6B
SPORTS / MONDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2010 / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / KANSAN.COM
KANSAS 70, KANSAS STATE 60
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL REWIND
Game ball
Monica Engelman
Despite an array of impressive performances from the Jayhawks last Sunday, there's really no contest here. Freshman guard Monica Engelman, making her first start of her short career, turned in three career highs against the Wildcats. She was the only Jayhawk to spend all 40 minutes on the floor, a career high. She used that time efficiently to score 16 points and earn four assists, which were also career highs.
Stat of the night
Engelman
56%
That Kansas' shooting percentage against K-State last Sunday. It serves as a season high for the team and the
most impressive part about it is that the Jayhawks did it without senior guard Danielle McCray.
Reason to hope
McCray as an assistant coach
With her career at Kansas done, McCray settled onto the bench against K-State with a note pad and pencil and took notes on what she wanted to tell her teammates during every huddle. The advice the Jayhawks received from their fallen teammate not only helped them against the Wildcats, but will likely serve a pivotal role in the rest of the season as Kansas will need McCray to lead from the sideline even more as the season progresses.
McCray
Kansas keeps composure without McCray
BY ANDREW TAYLOR
ataylor@kansan.com
Reason to mope
Kansas played a fantastic game against K-State. The Jayhawks earned season highs in more than one category, but they also pulled in just six offensive rebounds, a season low. The lack of offensive boards is a little surprising given Kansas' recent success in the area, earning a season high just two games ago against Colorado Jan. 27.
Lack of offensive rebounds
Kansas is by no means a better team without senior guard Danielle McCray, who is out for the season with an ACL injury. But as Sunday's 70-60 victory against Kansas State revealed, the Jayhawks may be a stronger team.
"Unfortunately, Danielle being hurt, that kind of helped us out a lot," senior guard Sade Morris said. "We thought we were going to go far with her, and we know people are down that she's out, but
we need to prove ourselves and come together and play"
Take this as evidence of the layhawks' stronger teamwork. They earned as many assists (14) against the Wildcats as they did in a Jan. 17 victory against Missouri. In addition to that, Kansas
That's what the team needs, and everyone, I think, did a good job of finding the open person today"
Engelman made her first start of the season against the Wildcats and not only earned a career high in points with 16, but also in assists with five.
Alongside Engelman, Morris, who is a familiar face in the starting line up, came within one assist of reaching her previous season high in assists.
"I think this is a game in which emotion translated to great execution on their part."
Chance Dibben/KANSAN
Another convincing sign of the Jayhawks' improved teamwork is that seven players scored six
Freshman guard Monica Engleman pivots around Kansas State guard Mariah White during the second half. The Jawahires defeated the Wildcats 70-50 Sunday afternoon.
DEB PATTERSON Kansas State coach
Aside from the game against Missouri, Kansas had not earned that many assists in a game since the Dec. 30 victory against Pepperdine, before freshman point guard Angel Goodrich went down for the year with a torn ACL.
committed only 11 turnovers, a season low, against K-State.
"We all need to be better about that, and I was surprised that I was finding people open," freshman guard Monica Engelman said.
or more points,
a feat they had
not accomplished
all season. That
helped guide
Kansas to only
its third 70-point
game in its last
eight contests. In
its first 12 games
of the season the
Jayhawks reached
that mark nine
times.
"Bonnie tells
us all the time that one person can't do it all," freshman forward Carolyn Davis said, "And obviously the one person who she talked about is out now. So now it really means that everyone has to step up."
Kansas also shot a season-high 56 percent.
K-State coach Deb Patterson said of McCray's absence. "I think this is a game in which emotion translated to great execution on their part."
Part of how far the Jayhawks can go without McCray this season will be based on how long they can continue to play with the fire and aggression they displayed
against the Wildcats.
"I think that it's going to carry us to the end." Davis said. "Were going to see them (McCray and Goodrich) every day in practice trying to get better. Every time we see that we're like, 'We have to do this for them.'"
Edited by Kelly Gibson
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WOMEN'S (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
with a career high 16 points while adding five assists.
"She has the green light now" McCray said. "You've got to take over."
Rarely considering the time left on the shot clock, Engelman and her teammates charged to the hoop with a sense of urgency. The Jayhawks dictated the pace of the first half with fast breaks and hurried, but intelligent, shots.
Without one of its best shooters, Kansas instead looked inside and opted for high-percentage shots. As a result, Kansas scored 18 points in the paint and shot 54 percent from the field in the first half.
With a game plan centralized on bombarding the rim in a hurry, Kansas led 36-26 at halftime with seven different players scoring in the opening 20 minutes.
"I think they'll buy into whoever is open. Whoever has got a good shot," Henrickson said.
But despite the conscious effort to attack the painted area.
Engelman was still firing away. As the only Jayhawk to play a full 40 minutes, she knocked down rim-evasive three-point shots, but also displayed her ability to drive and score closer to the hoop.
"We came out swinging," Engelman said. "Bonnie was telling us to be the lion and the aggressor."
As a defender, Engelman exhibited the necessary aggressiveness to prevent being a liability. She harassed her assignments by swatting at the ball, jumping around screens and fighting for rebounds.
"I was trying to pressure them and make them play faster," Engelman said.
Freshman forward Carolyn Davis was once again a force in the paint, using her size to her advantage on both ends of the court. Offensively, Davis properly positioned her overwhelming frame to create easy angles to the hoop. Defensively, she stood as the warden of the paint, clogging lanes and either blocking or altering shots. She earned her second career double double, tallying 14 points and 10 rebounds in just 24 minutes of play.
As an inside-outside tandem, Davis and Engelman disoriented the Wildcats' defense. The visitors weren't sure where to focus their attention with Engelman knocking down shots and Davis scoring in the paint.
"We're really close off the court," Davis said of Engelman. "So I knew she was going to prove herself today."
Despite Engelman and Davis' top-notch play, Sunday's victory was made possible by team-wide contributions. Rallying off of McCray's injury, the Jayhawks shot 60 percent in the second half and played passionately in a triumph they sorely needed.
Using the injury as an alleviating step rather than a handicap, Kansas exemplified the meaning of inspired basketball.
"Just because Danielle is out doesn't mean that the Jayhawks are going to go downhill," senior guard Sade Morris said. "We felt like we needed to prove something."
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