Sports
Mississippi victorious Although the Rebels triumphed, the Kansas women's tennis team continues to make strides PAGE 10A
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The University Daily Kansan
Tuesday, February 3, 2004
KANSAS 65 - MISSOURI 56
Kansas outlasts Missouri
Fieldhouse crowd energizes Kansas
By Ryan Greene
rgreene@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
Junior point guard Aaron Miles celebrates with junior guard Michael Lee at the conclusion of their victory over Missouri. The Jayhawks defeated the Tigers 65-56 at Allen Fieldhouse.
As Aaron Miles stepped to the free throw line toward the end of yesterday's game against Missouri, J.R. Giddens whispered some encouragement.
"Now show them why you're the best PG in the clutch," the freshman forward said.
Miles, junior point guard, did just that, going 4-for-4 from the line down the stretch to seal a 65-56 victory over Missouri for No.20 Kansas.
The junior tandem of Aaron Miles and Wayne Simien, who have both struggled from the line lately, were a combined 8-for-8 late in the game.
"If we miss a free throw, who's telling, we might still be playing out there right now," Miles said. "It was real big for us to step out there with confidence and knock them down."
In the first half, Missouri was unfazed by a noisy, packed Allen Fieldhouse. The two teams weren't separated by more than four points before halftime.
Missouri's responded immediately to any of Kansas' spurts. For every J.R. Giddens three-point shot or Keith Langford layup, the Tigers were able to answer by playing physically around the basket. Senior big men Arthur Johnson and Travon Bryant, who have traditionally struggled in Allen Fieldhouse, accounted for 14 points and 13 rebounds as Missouri trailed 29-27 at the half.
Though ahead, Kansas struggled during the first half with a 9 to 8 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Anyone who saw last Saturday's second half debacle in Ames, Iowa, had to be scared as Kansas exited the locker room from halftime. Kansas was dominated on the boards Saturday and allowed the Cyclones 47 points in a seven-point loss.
Yesterdav was a different story.
Junior forward Wayne Simien was the driving force in the Jayhawks' second half push, scoring 16 of his game-high 18 points in the second half.
The crowd at the Fieldhouse collectively held its breath when Aaron Miles tweaked his left ankle 46 seconds into the second half. Kansas' floor leader returned and helped guide
Point guard Miles key in taming Tigers
SEE FIELDHOUSE ON PAGE 7A
By Mike Norris
mnorris@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
Aaron Miles stepped up his play during crunch time last night as the Jayhawks defeated Missouri 65-56.
Jayhawk fans were nervous about another crunch — the junior point guard's ankle — when Miles landed awkwardly after making a layup to start the second half.
Miles immediately hobbled off the court and through the tunnel, causing Jayhawk fans to wonder if the Big 12 Conference leader in assists would return.
"I'm not coming out for nothing.' Miles said when asked if he thought he was done for the game.
Junior guard Michael Lee entered for Miles, who returned after a timeout at the 15:43 mark.
In the four minutes Miles was gone, the Jayhawks 31-27 lead, turned into a 38-38 tie.
"Aaron's the heart and soul of this team," junior forward Wayne Simien said. "It was a little down to see him go out, but he came back and picked us up right back where he left off."
Just two-and-a-half minutes after
Miles re-entered the game, he lobbed an
"Aaron's the heart and soul of this team."
Wayne Simien Kansas junior forward
arney-oop pass from behind the three point arc to J. R. Giddens, who slammed it home. It tied the game at 42, and caused the sold-out crowd to rise to its feet.
"Our crowd loves dunks," Giddens said. "That's what we're known for."
Simien underneath for a dunk and a two-point lead. Just four minutes later he assisted junior Keith Langford for an alley-oop layup, and a six-point lead.
On the next possession Miles fed
"I just put it up there and let them go get it," Miles said. "They're the athletes."
But Miles wasn't done. He threw his third and final alley-oop pass to Simien with three-and-a-half minutes left to give the Jayhawks their biggest lead to that point at 61-54.
"Each one of them was big," Miles said of the alley-oops. "It got the crowd
SEE MILES ON PAGE 7A
Feisty fans taunt Missouri, keep Border War waging
Missouri's Travon Bryant shot a free throw during second half action. Monday night's game was sold out, prompting scalpers to sell tickets at high prices.
Jared Soaros/Kensai
By Samia Khan skhan@kansan.com Kansan staff writer
Within 15 minutes of the doors' opening at last night's game against Missouri, the entire student section was filled with painted, primed and proud Kansas fans.
Spectators in Allen Fieldhouse will rarely encounter a shortage of emotions or creativity in a Border War game. If you're looking for an example, find the anonymous fan who started passing out "Quin Dollar: Good for Really Bad Players."
"Oh, it's gonna get rowdy in here. I guarantee it," said Chris Ortega, event staff usher.
Ortega, who has been an usher for 14 years, said there was nothing quite like the intensity of a Missouri game.
Fans saw the first signs of a ruckless less than an hour before the game, but no Missouri fans were harmed; it was the event staff who bore the brunt of student passions.
A Kansas student dressed in tiger attire held up a sign that read "I Eat Poop." Event stemmed the sign inappropriate and took it away.
Ushers confiscated another sign several minutes later, receiving the chant of "You eat poop" from the student section as they exited.
Brett Mathews, Olathe freshman, was the student conspicuously dressed as the tiger.
"I was pissed they took my sign," he said. "A kind fan pulled it out of the trash for me, so at least I still have it."
Undeterred by the event staff and security, Mathews crafted another impromptu sign that read "I'm just a pussy." He decided to comply with the ushers when they told him he would be kicked out if he continued.
Perhaps as a sign of reconciliation, fans nearby began passing around a sign that said "I love Event Staff."
Most of the fan spirit was reserved for game purposes or directed at the Tigers. Ryan Harrington, Geneva, ill., junior, and Daniel Patti, Roeland Park junior, of the Buddy Hawks camping group
TALK TO SPORTS: Contact Henry C. Jackson or Maggie Newcomer at PORTS@KANSAN.COM
SEE FANS ON PAGE 7A
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