6B
/ **SPORTS** / MONDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2010 / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / KANSAN.COM
--watched LaChelda dribble," Henrickson said. "Neither one of them take a step to her."
NO.14 TEXAS 85, KANSAS 82 (20T)
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL REWIND
WOMEN'S (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
Fontenette hit that three."
It was again back and forth in the second overtime, while Kansas and Texas mostly traded free throws as time ran down. With Kansas trailing 85-82 and holding possession of the ball with 23 seconds left, Henrickson called a 30-second timeout.
She said that the original play was to go for a quick two and then foul, but once the clock fell to under 10 seconds, someone had to take a 3-pointer.
"Both Monica and Sade just
As Engelman and Morris remained motionless, Jacobs had nowhere to go and missed a contested three as time expired. After two overtime periods and countless tussles, the game ended.
Edited by Becky Howlett
"It's no different from the other night," Henrickson said in comparison to Wednesday's 67-60 loss against Nebraska. "We struggle to find a way to finish."
Adam Buhler/KANSAN
Sophomore forward Nicolette Smith reaches for a block during the first half. Kansas lost 85-82 to Texas in double overtime Saturday at Allen Fieldhouse.
Failure to capitalize
Freshman forward Carolyn Davis and fellow freshman guard Monica Engelman combined to score 51 points in Saturday's near upset of No. 14 Texas.Their individual totals represent career highs and they both hit shots at crucial times in the game. This not only gives Kansas hope for the rest of the season, but also shows a potentially bright future for women's basketball.
Freshmen stars
Reason to mope
Reason to hope
Whether it was a missed free throw or a late foul, Kansas continually found ways to let Texas back into the game. The mistakes eventually led to the Jayhawks second straight defeat against a ranked opponent at home. And worse: It was often Kansas' seniors committed the mistakes. The loss moved Kansas to 4-5 in conference play with several tough games remaining.
What to watch out for
Sade Morris
Senior guard Sade Morris shot rather poorly against Texas as she made only 5-of-22 attempts while scoring just 10 points. Her willingness to keep shooting even when she isn't making many of her shots reveals a determination that was not present earlier this season. In any event, though, Morris's shots are bound to start falling sooner or later and when that happens she's in for a big game.
- Andrew Taylor
Morris
Rafani Bulley/KNXAN Freshman forward Carolina Davis is triple teamed after bringing down one of her seven defensive rebounds. Davies recorded a double-double with 29 points and 14 rebounds against Texas Saturday at Allen Fieldhouse in the Jayhawks double overtime loss.
Adam Buhler/KANSAN
In games against then No. 9 Xavier, No. 15 Oklahoma State, No. 3 Nebraska and Saturday against No. 14 Texas, at least three Kansas players scored in double figures. In the games against the Cornhuskers and Longhorns, the Jayhawks were playing without injured guards Danielle McCray and Angel Goodrich.
Taking a closer look at that first point reveals a Kansas team that has come together and played strong when facing adversity.
Trend for Kansas is strong start, weak finish
"We've lost great players on the team," sophomore forward Aishah Sutherland said. "So we just come
PRESENTED BY
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
BY ANDREW TAYLOR
ataylor@kansan.com
Two points of interest are extremely prevalent here. First, Kansas has found a way to compete in games against ranked teams. On a negative note though, on each occasion Kansas has failed to finish the games.
Once again, Kansas seemed poised to defeat a tough,ranked team. And once again, Kansas faltered down the stretch, failing to capitalize on an upset opportunity as the Jayhawks lost 85-82 to No.14 Texas in double overtime Saturday.
This has evolved into an all too familiar trend for Kansas (14-9). The Jayhawks have lost to ranked teams on six different occasions throughout the season and they've lost four of those games by an average of less than five points.
"We've put ourselves in position to win a couple of big games," coach Bonnie Henrickson said. "We haven't found a way to finish, though."
and play together and it's worked out for us."
The in-game intensity instilled in the Jayhawks from playing without their injured teammates has yet to make up for several glaring holes that have, at various times, prevented them from coming away with victories instead of defeats.
Saturday was one example of this when Texas dominated Kansas on the offensive boards in regulation. The Longhorns pulled in 17 offensive rebounds throughout the
initial two halves of play, while the Jayhawks managed to get just 12 boards.
In the two overtime periods, Kansas allowed Texas to garner just one more offensive rebound. But the defensive effort did not come soon enough for the Jayhawks to win the game.
"I think if we're a better rebounding team in regulation, we don't go to overtime," Henrickson said.
That was also a key issue for the Jayhawks in their game against the Cornhuskers. Nebraska grabbed 11 more offensive rebounds and had twelve more second-chance points than Kansas in a seven-point win.
"I was a little disappointed because we did not come out and
finish the game," senior guard Sade Morris said. "It was unfortunate because we could have won this one."
The occasional lack of determination to get rebounds typifies an ongoing lack of toughness late in games for the Jayhawks.
"We weren't fighting the way that we should have," freshman forward Carolyn Davis said. "They weren't going to lose that game and they weren't going to give it to us."
This problem was extremely prevalent in a five-minute scoreless streak for the Jayhawks midway through the second half.
During that stretch Kansas often got to the basket, but failed to follow through. Davis had one shot blocked and others knocked away before she could even attempt a field goal. She wasn't the only culprit as several Jayhawks suffered through the same issues.
Even when Kansas did get shots up, the ball bounced everywhere on the rim except through the hoop.
"It's no different than the other night," Henrickson said referring to the loss at Nebraska. "We struggled to find a way to finish."
— Edited by Ashley Montgomery