Section:
1B
The University Daily Kansan
Sports
Flashback
Jan. 11, 1997 — Kansas shot 59.3 percent from the field on its way to defeating Baylor 87-68 in the jayhawks' first-ever Big 12 Conference game in Texas. The game also marked the largest crowd in Ferrell Center history (10,475) in Waco, Texas.
Inside: Drew Gooden's injury translated into more minutes for other Jayhawks on Saturday against Oklahoma State.
SEE PAGE 3B
Inside: The Kansas baseball team went 3-0 this weekend, winning the Round Rock Tournament in Texas.
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2001 For comments, contact Shawn Hutchinson or Shawn Linenberger at 864-4858 or sports@kansan.com KANSAN.COM/SPORTS
Kansas alert for Baylor ambush
By Chris Wristen
sports@kansan.com
Kansas sportswriter
It might be a case of "looks can be deceiving" when No. 5 Kansas plays Baylor at 8 tonight in Waco, Texas. But if so, the Javahawks aren't buying it.
Baylor (15-6 overall and 4-6 in the Big 12 Conference) was one of the last seven unbeaten teams in the country when it started the season 12-0. There was a reasonable explanation for that start, too. The Bears played teams like Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Hardin Simmons, St. Edwards and Montana during that stretch before Texas Tech gave them the first of six blemishes in their last nine games.
The weak scheduling was part of coach Dave Bliss' plan to bring confidence and a winning feeling to a team that has been a Big 12 doormat since the conference's inception in 1996.
"They got off to a great start this year,"
Williams said. "Once you get in league play it's hard, though. Dave's a heck of a coach and they're going to get better and better and they're going to move up and up in the standings."
The Bears are inching forward and occupy seventh place in the Big 12. Terry Black's 16 point, 8.6 rebound average and DeMarcus Minor's 13.9 points are a major reason why Baylor is close to breaking into the conference's upper half.
In the absence of Gooden, the Kansas starters will most likely see extended minutes again. Senior center Eric Chenowith played 37 minutes in Saturday's 77-61 win against Oklahoma State.
Kansas' task of maintaining pace with No. 12 Iowa State, which has the conference lead, will be more difficult because the Jayhawks' second-leading scorer, sophomore forward Drew Gooden, will be sidelined tonight with a sprained right wrist. Adding to the difficulty is that Kansas will play in front of the biggest crowd Baylor has had all season. Two years ago, the Jayhawks barely escaped Waco with a 66-62 win.
"Baylor's tough at home," said Kansas point guard Kirk Hinrich. "We can't afford to slip up."
Chenwhom may once again prove to be the determining factor, as he was against the Cowboys when he played one of his best games of the season. His performance, along with sharp shooting by Hinrich and Boschee, will be crucial for a Kansas win.
Kansas reserves also will need to contribute. Juniors Brett Ballard and Jeff Carey saw more time than usual, 11 and 16 minutes apiece, respectively, Saturday because of Gooden's injury and Jeff Boschee's foul trouble.
"With Drew out, there's going to be a void on the bench and there might be an opportunity for me to play some," Ballard said. "It depends on how Jeff and Kirk's legs are."
“It's definitely time to put the whole game together,” Hinrick said. “Every game is huge from here on out. The conference race is really close. We're going to have to be ready to play every night.”
No. K. Isaacs (19-3 and 8-2) at Baylor (15-6 and 4-6)
Time: 8 p.m.
**Place:** The Ferrell Center (10,284) in Waco, Texas
**TV/Radio:** ESPN2, 980, 105.9 FM.
**Coaches:** Kansas — Roy Williams, 348-65 in 13th year at Kansas and overall, Baylor — Dave Blase, 29-12 in second year at Baylor and 479-286 overall.
**Farrington:** Kansas — lead 6-0.
Last meeting: Kansas won 80-70 Feb. 26, 2000, at Allen Fieldhouse.
Projected Starters:
Pos. No. PPG RPG
G 10 Kirk Hinrich 10.5 4.2
G 13 Jeff Boschee 10.6 2.1
F 20 Kenny Gregory 16.2 7.2
F 4 Nick Collison 13.2 6.0
C 44 Eric Chenowith 10.5 8.6
- Edited by Doug Pacey
Baylor
G 20 Wendell Greenleaf 11.2 2.9
G 23 DeMarcus Minor 13.9 6.2
F 24 Terry Black 16.0 8.6
F 32 Greg Davis 9.6 6.2
C 50 Logan Kosmatski 6.1 4.2
Women fall to Missouri in last minute
By Jessie Meyer sports@kansan.com
Kansas sportwriter
Senior Jennifer Jackson had just scored her 1,000th point, putting Kansas up by six and quieting the record-setting 10,126 Missouri fans at the Hearnes Center in Columbia, Mo.
COLUMBIA, Mo. — The Jayhawks had the Tigers right where they wanted them Saturday, with a minute and a half to play in regulation.
But then things came unhinged.
Then it was all Missouri. The Tigers (15-7 overall and 6-5 in the Big 12 Conference) outscored Kansas 11-6 in the extra minutes and stole the game out from under the Jayhawks, 89-84.
Missouri senior Amanda Lassiter dropped a quick bucket that pulled the Tigers to within four, and the Mizzou defense took control. Missouri forced two Kansas turnovers and buried two more baskets in less than a minute to tie the score at 78-78 and send the game Kansas had all wrapped up moments before into overtime.
"We do some crazy things when the game gets tight, and it keeps killing us," senior Jaclyn Johnson said. "We just stopped going to what worked and Missouri was able to capitalize on that. We just played into their hands, taking what they gave us instead of taking what we wanted."
Johnson tallied her sixth double-double of the season, leading the Jayhawks (9-13 and 3-8) with 20 points and 11 rebounds. But it was junior Nikki White who led Kansas down the stretch.
White, who has seen limited playing time because of ankle injuries this season, added a career-high 12 points off the bench, shooting a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line in the last six minutes of regulation and three-for-three from the field in overtime. White also tied her career-high rebounds with seven in her 13 minutes of play.
Missouri was 11 for 22 from behind the arc and senior Tracy Franklin led the assault, shooting 5-8 from long range along with 7-for-12 from the field. Franklin led all scorers with 24 points, adding to Lassiter's 22 and 13 apiece from senior Marlena Williams and sophomore Kerensa Barr.
Kansas led for much of the game, partly because of 54.4 percent free throw shooting from the Tigers. But what the Tigers gave up from the charity stripe, they regained with a barrage of three-point baskets.
"It was most definitely one of her best performances so far this season," said coach Marian Washington. "We need to have some people come off the bench to give us quality minutes to spell some of our key players."
Kansas had five players score in double digits and shot 58.2 percent from the field. The Jayhawks shot 76 percent from the free throw line, but committed 25 turnovers — including 16 in the second half — that cost them the game.
"It's just a tough loss for us," Washington said. "I thought we worked hard for most of the ball game. I thought they fought from start to finish, so I am real pleased about their effort."
Johnson became Kansas' eight all-time rebounder with 789, passing Terrilyn Johnson, who grabbed 786 boards from 1969-92.
Game notes:
JAYHAWKS TROUNCE COWBOYS
Chenowith comes alive
— Edited by Doug Pacoy
By Chris Wristen
By Chris Wristen
sports@kansas.com
Kansas sportwriter
After ripping his critics during Wednesday's weekly press conference, Eric Chenowith backed up his talk as No. 5 Kansas beat Oklahoma State 77-61 Saturday in Allen Fieldhouse.
Chenwihot, a senior center who averages 10.1 points and 8.4 rebounds per game, posted his best numbers in a month — 17 points, 12 boards and two blocked shots. He led the Jayhawks (19-3 overall and 8-2 in the Big 12 Conference) to their first win against the Cowbys (14-6 and 5-4) since 1999.
"I said some stupid things this week and I knew I had to come out and have a good game," Chenowith said. "I wanted to do some good things, because if I say some stupid things and then go out and play bad, I look even worse. I still made some big mistakes — an offensive foul and a turnover on the break. I could still do so many things better."
His play was the difference in the game, especially considering that the Jayhawks played without sophomore forward Drew Gooden, who sprained his wrist during last week's win against Texas. Doctors decided to put a cast on Gooden's wrist Saturday morning, which means he will miss at least two more games with the injury.
Chenowith knew he needed to step up. He responded with two powerful first half dunks that were sparked either by diesel fuel or the desire to win the fans' hearts.
"The crowd was awesome," Chenowith said. "They were gracious and supportive, and that just shows they're the best. I said some stupid things this week, and it just goes to show that they love their Kansas basketball."
The fans loved Kirk Hinrich, too. The sophomore point guard did his part in filling the scoring void of Gooden, who averages 15.6 points, by exploding for 20 points to go with his five assists, five rebounds and two blocks. He went three-for-four from behind the arc in the first half as Kansas built a 38-35 halftime lead.
The Jayhawk struggled to score early and trailed 19-14 with 11:30 remaining in the half before Williams turned to key reserves Brett Ballard and Jeff Carey, who provided a boost off the bench. After Hinrich hit back-to-back threes, Ballard drained one of his own that put Kansas ahead 25-24 and sent the fieldhouse into a frenzy.
The second half was all Kansas as the Jayhawks shot 56 percent in the half and held the Cowboys to 30.4 percent shooting from the field. Oklahoma State trimmed the lead to five points before Chenowith hit a 14-foot jumper that ignited a 16-3 run that ultimately buried the Cowboys.
Hinrich also held Cowboys guard Maurice Baker, who averages 20.2 points per game, to 12 points on four-for-14 shooting. Melvin Sanders and Victor Williams led Oklahoma State with 13 points each and Andre Williams blocked five shots.
Hinrich said that the team needed Chenowith to continue being an offensive threat while Gooden is sidelined. He also said he was pleased with the 7-footer's performance.
"He didn't have the best week of practice, and coaches were on him, so it was great for him to respond like that." Hinrich said. "We need him."
— Edited by Sydney Wallace
Kansas sophomore guard Kirk Hinrich draws a charge against Oklahoma State forward Melvin Sanders. Hinrich helped lead the Jayhawks to a win over the Cowboys with 20 points. Photo by Christina Neff/KANSAN
Kansas senior center Eric Chenowith fights through two Oklahoma State defenders on his way to the basket.
Chenowith broke out of a slump Saturday, scoring 17 points and pulling down 12 rebounds in the Jeyhawks' 77-61 victory. Photo by Matt Daugherty/KANSAN
As tournament nears, 'Hawks should strive for No.2 seed
And 25 days isn't too early to start what should be the rallying cry for Jayhawk fans from Wamego to Hays — "Go for two."
In 25 days, the Kansas men's basketball team -- after winning the Big 12 Conference Tournament -- will gather around a television at Kemper Arena and find out where it will be seeded in the NCAA Basketball Tournament.
The true cure for the Jayhawks' NCAA blues would be virtual home games for their first two contests. Granted, a date at Kemper Arena wouldn't guarantee one of those elusive Sweet 18 appearances — the Jayhawks lost to Virginia at Kemper in the 1995 tournament — but with Kansas' recent tournament history, it couldn't hurt.
Let's get this straight — we don't want Kansas to be a No.1 seed. Thanks to Iowa State, it looks as if that won't happen. But if the Jayhawks play well enough in their next nine games, they will probably be the No.2 seed in the Midwest region and play the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament at Kemper Arena — exit IB of I-70, also known as Allen Fieldhouse east.
The problem with this "Go For Two" scenario is that the Jayhawks no longer have control of it. Iowa State, thanks to an obsecre shooting performance last Monday night, knocked Kansas out of the driver's seat in the Big 12. The Jayhawks took a step toward regaining control with a 77-61 victory against Oklahoma State on Saturday, but they are still a half game behind the Cyclones in the standings.
Two days after the Iowa State loss, Eric Chenwith blasted the fans for criticizing his play and the Jayhawks learned Saturday morning they would lose Drew Gooden with an injured wrist for at least three games — including the rematch with Iowa State in Ames, Iowa, on Feb. 17.
To make matters worse, the Kansas basketball world seemed to collapse around Roy Williams last week. The Cyclone game exposed Jayhawk weaknesses that were previously transparent. All of a sudden, Kansas had difficulty guarding from the perimeter. Free-throws weren't falling. And Luke Axtell's bad back couldn't even hoist a shot that would hit rim on the game's decisive play.
But just when everything seemed to be wrong going for Kansas, Williams righted the ship. Kansas fans remembered what all the fuss was about last summer when Williams almost left for North Carolina. He pushed Chenowith, who also had a horrible week of practice, to his best performance of the season with 17 points and 12 rebounds. He drew gutsy performances from seldom-used reserves Jeff Carey and Brett Ballard, who combined for eight points and eight rebounds. And at a crossroads of a bizarre season, Williams single-handedly willed his team to its biggest win of the season.
The victory against the Cowboys was vintage Williams, and the 13th-year coach was up to his usual antics. Instead of tossing his jacket into the crowd as he did against Texas last week, Williams politely folded his jacket in fourths and handed it to broadcaster Max Falkenstien. And in the post-game press conference, Williams blasted the media for asking too many questions about Gooden.
"Why do we make announcements?" Williams asked. "Seriously. He doesn't have leprosy."
With the win, Williams tied the not-so-légendary Ted Owens for second place on the all-time Kansas victory list with 348 wins. Even better, his Jayhawks may not lose another game for the rest of the regular season and during the Big 12 Tournament.
That would boost their record to 28-3 hopefully, just bad enough for a second seed.
Go for two. It's the only way to go.
Ring is a Greenwood Village, Colo., junior in broadcast news.
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