Section B·Page 4
The University Daily Kansan
Tuesday, January 16, 2001
Women 1-2 in conference play
Kansas forward Brooke Reeves lunges for a loose ball during the second half of the Jayhawks' victory over the Wildcats. The Kansas women will tip off against the Oklahoma State Cowlaws tomorrow at 7 p.m. in Stillwater. Photo by Christina Neff/KANSAN
By Brandon Stinnett
By Brandon Shinnett sports@kanson.com Kanson sportswriter
Winter break was a time off for students to relax and catch up on sleep, but for women's basketball teams around the Big 12 Conference, winter break meant the start of conference play.
Kansas, 6-7 overall and 1-2 in the Big 12, opened conference play with back-to-back losses to Baylor and Iowa State. But the Jayhawks did pick up a victory on Saturday with a 78-67 thumping of Kansas State at Allen Fieldhouse.
Senior guard Jennifer Jackson led Kansas with a career-high 23 points and senior forward Brooke Reves added 21 in a game that coach Marian Washington said might be the Jayhawks 'most complete performance.
The biggest key for Kansas will be keeping the momentum going into its game tomorrow at Oklahoma State. Like Kansas, the Cowgirls have struggled early on in conference play, falling to 04 after a 64-43 loss to No. 15 Texas on Saturday.
Jackson, whose 12 first-half points helped the Jayhawks build a 46-27 lead against the Wildcats, said getting that first conference win should boost the team's confidence heading into Oklahoma State.
"I think any time you're on a four-game losing streak, a victory is important." Jackson said. "I think everybody in the locker room is tired of losing."
For K-State, Saturday's defeat leaves behind a sour taste. It was the team's fourthstraight loss in the Big 12. Wildcats' coach Deb Patterson said her team was searching for answers after another disappointing loss.
"This is two games in a row that we've let our opponent pull away, pull away in a big way," she said.
Patterson was most discouraged by the Wildcats' overabundance of turnovers. K-State shot 61.8 percent from the field and 58.3 percent from behind the arc, but still let the Javahawks win by committing 29 turnovers.
KState's next game is tomorrow at home against Texas
Elsewhere in the Big 12:
Missouri senior forward Amanda Lassiter led all scorers with 28 points in the Tigers' game at Colorado on Sunday, but she couldn't lead them to a victory. Missouri lost to Colorado, 98-90, for the 11th straight time in Boulder, Colo. The loss dropped the Tigers to 11-4 and 2-2. Missouri's next game is tomorrow at Iowa State.
Baylor, 13-2 and 2-2, is finding out firsthand just how tough the Big 12 can be. The Bears waltzed through non-conference play, compiling a 9-0 record, and, after victories against Oklahoma State and Kansas, earned a spot in the Top 25.
But the Bears have met trouble as of late, suffering their first loss of the season to Texas Tech, 81-64, on Jan. 10, and losing a close one at home to Oklahoma on Saturday.
Iowa State, 14-1 and 4-0, has used a simple
Iowa State's only blemish this season came on Dec. 30 in a 81-63 loss at Duke. The Cyclones, ranked seventh in the nation, join Texas Tech as the only teams still undefeated in Big 12 play.
formula on its way to a 40 start in the Big 12. Eleven different Cyclones scored in their most recent victory, an 89-46 thrashing of Nebraska on Saturday.
Edited by Erin McDaniel
By Jessie Meyer sports@kansan.com Kansan sportswriter
Junior forward inspires 'Hawks in K-State win
Desperate to stop its four-game losing skid, the Kansas women's basketball team needed some motivation for its Saturday match-up against Kansas State in Allen Fieldhouse.
That motivation came from a usually quiet Jayhawk. Junior forward Katie Hannon, who played just 29 minutes this season and scored only six points, delivered her first speech to the team in the locker room before the game — a speech senior Brooke Reves said set the tone of an intense game for the Jayhawks.
"She said, 'Look, we're not intense, not in your eyes. I can't see it in your eyes,' " Reves said. "And we said, 'You know, you're right. We've got to get this together right now. We've got to play this game with intensity and win the game.' "
The speech sparked a newfound determination in the 'Hawks, who handed the Wildcats their fifth loss overall with a 78-67 victory. The win brought Kansas' record to 7-7 overall and 1-2 in the Big 12, while the Wildcats dropped to 10-5 and 0-4.
On a mission to reverse what has been a disappointing stretch in the season, the 'Hawks took control of the game and pressured the Wildcats up and down the floor, forcing 29 turnovers and holding freshman center Nicole Ohlde — K-State's leading scorer — to 17 points.
"I think we really did play maybe the best game we've played so far this season."
"We played about 95 percent of the game as well as we would hope," said coach Marian Washington. "I thought we came out and played very aggressively both on the offense and defensive ends.
The Wildcats never got into an offensive rhythm as the Jayhawks constantly pressured the ball with a trapping and aggressive defense. As the game sped up, the Wildcats tried to slow the pace by sinking back into a zone defense — a defense that held senior
Jaclyn Johnson, the Jayhawks' leading scorer, to nine points, but opened up holes for other Kansas scorers.
Senior guard Jennifer Jackson, who had a 7.2 point-per-game average before Saturday, led the offensive attack with a career-high 23 points. She helped the 'Hawks rip off a 21-7 run in the first half en route to a 46-27 halftime lead.
K-State scrambled to get back in the game in the second half with a three-point assault, led by Kristin Rethman. The junior guard was a perfect 5-for-5 from the field, 4-for-4 from behind the arc and 8-for-8 from the charity stripe. But it came too little too late for the Wildcats, who trailed by as much as 27 in the second half.
"I think it was really important for us to come out and play hard," Jackson said. "I think we did that very well."
Despite losing six of their previous seven games, Washington said the team had been in many of those games but fell just short of pulling out victories.
"It's a great win and hopefully we can build on it," Washington said. "We just are challenging ourselves to be better and willing to take some risks and be much more aggressive."
Although it was just one win, Reves said she thought the K-State victory was a new beginning for the 'Hawks.
"I think this is like a new season for us," Reves said. "That's how I'm looking at it. We've just got to step forward and keep stepping forward, not take any steps back."
Game notes:
Johnson moved to ninth all-time in Kansas rebounds with 735, passing Charisse Sampson, who had 733.
Reves scored 21 points, raising her career total to 917.
The Jayhawks continued their dominance against K-State in Lawrence. The Wildcats' last win in Allen Fieldhouse was January 1991.
- Edited by Amanda Hay
Start the New Year with Peppertree
*One Bedroom Sale*
*1 & 2 Bedroom Apts.
*2 & 3 Bedroom Townhouses
Call for Our Specials
(785) 841-7726
*Video of equal or lesser value free
Where Fan & Futtery Meet
Too much head is no good.
I never really wanted to be at that bar in the first place!
I wanted to be at...
623 Vermont*749-5067
The Bar Song
toss em?
Sure. They're ACUVUE, so you wear them for up to a week then replace them with a fresh, new pair. And at only $19.95 a six pack* you won't even shed a tear as you wave goodbye!
[ * 6 lens disposable Contact Lens Multi-Pak. Exam & fitting fees not included in price
DR.S PRICE YOUNG ODLE HORSCH $ ^P $ AND ASSOCIATES (785) 537-1118 3012 Anderson - Manhattan Look for our money-saving coupon in your Southwestern Bell Yellow Pages.
Southwestern Bell