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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1,2010
WWW.KANSAN.COM
PAGE 1B
KANSAS 81, KANSAS STATE 79
Jayhawks conquer 'Octagon'
Weston White/KANSAN
Kansas State guard Denis Clemente holds his hands above his head after Kansas guard Sherron Collins sank a shot to lift the Jayhawks to a three point lead. Following the 81-79 win, Kansas moved to 177-91 all-time against Kansas State.
Senior guard Sherron Collins scores and gets fouled against Kansas State's Wally Judge in the final seconds of Kansas' 81-79 overtime victory. Collins scored 16 points and his lavine gave Kansas a three-point lead.
Weston White/KANSAN
Collins makes big play late, leads Kansas to win
BY COREY THIBODEAUX
cthibodeaux@kansan.com
twitter.com/cthibodeaux
MANHATTAN — Combine the game-winning layup against Cornell and locker room return against Memphis, and you have Sherron Collins' latest masterpiece.
The heroes Collins showed in the second half and overtime of the 81-79 victory against Kansas State Saturday were good enough to win an award for "Best Drama."
"He has a flair for the dramatic," coach Bill Self said.
With sophomore forward Marcus Morris fouling out of the game and junior center Cole Aldrich trying to avoid the same fate in the game's final minutes, the Jayhawks needed their leader to take over.
But when Collins limped off the court late in the second half because of cramps, the layhawks were without their go-to man.
Collins returned to the game with about a minute left in overtime, and the jayhawks leading 77-76. Self drew the same play Collins used to topple Cornell earlier this season and it yielded the same result. He drove to the hoop, put up a wild shot and sank it while drawing the foul.
"Really, I was just trying to get fouled and get to the line, but it was open so I scored it," Collins said. "It felt good. Especially against K-State."
With 16 points and four assists, Collins said he tweaked his ankle at one point. But it was cramps from pregame warm-ups that caused him to leave the game.
"He's the best player in America to me," junior guard Brady
For the layhawks to win that game, they needed a player not only with the skill set, but the will to carry his team to victory in the most dire situations. Luckily, Collins is that type of player.
"I think I wasted too much energy just waiting on the game," Collins said. "Coach had to tell me in pregame to calm down."
Morningstar said, "He's huge for us in the clutch. When we need a score, we give the ball to him and he goes and does what I call 'makes money.'"
In the first half, the two best players were the starting big men. Aldrich had 18 points and 11 rebounds, but had to playless aggressively so he wouldn't foul out late in the game. Morris had 13 points
And like so many times before, Aldrich watched as his teammate took over in the waning minutes.
"If anybody,
I want Sherron
taking the shot",
he said, "I love
and that's how you grow up as a team?" he said.
Collins scored a total of 17 points in his previous two games, both blowouts. Looking back at Memphis, Cornell, Nebraska and Baylor, just to name a few games Collins took over in this year, he isn't surprising anybody at this point.
"He's huge for us in the clutch. When we need a score, we give the ball to him and does what I call 'makes money.'"
Sherron. We've been through so much and I've got all the confidence in him in the world."
"We need to learn how to play without a couple of our key players
shocked at all,"
To keep the game close when Collins sat out, the Jayhawks needed sophomore guard Tyshawn Taylor's 12 points and Morningstar's 14. With three of their top four scorers laboring, Morningstar said the whole team had to step up.
BRADY MORNINGSTAR Junior guard
shocked at all",
Morningstar said,
"I see it in practice,
I see it in games.
He's a ball player,
that's what he does."
With No. 1
Kentucky losing earlier in the week and No. 2 Kansas toppling a No. 11 K-State team, the No. 1 ranking is most likely back with the lattwavas
But Collins said being two games up in the Big 12 means more at this point.
Playing the way they are right now, the layhawks have much loftier goals.
"Rankings don't mean anything because at the end of the year, there's only going to be one No. 1," Collins said.
Edited by Ashley Montgomery
FOR STATS AND ANALYSIS, SEE MEN'S BASKETBALL REWIND ON PAGE 41
COMMENTARY
Taylor's triumph negates mistakes
MANHATTAN—A rowdy crowd filled Bramlage Coliseum, determined to solidify its fresh "Octagon of Doom" moniker. The hexagonal signs didn't help it catch on.
Thanks to Collins, we'll forget Taylor's great plays, though his bad plays will stick out among fans tired of Taylor's antics.
Windy City wonders Sherron Collins and Jacob Pullen both tried to upstage one each with momentum-shifting threes.
In overtime, Collins, struggling through cramps and hobbling through a turned ankle, hit a game winner that made Kirk Gibson smile somewhere.
And if it weren't for all that, Tyshawn Taylor's performance would have been the hot topic.
But outside of two mistakes, Taylor played great. If you don't believe me, believe Bill Self.
BY CLARK GOBLE
cgoble@kansan.com
twitter/clark.ogble
"We don't win the game without Tyshawn," Self said. "He had a couple of bad plays, but I thought he played really, really good. Really
well."
That's high praise coming from a coach that told the media Taylor didn't listen and talked too much. Taylor may still be in Self's doghouse, but Self knows Taylor is the piece that can make this team the definitive best in the country.
After stroking two free throws to give Kansas a three-point lead, Taylor swiped the ball from K-State's Denis Clemente to give Kansas the ball with under a minute left.
Let's look back at Taylor's maddening sequence of plays.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
SEE TAYLOR ON PAGE 5B
Jayhawks narrowly defeat Tigers, 61-59
Freshman forward Carolyn Davids puts up a free throw during the second half. Davies made eight of her free throw attempts and finished with a career high 20 points.
BY MAX ROTHMAN
mrothman@kansan.com
twitter.com/maxrothman
The freshman with a bandage over her left eye sprinted up the floor, demanded the ball and initiated change. With freshman forward Carolyn Davis, the Jayhawks can win on the road in the Big 12.
Kansas edged Missouri 61-59 in the final seconds with the emergence of Davis and improved to 13-7 with the Jayhawks' first Big 12 road win of the season.
With 3.7
seconds left,
Missouri for-
ward Amanda
Jerry Wang/KANSAN
"Carolyn carried us," Coach Bonnie Henrickson said. "She's scoring when we're not running anything for her. How nice is that? We ran one play that is designed for her to catch a ball."
scored 20 points and grabbed nine rebounds against Missouri.
Answering the uncertainties of her role, Davis established her
"Carolyn carried us. She's scoring when we're not running anything for her. How nice is that?"
Hanneman flung a prayer of a three-pointer into the air. Because she didn't use the full amount of time and rushed a shot instead of focusing on form, Hanneman's shot clunked off the front rim.
BONNIE HENRICKSON
Coach
Kansas snuck away with the win and Davis was the reason. She
self as the team's newest offensive centerpiece.
The rugged and consistent durability of
So Henrickson repeatedly called on Davis' number to carry the offense. And Davis delivered.
Davis and the three-point prowess of senior guard Danielle McCray kept Kansas afloat. But McCray's effect had to wait.
"She's hard to move," Missouri coach Cindy Stein said. "She is getting good position and hitting the weak side boards."
"She's got suction cups for hands," Henrickson said. "The stuff she didn't catch, we threw it
She was relegated to the bench for the remainder of the first half after picking up her second foul 11 minutes into the game.
around her waist. No post player wants it there in traffic."
In McCray's absence, Davis took over with 12 points and six
SEE DAVIS ON PAGE 6B