WEEKLY WRAP
WORLD Sunday, Kansas 81 Nov.24 UC Santa Barbara 71
MEN Monday,
Nov. 25
Kansas 82
Louisiana State 53
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Tuesday, Kansas 85
Nov.26 California 67
MEN Wednesday.
Nov. 27
Kansas 80 Virginia 63
Yesterday's results
Jayhawk BASKETBALL
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MONDAY, DECEMBER 2,1996
Kansas 79 San Diego 72
PAGE 7
Kansas 71
Purdue 61
Kansas bulls past Toreros 79-72
Jayhawk frontcourt remains emphasized scores combined 48
By Evan Blackwell Kansan sportswriter
Conventional wisdom said San Diego was catching No. 2 Kansas at just the right time. Judging by the Jayhawks sluggish performance in a 79-72 victory yesterday, that wisdom may have been right.
Sandwiched between a championship at the Maui Invitational during Thanksgiving break and a game Wednesday against current No. 1
Cincinnati, Kansas appeared to suffer a letdown in its home opener against the fired up Toreros.
"I think you can congratulate San Diego," Kansas men's basketball coach Roy Williams said. "They came in, had a game plan that was good and stuck to it."
That game plan involved the three-point shot. San Diego rang up 11 of 18 three pointers, which kept the team within striking distance of the Jayhawks all afternoon.
"Everybody was concerned because you come back and they say you're gonna have a let-down
Behind their outside shooting and hustle on the offensive glass, the Toreros stayed right with Kansas, trailing only 33-29 with just more than four minutes left in the first half. Kansas responded with a 9-1 run to end the half, which gave the Jayhawks a 42-30 cushion.
Kansas sophomore guard Ryan Robertson lunges for the ball in an attempt to steal it from San Diego's Alex Davis. The Jay-hawks won 79-72 against the Toreros yesterday in Allen Field House.
"I told the team afterward that I thought we played 35 minutes together, but that in those last five minutes of the first half we became disjointed." San Diego men's basketball coach Brad Holland said. "We went into half down 12 when I thought we should only be down three or four."
Tyler Wirken /
KANSAN
The Toreros never gave up in the second half, and even pulled within 50-49 on a three point shot by senior forward Sean Flannery with 14:50 remaining. However, San Diego never was able to pull ahead, and Kansas
"I think you should congratulate San Diego. They came in, had a game plan which was good and stuck to
it."
after winning at Maui and before you play Cincinnati, and I think that's a bunch of garbage," Williams said. "You've got to be able to play and you've got to be able to play every night."
"We may have come out a little flat, but I don't want to make excuses with the travel or anything else," Robertson said.
Kansas sophomore guard Ryan Robertson said the team didn't play up to its potential in the win and that they had no one to blame but themselves.
Roy Williams Kansas men's basketball coach
eventually built its lead back up to double-digits. San Diego lost to the Jayhawks 101-71 last season in San Diego, and Flannery said the team remembered that game well in its preparation.
"Last year we had a lot of young guys and we were like, 'Oh my, we're playing Kansas,' but this year they had seen it so they knew what to expect," Flannery said. "We came into with the attitude of respect everyone, but fear no one."
Kansas continued its strategy of pounding the ball inside against smaller opponents. The Jayhawks frontcourt of sophomore forward Paul
Pierce, junior forward Raef LaFrentz and senior center Scot Pollard were again the team's top three scorers with 18, 16 and 14 points respectively.
Baron Davis, a 6-foot-1 point guard from Santa Monica, Calif., visited Lawrence during the weekend and was at the game yesterday. Davis had orally committed to UCLA in the fall signing period but reopened his recruiting after head coach Jim Harrick was fired. Davis is now considering Kansas, Kentucky and UCLA.
Toreros' three-pointers are hot; Kansas' are not
By Brian A. Petrotta Kansan sportswriter
People in southern California supposedly have no idea what rain is. The San Diego men's basketball team must have taken some intensive meteorology courses, however, because they were raining three-pointers in Allen Field House yesterday. The Toreros popped 11 of 18 tries, a 61.1 percent clip, staying close to Kansas before falling 79-72.
"With anyone who shoots that well, you have to be surprised," Kansas sophomore guard Ryan Robertson said. "They were on fire."
San Diego coach Brad Holland knew that his team was capable of this type of performance, even though the Toreres came into the game shooting only 28 percent from beyond the three-point arc.
"We felt we could be the kind of team that shoots the ball well, but we hadn't shown that until
today," he said.
Three-point shooting has been a focal point for the Jayhawks as well. Last season's inconsistency behind the arc left a bitter taste in Kansas coach Roy Williams' mouth. Instead of hoping for better long-range shooting this year, Williams has all but abolished the three-point shot.
"I am kind of going overboard right now because I'm tired of going 5 for 22 or whatever it is," Williams said.
hawks took only three three-pointers, the fewest number of attempts since Williams has been head coach.
With that mindset, the Jay-
Williams' limited shot rule worked as well as he could have hoped yesterday. Inside the three-point arc, Kansas nailed 60.4 percent of their shots, for a new season high. Individually, junior forward Rae Lafrenzt hit seven of 10 from the field and freshman guard / forward Nick Bradford knocked in four of five off the bench.
' Hawks beat Boilermakers, 71-61
Dixon drive helps to take control of Purdue's defense
Kansas senior guard Tamecka Dixon streaks toward the basket during Kansas' game against Purdue in Allen Field House. The Jayhawks claimed victory against the Boilermakers yesterday with a score of 71-61.
By Adam Herschman Kansan sportswriter
Purdue slowed the No. 17 Kansas women's basketball team down with their zone defense last night at Allen Field House.
Tyler Wirken/ KANSAN
However, the Boilermakers (2-2) couldn't find a defense to stop Tamecka Dixon, who entered her own "zone" in the final two minutes of last night's game against the Boilermakers.
"When they went into that zone defense, we weren't aggressive," Kansas' senior point guard said. "They stifled us with it. As we figured it out we started to attack that zone."
Dixon's jumper at 1:47 made the score 65-60. After Purdue made a free throw, Dixon stole the ball from Purdue sophomore guard Ukari Figgs and was fouled as she watched her layup fall in. She missed the free throw, leaving the score at 67-61.
Dixon's work helped Kansas (3-1) defeat Purdue 71-61.
With two minutes remaining and the Jayhawks up 63-60, Dixon took control of the offense and scored seven of the team's final eight points.
"You're in this mindset that no one can stop you, and that's just the way you think," Dixon said. "And no matter what you do the basket's going to go in. I didn't feel like anyone out there could challenge me. And so I had the mind frame that I was going to take it myself, and it worked out."
Even though Dixon said it was hard to explain, she said she felt like she was in the zone.
With 21 seconds remaining, Dixon dribbled towards the hoop, slowing down the
Kansas sophomore forward/center Nakia Sanford made a free throw with eight seconds remaining for the game's last point.
offense and running out the clock. Dixon pulled up for a jump shot. It went in, but Dixon was fouled. She made the free throw and completed the three point play which gave Kansas a 70-61 lead.
Dixon finished the game with 21 points.
Last season, Kansas, then rated No. 14,
lost to a No. 10 ranked Purdue team 80-72
"We had our highs and our lows," Kansas senior forward Patience Grayer said. "We just took over when it was time to take over. We knew it was crunch time, and we had to really pick it up a notch, and we did, on defense as well as offense."
on Nov. 26, 1995 in West Lafayette, Ind.
The Jayhawks victory last night evened the series at 1-1.
Kansas shot 49 percent from the field and held Purdue to a 39 percent field goal percentage.
Tamecka Dixon
Kansas senior guard
"You're in the mindset that no one can stop you, and that's just the way you think.And no matter what you do the basket's going to go in."
Kansas women's basketball coach Marian Washington said several players came off the bench and got the team back into its rhythm.
Kansas sophomore forward/guard Suzi Raymant scored 10 points, and Grayer scored all of her nine points in the first half.
Kansas had a 38-30 lead at halftime after Purdue went on a 11-4 scoring run to end the first half.
"When that happens, it's a game of momentum. I think they developed some confidence," Washington said. "I think that zone slowed us down."
Kansas outscored Purdue in the second half 33-31, and recorded its second consecutive win since the team's victory over UC-Santa Barbara on Nov. 24.
"In the second half, midway, we started to find ourselves trying to push the ball, so we were facing the zone," Washington said. "We weren't as sharp as I was hoping we would be."
Team breaks losing streak with final win
The Kansas volleyball team (10-24) won it last match of the season against Missouri on Saturday in Columbia, Mo.
The Jayhawks defeated the Tigers (0-28) in four games: 15-11, 10-15, 15-12, 15-7.
Kansas sophomore outside hitter Moira Donovan led the team with 25 kills and 17 digs. Kansas junior right side hitter Kendra Kahler had 17 kills and five digs.
Kansas junior middle blocker Maggie Mohrfield set a Kansas season block assist record with her seven block assists.
The Jayhawks victory against Missouri broke an 11 match losing steak. Kansas had not won a match since its victory against Iowa State on Oct. 19 in Allen Field House.
On Friday, Kansas lost to Iowa State (7-24) in Ames, Iowa. The Jayhawks lost in three games to the Cyclones (15-11, 15-11, 15-11).
Her season total of 112 block assists moved her into first place, ahead of former Kansas volleyball player Cindyne Kanabel, who had the previous record of 105 block assists. Mohrfeld also contributed 17 kills and nine dimes in the match.
Kansas sophomore setter Laura Rohde averaged 17.5 assists per game against Missouri and led the team with 70 assists in the match.
Kansas freshman outside hitter Mary Beth Albrecht led the team with 14 kills. Kahler had nine kills and led the team with 13 digs.
Kansas freshman middle blocker Anné Kreimer had 10 kills and five digs.
Rohde led the team with 30 assists in the match. Kansas Junior setter Tiffany Sennett had 10 assists.
Kansas finished the season with a 4-16 record in the Big 12 Conference.
Kansan staff report