman Dustin Dickerson gave the Bears little offensively from the third spot in the order. As Baylor lost two of three in the Pacific State Bank Tiger Classic, he went 0-for-10 with one RBI and six strikeouts.
On deck: The Bears will play host to the Qala- T Imprints bay Lorcic this weekend and face San Francisco, Mississippi State and Winthrop.
Kansas State (10-2)
Up: Kansas State followed sophomore center fielder Byron Wiley's lead in the Lamar Classic. He went 7-for-9 with three RBI and four runs in the Wildcats' two victories and 0-for-4 in their only loss.
In the hole: Not that catchers are meant to anchor an offense, but Kansas State is getting no production out of catchers Rob Vaughn and
On deck: This weekend, Kansas State will attempt what Kansas couldn't do — play host to North Dakota State for a three-game series.
Daniel Dellasella. The two went a combined 2-for-14 with one RBI.
Missouri (9-5)
Up: Sophomore starting pitcher Aaron Crow (2-0) shut out Youngstown State over seven innings while striking out six in game two while senior first baseman John McKee dominated Penguin pitching, going 5-for-10 with a home run (2), eight RBI and four runs in the series sweep.
In the hole: The men's basketball team had its NCAA tournament hopes dashed with a loss to Texas A&M.
On deck: Missouri travels to Dallas Saturday for a double-header with Texas State and Dallas Baptist.
Up: Junior second baseman lake Opitz was the lone bright spot for the Huskers in the Stetson Invitational. In losses to Iowa and Notre Dame, he hit two home runs (2), driving in seven runs and scoring three.
Nebraska (6-4)
In the hole: Iowa and Notre Dame
hitters butchered the Nebraska pitching staff. The Hawkeyes scored 12 runs on 11 hits and the Fighting Irish run-ruled the Cornhuskers, 16-6.
On deck: Nebraska looks to jump back into the Baseball America Top 25 as it heads to Alabama this weekend to take on the Crimson Tide in a three-game series.
Oklahoma (9-4)
Up: Team leader Aaron Reza helped Oklahoma sweep a ranked UC Riverside club, going 8-for-13 with a home run (1), eight RBI, four runs and four stolen bases.
In the hole: Despite the Sooners' impressive seven-game winning streak, they were snubbed from the Baseball America Top 25 Poll.
On deck: Oklahoma will head west this weekend for the Aztec Invitational and play San Diego State, No. 22 San Diego and Michigan.
Up: Junior outfielder Corey Brown led the Cowboys on offense, going 5-for-11 with a home run (4), four RBI, six runs and three stolen bases, as Oklahoma State swept Nichols State.
No.16 Oklahoma State (10-3)
Oliver (3-0) was the only Cowboy pitcher to allow multiple runs, giving up four in 4.1 innings on Sunday. Still, he earned the victory.
On deck: Oklahoma State begins a nine-game home stand this weekend with three games against No. 13 Pepperdine.
In the hole: Freshman Andrew
Up: Sophomore third baseman Bradley Suttle led Texas in hits during the weekend as it swept Oral Roberts, going 9- for 13 with a home run (3), four RBI and three runs.
In the hole: Junior right-hander Adrian Alaniz (4-1) struggled in the second game, throwing 82 pitches in just 3.1 innings, earning a no-decision. He struck out five while allowing one earned run on four hits and two walks.
On deck: Texas will play host to Miami, Ohio, this weekend for a three-game set.
No.18 Texas A&M (15-2)
Up! In Texas &M's victory on Sunday, sophomore right-hander Kyle Thebeau (1-0) struck out 10 in eight innings. In the first three games of the Domino's Pizza Aggie Baseball Classic — all of which were victories for Texas &M — junior
third baseman Blake Stouffer went 6-for-11 with seven RBI and two runs.
In the hole: Sophomore center fielder Kyle Colligan continued to struggle, going 1-for-9 and leaving seven runners on base.
On deck: Texas A&M closes its non-conference schedule this weekend with a three-game series against Florida in College Station.
Up: In Texas Tech's two victories against Cal State Northridge, starting pitchers AJ Ramos (4-1) and Aaron Odom (3-0) combined for 18 strikeouts in 14 innings while allowing only one run.
Texas Tech (12-5)
In the hole: Senior shortstop Kyle Martin had a rough series, going 1- for 13 with four strikeouts.
On deck: Texas Tech will play Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. No. 8 Rice and TCU in a tournament this weekend in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Sources: Big12Sports.com & individual school athletics sites.
>> NCAA BASKETBALL
Kansan sportswriter Shawn
Shroyer can be contacted at
sshroyer@kansan.com.
Edited by Sharla Shivers
Sophomore leads victory over George Mason
BY HANK KURZ JR.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
RICHMOND, Va. — With a wild rally in the final two minutes, Virginia Commonwealth did what all those big-conference powerhouses couldn't last year — knock off George Mason in March.
Eric Maynor made two key steals and scored nine straight points down the stretch, sending the top-seeded Rams to the NCAA tournament with a 65-59 victory in the Colonial Athletic Association championship game Monday night.
Maynor scored on a steal and layup, then was fouled and finished the three-point play with 1:55 left. He stole the ball on the next possession and made a layup to tie it with 1:46 to go, then followed a miss by the Patriots by driving and making a leaner over Darryl Monroe with 46.5 seconds to play.
After the Rams' Wil Fameni swatted away a shot by the Folarin Campbell, Maynor rebounded a missed 3-pointer and was intentionally fouled with 19.1 seconds left. He made both free throws, giving the Rams a 61-57 lead, and they held on to win, claiming their first automatic berth in the NCAA tournament since they also won in 2004.
The Patriots (18-15) made a captivating run from at large entry to the Final Four last season, beating traditional powers Michigan State, North Carolina and Connecticut along the way.
The Rams (27-6), who set a CAA record with 16 league wins in the regular season, reached the tournament in their first season under head coach Anthony Grant. Grant was hired away from NCAA champion Florida after Jeff Capel left for Oklahoma last April.
The Rams played from behind much of the game, several times rallying to pull even before the Patriots pulled away again. The last time came on a 5-0 run to
Maynor, who scored 14 of his 20 points in the second half and added seven rebounds and four assists, made sure of it, and was voted the tournament's most valuable player.
Fameni added 13 points and eight rebounds and Calvin Roland scored 12 for VCU.
give George Mason a 57-52 lead with 2:22 left, and this time VCU didn't stop at getting even.
Roland's free throw and basket pulled the Rams even at 52, but the Patriots responded as they had all game, getting a three-point play from Thomas and two free throws from Campbell after his steal and full court drive.
The Patriots got 12 points from Dre Smith and 10 each from Gabe Norwood and Will Thomas, but they scored just two points in the last 2:22 of the game. VCU had 13.
Then Maynor took over, and the Patriots' improbable run to another tournament was over. George Mason was the first team in CAA history to play four games in four nights, having arrived as a sixth seed and beating No. 3 Hofstra and No. 2 Old Dominion.
The Rams used an 8-2 run to take a 49-47 lead with 5:22 left. Roland started it with a dunk, Fameli scored inside, Maynor scored on a drive and lesse Pellot-Rosa scored on a putback. But once again, the Patriots answered. Norwool swished a line-drive 3-pointer from the right wing, and Thomas' basket inside gave Mason a 52-49 edge.
The Patriots scored six straight early in the second half to open a 37-30 lead, their biggest to that point. But the Rams answered immediately, and Pellot-Rosa's rebound of his own missed jumper and layup tied it at 37.
Reaching the top
Scott K. Brown/Associated Press
Colonial Athletic Association tournament MVP Eric Maynor gets a ride on his teammates' shoulders as they celebrate their 65-59 victory against George Mason to win the CAA basketball championship in Richmond, Va. Monday.
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