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KANSAS HOOPS More on the men's come-from-behind victory. Pages 2B, 3B
SWIMMING
SPORTS ERSITY DAILY KA
Women win in Indiana. Page 4B
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY. DECEMBER 4,1995
KANSAS 85, UCLA 70
SECTION B
Jayhawks win tale of two halves
Faith kev to Kansas' salvation
Here's my take on Saturday's Kansas-UCLA game — or as I like to call it— "A Tale of Two Halves."
In the first half, No. 23 UCLA stormed out of its locker room and played a fast-paced, physical game that left the No. 2 Jayhawt gasping for breath at halftime. By making quick passes to the basket on offense and covering Kansas down low at the defensive end, the Bruins looked to make this game theirs.
Whatever happened in the Kansas locker room at the intermission worked. The Jayhawks responded behind a surprising group of leaders. With Juniors Scott Pollard and B.J. Williams in foul trouble, fresh-
amen Paul Pierce
tand T.J. Pugh
took over and
made key
rebounds in the
paint.
Help also was needed at the guard positions, and it was found in junior Jacque Vaughn, whose 22 points led all Jayhawk scorers, and Ryan Robertson — another freshman.
ASSOCIATE
SPORTS
EDITOR
Vaughn. who
usually dishes the ball to his teammates, took it upon himself to lead Kansas back. But he decided to take a few shots as well on Saturday, and most of them led to points. Another of Vaughn's strong points against the Bruins was that he stayed out of Foul trouble after committing four in each of the Jayhawks' previous games this season.
Robertson, who I now understand is tired of being called a 14-year-old, was the most impressive player off Kansas' bench. With junior guard Jerod Haase struggling offensively, Robertson went 2-for-5 from the field and a perfect 2-of-2 at the free throw line, scoring six points in just 10 minutes.
The freshman also showed his speed and defensive skills, both of which were needed to knock down the defending national champions. You've earned your stripes, Ryan. We'll forget about your boyish good looks.
Now the Jayhawks, who will most likely be No. 1 in both the USA Today/CNN and Associated Press polls by this afternoon, should hold onto that top spot for a while. Only an upset by Rice, San Diego or Indiana will change that. The meat of the early schedule has been devoured, but Kansas hasn't exactly been much of a Goliath.
This team will go only as far as Pollar and its frontcourt can take it. When he was in the game on Saturday, Pollard was a force inside, awitting down shots and devouring rebounds. But he needs to be careful not to get too aggressive or his seat on the bench will continue to stay warm.
The same can be said for Williams, who at times looks great but needs to find the happy medium between strong defense and fouling everyone. These next few games should help Williams and Pollard find their range defensively.
The ceremony to introduce the new mascots was impressive.
The new Baby Jay is not. It looks like someone smashed in the face, and it is having a bad hair day. Add in the fact that the head is too round, and I wish the old Baby Jay was back.
Big Jay looks good, although I will miss that big belly it liked to shake and rub. I guess the bird is on the same diet as Vaughn. He sure has trimmed down.
I'm just as proud of the fans as I am of the Jayhawks. They didn't give up or boo the team when it was being slaughtered. That takes real class and dedication, something the best fans in college basketball have pumping out of every vein.
Few schools would have thousands show up on a cool, gloomy Saturday morning to stand outside for three hours. Kansas State doesn't have that kind of support — at least not for basketball games, anyway.
Thanks, fans, for making the UCLA game a true masterpiece.
Richard Devinki / KANSAN
Kansas sophomore guard Billy Thomas scores after an offense rebound, one of the Jayhawks' 26 second-half boards.
'Hawks box out Bruins after faltering in first half
By Jenni Carlson
Kansan sports editor
In explaining Kansas' rebounding against UCLA on Saturday, Raef LaFrentz didn't lose many words.
"In the first half, we really got our tails kicked on the boards," the sophomore forward said after the No. 2 Jayhawks' 85-70 victory. "In the second half, that was our emphasis."
Kansas, which listed slightly taller players at the starting forward and center positions, hauled down only five offensive and 11 defensive rebounds during the first half while No. 23 UCLA had 10 offensive and 17 defensive boards. The Bruins managed 13 second-chance points compared to the Jayhawks' two and led 41-26 at halftime.
Kansas freshman Paul Pierce said the
"I thought it was our defensive rebounding in the first half that got us off to the quick start," said UCLA men's basketball coach Jim Harrick, whose team led by as many as 19 points in the first half.
See BOARDS, Page 3B
"That's kind of a mystery," Harrick said. It was no mystery to the Jayhawks, though.
So when the Jayhawks out-rebounded the Bruins 26-10 in the second half, what happened?
Kansas forwards Paul Pierce (34) and Raef LaFrentz put defensive pressure on UCLA sophora forward J.R. Henderson. The No. 2, Jajahwks defeated the Bruins 85-70 on Saturday.
Kathleen Driscoll / KANSAN
Williams' sermon helps team overcome deficit
By Matt Irwin
Kansan sportswriter
If Kansas men's basketball is a religion in Kansas, then Kansas coach Roy Williams is the pope. And at halftime Saturday of No. 2 Kansas' 85-70 win against No. 2 UCLA, the pope's sermon was all about faith.
With the Jayhawks down at halftime 41-26 to an athletically intimidating defending national champion, Williams asked his team to do one thing — believe. But who would believe that the Jayhawks could overcome a halftime deficit that was bigger than any they had overcome before to a team they had never defeated in eight tries?
"I told the kids at half that I was embarrassed, and they should be," Williams said. "The fact of the matter was that about four days before we had been up 19 in the second half, and the other team went to the freethrow line with a chance to tie the game. So they knew it could be done. I just asked them to believe it could be, and if they'd believe it, then we'd do it."
Williams was referring to his team's 39-20 second-half lead against No. 15 Virginia that was cut to one with less than two minutes remaining. The Jayhawks held off the Cavaliers but learned an important lesson in the process.
Believe. Comebacks are possible.
Kansas scored the first two points of the second half, but with less than a minute into the half, Kansas's 6-foot-10, 250-pound junior center Scot Pollard committed his fourth foul. The Jayhawks were forced to replace Pollard with junior forward B.J. Williams, a player two inches shorter and 45 pounds lighter.
Despite heading for the bench, Pollard was one of the first players to believe.
"I was surprised that we came back so quick and then beat them by that much," Pollard said. "I was expecting us to win this game, and when we were down at half I was a little nervous. But I thought if we pulled things together — we're Kansas — we'll pull it out."
Less than a minute after Pollard's departure, Kansas cut UCLA's lead to 10. Then foul troubles hit again. Williams committed his fourth foul 1:62 after entering the game and was replaced by 6-9, 215-pound T.J. Pugh. Despite being bigger than Williams, the freshman forward was playing in only his third college game.
Down 53-42 with 14:27 left and with two of their starters on the bench, Kansas went on a 22-4 run. The beginning of the run gave Kansas more momentum and was pivotal in its success.
"We were down by five points, and Billy Thomas hit a big three for us. We just felt the momentum from that point on." Kansas
After scoring six consecutive points, Thomas hit a three-pointer, and UCLA called a time out with 12:51 remaining.
"I told them it wasn't going to be the first two or three minutes that would get it done; it would be a gradual thing that would be over the course of the game," Roy Williams said of Kansas' comeback. "If we played the whole 20 minutes and did the best we could each possession, then we'd have a chance to be there at the end."
Cutting the lead to 10 was a start, but the Jayhawks now were relying on an inexperienced big man. Kansas cut the lead by five points in the first 1:30, but four minutes later, the Jayhawks trailed by 11 and their starting shooting guard had three fouls. Kansas junior guard Jerod Haase was replaced by sophomore guard Billy Thomas.
The Jayhawks believed their coach.
freshman forward Paul Pierce said. "I knew we were going to win after he hit that big shot."
The crowd went nuts, and everyone believed.
Perhaps UCLA did too, as the Kansas scoring run continued.
In doing so, the Jayhawks showed their depth. By the time Pollard returned to the line-up with 6:47 remaining, Kansas led 62-57.
By the time he returned — with 4:05 remaining — Kansas had a 68-61 lead, and Pierce was on the free-throw line, about to extend the lead by two more.
Haase returned to the game about three minutes after his third foul — and played eight seconds before committing his fourth. Haase was replaced by Kansas freshman guard Ryan Robertson.
"Those guys that came off the bench were extremely important to us," Williams said.
Although the bench was important in the Javahawks' comeback
Vaughn played all but the last 32 seconds of the second half.
Besides being the team's floor leader, Vaughn scored 16 second-half points by making 4 of 5 field goals and all eight free-throw attempts. The Pasadena, Calif., native also had four of his six assists in the second half.
"I don't know if I took Jacquet out in the second half," Williams said. "I just felt like he had
COMING THIS WEEK
junior point guard Jacque Vaughn was the player who was going to make his teammates believe.
ROY WILLIAMS:
that look on his face. He was determined he was going to make something happen. Besides that, I told him I was tired of reading about his daddym news diet. He'd played like a dog. If he played poorly today, I was going to start making him eat red meat."
ROY WILLIAMS:
Up close and personal with the Jayhawks' head man
Pierce, a Los Angeles native, followed Vaughn's lead. He finished with eight rebounds and 14 points.
Wednesday
Thursday
Perhaps bragging rights in the Los Angeles area meant more to Vaughn and Pierce than anyone else. Vaughn was spotted saying something to Pierce after one score.
"If I told you, then I'd have to lie," Vaughn said. "Let's just say it was a California thing."
It may have been a California thing, but it was a Kansas thing that kept the Jayhawks believing when they were down. The crowd showed its support while Kansas was down and erupted in the second half as Kansas came back.
"In the second half, maybe it juiced us a little more defen-illiams said
sively," Williams said.
Williams suggested the Jayhawks' desire to win was too great in the first half for their own good.
"Maybe they wanted it too much. We were fumbling passes," Williams said, using a first-half play when Vaughn and Haase were on a two-on-one fast break as an example. "I even turned around to look to see what the score was because I knew they were going to put the two up there. The next thing I know, Jacque's going into press row."
Iowa defeats women's team in overtime
By Bill Petulla
Kansan sportswriter
After all, their national rankings are almost the same, — No. 13 Kansas and No. 16 Iowa — each had about the same-sized crowd and the both answered to the same cheer — "Go 'Hawka.'"
It was only fitting that at the end of regulation play between the Kansas women's basketball team and Iowa the score was the same. 52-62.
But it was Iowa that broke the monotony last night, as it defeated the Jayhawks in overtime 65-58 and captured the title of the two-day Dial Classic.
For Kansas — which shot 57 percent from the free-throw line and gave up 20 offensive rebounds — this is a time to regroup.
"We got hurt consistently on the
offensive boards, and if you give a team like that, that many opportunities, they're bound to capitalize on it," Kansas women's basketball coach Marian Washington said. "The other area was the free-throw line. We have not shot free throws well, we continue to not shoot them well and we need to improve."
Behind the scoring and rebounding of senior center/forward Simone Edwards, who had 11 points and five first-half rebounds, the Hawkeyes took a six-point lead into intermission.
However, the Jayhawks charged out in the second half on four quick transition points by junior guard Angie Halbleib. Following a Iowa timeout, the Jayhawks took the lead 28-27 on a layup by junior guard Tameka Dixon.
Kansas stayed on top until Iowa
sophomore guard Nadine Domond sank a shot with 36 seconds remaining, giving the Hawkeyes a 52-15 lead. The Jayhawks committed a turnover on the next possession but stopped the Hawkeyes, regaining possession of the ball. With six seconds left, Domond fouled Kansas junior forward Jennifer Trapp, giving her a one-and-one opportunity.
Trapp made the front end but missed on the second shot, forcing an overtime.
However, Iowa jumped out to a four-point lead in the five-minute overtime and never turned back, winning 65-58.
"In overtime, they went back to really beating the offensive boards, and they did a great job of it," Washington said.
Leading all scorers was Iowa sophomore forward Tiffany Gooden.
"I didn't want to be in a situation where I wanted it so bad that I lost focus," Reed said. "I just tried to look at it like any game and tried to prepare for it the way I would for any other team."
Dixon had 20 points for Kansas, 17 of which were scored in the second half. Halbieb added 18 points, shooting 7-of-13 from the floor. Dixon and Halbieb both received all-tournament honors.
who had 23 points and was selected as the tournament's most valuable player. Also important for the Hawkeyes was Edwards' 15 points and 12 rebounds.
On Saturday, Kansas defeated
For Kansas sophomore point guard Erin Reed, who transferred from Iowa, maintaining her composure against her old teammates was a challenge.
Northern Iowa in a one-sided victory to advance to yesterday's championship game. Kansas was able to play each member of its roster in the 24-point victory.
"I was really pleased with our effort, especially in the first half," Washington said. "We came out with a lot of intensity, and we had a chance to play a lot of players."
Kansas had five players score in double digits, including freshman guard Suzi Raymant, who had a career-high 14 points. Freshman forward/center Nakala Sanford added 10.
"Coach had told us that she wanted to play everybody, so we went out there and played our hardest knowing that we weren't going to get a lot of playing time." Sanford said.
Kansas, 2,2, will take on Creighton on Wednesday in Omaha. Neb.