Sports
Unexpected upset
After an unexpected loss to Texas A&M,the women's basketball team wants to bring it together and finish off the season with a victory. PAGE 3B
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The University Daily Kansan
Monday, February 23, 2004
Megan True/Kansai
Senior Matt Trible was congratulated by the baseball team yesterday afternoon after scoring a run in the fifth inning. Kansas defeated Creighton 5-1.
Baseball breaks losing streak
By Shane Kucera skucera@kansan.com Kansan sportswriter
The Kansas baseball team improved to 8-7-1 on the season with a 5-1 victory against the Creighton Bluejays (1-2) yesterday.
It took Kansas batters only six pitches to score the first run of the game.
Matt Baty, Ritchie Price, and Sean Richardson led off the game with three straight hits to take the lead that the Jayhawks would never surrender
"The team hasn't won a game in two weeks, so this really helps."
Ritch Price Coach
this would help surrender.
The 'Hawks gave impressive performances at the plate and on the mound.
Senior Matt Trible was a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate with two RBI and one run scored.
"The weather was good and we had a lot of fans here," Tribble said.
Senior Ryan Knippschild turned in a season high eight-inning performance from the mound.
Baty
The left-hander allowed only six hits and one run while striking out five and walking none.
"I like to pace myself," said Knippschild. "I threw a lot of sliders and changes because they're not a very good off-speed hitting team."
Senior Chris Smart appeared in the ninth inning to close the game. He allowed no runs on one hit and struck out the final batter of the game.
Price
ter of the game.
"It was a great day to play and a great day to open the season at home," coach Ritch Price said. "The team hasn't won a game in two weeks, so this really helps."
The home opener victory against the Bluejays snapped a six-game losing skid for the lavwhaws.
The team intends to make significant progress this week as it takes on the Oakland University Grizzlies Monday through Thursday 1 p.m.
Richardson
Monday through Thursday at 3 p.m.
Junior transfer pitcher Mike Zagurski will have the start in today's game at Hoglund Ballpark.
- Edited by Nikki Nugent
Team works hard for victory
By Mike Norris
mnorris@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
After Iowa State guard Curtis Stinson's meaningless three-pointer fell through the net at the final buzzer Saturday in Allen Fieldhouse, a collective silence fell through the capacity Jayhawk crowd.
Everyone knew the Jayhawks had won. But the way Kansas' 90-89 defeat of Iowa State had gone, it was as if the crowd had to take a deep breath before it erupted to celebrate the Jayhawk victory.
In a game that featured a blown 17- point second-half lead, a last minute comeback and the first overtime of the season, emotions were flowing high on the Jayhawk bench.
Annie Bernethy/Kansar
the jayhawk better. "I think our effort was tremendous," Jayhawk forward Wayne Simien said.
Just one week ago the Jayhawks were grumbling that lack of effort contributed to three straight conference road losses. Coach Bill Self benched forward Jeff Graves because of bad practice habits
Graves because of our practice.
On Saturday no one could accuse
Graves of not trying hard. In just 22 minutes, Graves finished with six points, 12 rebounds and four assists.
Wayne Simien, junior forward, and Iowa State's Jackson Vroman, senior forward, fought for a rebound after an Iowa State shot during Saturday's game.
SEE WORK ON PAGE 6B
Jayhawks must bring attitude
Tonight's game will determine Kansas' shot at Big 12 title
By Ryan Greene
rgreene@kansan.com
Kansan sportwriter
It didn't look possible a week ago following an embarrassing 74-55 loss at Nebraska, but now, the Kansas Jayhawks think they have a shot to mess with Texas.
with texas. The Jayhawks (17-6 overall, 9-3 Big 12 Conference) will attempt to end their three-game road losing skid tonight when they take on the No. 12 Texas Longhorns (19-4, 10-2) in Austin Texas.
Both teams are coming off of emotional victories on Saturday.
The Jayhawks overcame a late surge by the Iowa State Cyclones on their way to a 90-89 victory, and Texas outlasted its
rival, Oklahoma, for a 68-63 victory on the road.
the Axis "A win like this today will help us in Austin," Bill Self said after the Iowa State game. "Or at least it should."
Self said that it "should" because winning consistently is something that his team still needs to prove it is capable of with just four games remaining before the Big 12 Tournament.
Every Jayhawk who spoke with the media after Saturday's game spoke about how the overtime triumph would help the team after the low point it experienced just a week before in Nebraska.
NASKA.
Now, as Kansas is officially in the regular season's stretch run, the players who will lean most on the juniors, who have been to two Final Fours in two years, for leadership — Wayne Simien, Aaron Miles and Keith Langford.
"I think it's key for our success for me, Keith and Wayne to be able to step up and make plays in crunch time," Miles said.
SEE ATTITUDE ON PAGE 6B
The Javhawks' bench celebrated an overtime bucket. Kansas was up by 13 at halftime, but Iowa State came back to tie the game in the second half.
Jayhawks weather storm
Kansas slips by Iowa State after game goes to overtime
By Ryan Greene rgreene@kansan.com Kansan sportswriter
On the bench, the Kansas reserves chewed their fingernails to the cuticles. Bill Self's heart must have been beating 300 times per minute. The Kansas players on the floor perspired like they never have before.
But in the end, all of the stress in the Jayhawks'90-89 overtime victory against the Iowa State Cyclones was just what they needed.
"We needed to win a game where we really had to fight, bond and stick together," coach Self said. "I think this team needed to win a game that it wasn't supposed to win."
Junior forward Wayne Simien shot free-throws all alone during the second half after a technical foul by Iowa State guard Jake Sullivan
On paper, Kansas (17-6 overall, 9-3 Big 12 Conference) was an obvious favorite coming into the game, but late in the contest, disaster looked inevitable for the Jayhawks. Even though Iowa State (14-9, 5-7) won the first meeting on Jan. 31, the Cyclones had lost 22 consecutive Big 12 road games.
Freshman guard J.R. Giddens enjoyed his finest half of the season in the first 20 minutes, scoring 15 of the Jayhawks' first 26 points.
Those points were thanks to five three-point field goals in the first 10 minutes. Kansas never trailed in the first half, taking a comfortable 12-point lead into the locker room at halftime.
"In the first half, he carried us, making shots when other guys weren't doing as
well," junior guard Keith Langford said of Gidden's blistering first half performance. "He was spreading the zone out and that was real good for us."
In the second half, Kansas kept Iowa State at bay, building its lead as large as 17 points at 49-32. Then, with the Iav
hawks holding onto a 58-47 lead, the mood shifted. First, a technical foul was called on Cyclones senior guard Jake Sullivan following a spat with Kansas' Mike Lee.
SEE VICTORY ON PAGE 6B
TALK TO SPORTS; Contact Henry C. Jackson or Maggie Newcomer at SPORTS@KANSAN.COM
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