6B
/ SPORTS / THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2010 / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / KANSAN.COM
KANSAS 75, COLORADO 64
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL REWIND
Game ball
Danielle McCray
After her two worst outings of the season, McCray fought hard for that comeback game that she so desperately needed. She tallied 29 points and 16 rebounds, the most of any Jayhawk this season, and led Kansas through some of the best basket-ball they had played all season in a 47-27 first half. If McCray can keep up the pace, this team really has no limits. A not so minor detail to consider: McCray turned the ball over seven times. Still, such a huge game after two forgettable ones gives him
McCray
game after two forgettable ones gives her the nod for the game ball.
Reason to hope
Point quards
For the first time since an injury to redshirt freshman point guard Angel Goodrich on Jan. 12, the Kansas point guards earned a positive assist to turnover ratio. Senior guard LaChelda Jacobs contributed a season-high six assists. She had an especially impressive first half, as she did not turn the ball over once. The second half was not as kind to Jacobs, though, as she lost the ball six times. Jacobs back up, junior guard Rhea Codio, did not turn the ball over once to extend her streak to three games without a turnover.
Reason to mope
An incomplete game
Kansas dominated Colorado in almost every aspect of the game in the first half. That even carried over into the second half a little bit. In the last 10 minutes of the game, though, things started to fall apart for the Jayhawks. During that stretch to close the game the Buffaloes outscored the Jayhawks 23 to 13. Kansas will need to play a complete game if it hopes to win its second straight game when it travels to Columbia, Mo., Saturday for a match up with the Missouri Tigers.
Who to watch for
Carolyn Davis
Freshman forward Carolyn Davis earned her first career double-double Wednesday night against the Colorado Buffalooes. That also represents the first time Davis has earned 10 rebounds in a game, something she was quite excited about after the game. If Davis can become a constant presence on the boards for the Jayhawks, then Kansas should be able to find a way to win more games than not.
Davis
BY ANDREW TAYLOR
Jayhawks show resurgence in rebounding
ataylor@kansan.com
Max Rothman and Andrew Taylor
Kansas improved in just about every area it could in its 75-64 victory against Colorado Wednesday in Allen Fieldhouse.
The disparity between this game and recent contests was especially evident in the Jayhawks' ability to rebound the ball.
"On the boards, we were aggressive and we attacked," coach Bonnie Henrickson said. "We got better inside position and created rebounds."
Henrickson made rebounding a focal point for the Jayhawks in recent practices. She even had an extra defender step in when the players battled for offensive boards.
The innovative method seems to have done the trick as a resurgent Danielle McCray, senior guard, keyed the Jayhawks' dominance on the boards. She recorded an astounding 16 rebounds in 38 minutes of play. That easily beat the previous individual season high of 14 held by sophomore forward Aishah Sutherland.
Freshman forward Carolyn Davis also had a big presence on the boards for the Jayhawks as she pulled in 10 rebounds en route to her first career doubledouble.
"That was my main goal going in," Davis said. "Going aggressive to the boards."
It seems fitting then that Kansas came within three rebounds of reaching its previous team season high recorded in the first game of the season with 51 boards against Oral Roberts.
The layhawks used their season high 20 offensive rebounds somewhat ineffectively — only scoring 18 second-chance points.
It was Kansas' highest total since scoring 19 second-chance points in the Jan. 12 loss to Oklahoma State, but, the Jayhawks needed only 12 boards to reach that mark.
That almost directly stems from the Jayhawks' inability to convert off the glass. For example, McCray earned eight offensive rebounds but converted only three of those into points.
"That's something that coach has been harping on us everyday," senior guard Sade Morris said. "We've got to get forwards to the boards, we've got to get more offensive rebounds, and we've got to convert them. It's not good enough just to get offensive rebounds."
The Jayhawks have won 11 games compared with three losses when out rebounding a team. In comparison, they won just one game while suffering through four losses when they were beat on the boards. That trend is why it's so important for the Jayhawks to attack the glass and get rebounds every night. It also reveals why Henrickson expects her players to exert 40 minutes of effort.
"I think we started out really good, but we kind of drizzled away." Davis said. "We didn't stay aggressive like we started."
Before the last 10 minutes of the game Kansas out-rebounded Colorado 41 to 17. After that the Jayhawks lost their drive as the Buffaloes dominated the glass, out-rebounding Kansas by four.
"We put it together for 30 minutes," Morris said. "We're almost there. We've got to get it to 40, but we're a work in progress, and we're going to work towards that."
Edited by Michael Holtz
Tanner Grubbs/KANSAN
RECAP (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
Senior guard Sade Morris drives to the basket against a Colorado forward Wednesday at Allen Fieldhosue. Morris scored 11 points for the Jayhawks' 75-64 victory against the Buffaloes.
"They were shooting the heck out of the ball," McConnell-Miller said.
utive long range jump-shots and that meant back to the drawing board for Colorado coach Kathy McConnell-Miller.
After shooting 18 of 35 from the field, Kansas led 47-27 at the half. Yet as they have done time and time again, Kansas came out of the locker room with little if any energy at all.
"We relaxed because of the lead," McCray said.
The Buffaloes chipped a 24-point lead all the way down to 12. Kansas was even out-scored 37-28 in the second half.
"We changed in the second half," McConnell-Miller said, "We defended a little bit better, and we came out with some more energy and passion."
a potent Kansas front-court.
But Colorado's defense was soft all night, rarely showing the ferocity and strength needed to slow
Davis was the main beneficiary. She played aggressively once again, absolutely owning the paint on her way to her first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
"They were shooting the heck out of the ball."
naturally catches it, gets her inside foot down and uses a drive leg on the outside"
KATHY
MCCONNELL-MILLER
Colorado coach
"She's got good footwork," Henrickson said of Davis. "She
sending three or four people to the boards at a time"
Led by Davis, Kansas outre b o u n d e Colorado 49-29 in what seemed like a one-sided battle for the boards.
"Colorado really wasn't blocking us out that much," Davis said. "But at the same time we were going hard.
The team's transformation will be tested when the Jayhawks head to Columbia, Mo., to take on the Tigers Saturday at 5 p.m.
"It's going to be a different flow," Henrickson said. "They're as good at home as we've been at home. We've got to step up to the challenge."
- Edited by Allyson Shaw
With the victory, the Jayhawks moved to 12-7 overall for the third season in a row and ascended their Big 12 record to 2-4.
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