Jayhawks Get Road Test At Nebraska On Fox Sports Net
Jan. 6, 2006
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Kansas Jayhawks vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers
Game #13 – Saturday, Jan. 7, 2006 – 7:06 p.m. – Bob Devaney Sports Center (13,595)
Radio
Jayhawk Radio Network. Nate Bukaty (play-by-play),
Brian Hanni (color).
Television
FSN-Midwest. Greg Sharpe (play-by-play), Matt Davison (color). Produced by Tim Pabst. Fans in Kansas can watch the game on Fox Sports Net (Sunflower Broadband Channel 36 in Lawrence), DirecTV 648 or Dish 445.
Records
Kansas is 12-0 overall and 1-0 in the Big 12. Nebraska is 9-3 overall, 1-0 in Big 12 and has won its last seven.
Rankings
Kansas is receiving votes in the Jan. 2 Associated Press poll. Nebraska is not ranked.
Coaches
Bonnie Henrickson is 24-16 in her second year at Kansas and 182-78 in her ninth season overall. The
Cornhuskers are coached by Connie Yori, who is 53-49 in her fourth year at Nebraska and 248-189 in her 16th year as a head coach overall.
Series History
Kansas leads the all-time series 44-22 and won the last meeting. In Lincoln, Nebraska leads 14-13. Each team has won three of the last six meetings.
Jayhawk Storylines
– Kansas is 12-0 for the first time in school history. Kansas’ 70-61 win over Texas was the Jayhawks’ first over a top-25 team since Feb. 17, 2001 when KU defeated No. 6 Iowa State. The UT win snapped a 36-game drought against ranked foes.
– Senior Crystal Kemp is averaging 22.8 points, 9.8 rebounds and 41.0 minutes over the last six outings. She has been named Big 12 Player of the Week a league-best two times this season.
– The Jayhawks are one of five remaining undefeated teams in the country. The other four teams include Tennessee, Duke, LSU and North Carolina.
– Kansas’s game against Nebraska is its first on the road this season. KU has played 12-straight at home, due in part to Hurricane Katrina, which caused KU to alter its plans to play in the UNO tournament.
– Nebraska is holding “Pack the Devaney” night which features $1 admission.
The Matchup
For the first time this season, the University of Kansas (12-0, 1-0) will play on the road when it travels to Lincoln, Neb., on Saturday, Jan. 7 to face the University of Nebraska at 7:06 p.m. in the Devaney Center. The game will be aired regionally by Fox Sports Net-Midwest in the states of Kansas and Nebraska, and can be heard on the Jayhawk Radio Network.
One of five undefeated teams in the country, Kansas is coming off a 70-61 victory over No. 23/24 Texas in the Big 12 season opener. The win snapped a 36-game KU losing streak to opponents ranked in the top-25, and gave Kansas its first 12-game winning streak in school history.
Nebraska is riding a seven-game winning streak that has seen the Huskers win by an average margin of 26.4 points. In its Big 12 opener, NU ended a drought of its own by defeating Colorado in Boulder for the first time since 1985.
Kansas senior Crystal Kemp was named Big 12 Player of the Week for the second time this season earlier this week, and she backed up the award against Texas with game-highs of 21 points and 10 rebounds. In the six games since the double-overtime win over Wisconsin, Kemp has averaged 22.8 points and 9.8 rebounds in 41.0 minutes per game. She has played all but four minutes in that six-game span. Backing up Kemp is fellow four-year senior Erica Hallman with 15.1 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game. Senior Kaylee Brown and freshman point guard Ivana Catic also average double figures with 12.6 and 11.5 points per game, respectively.
KU averages 75.5 points as a team, while holding opponents to an average of 61.2.
Nebraska is led by junior Kansas City native Kiera Hardy with 17.6 points per game. Freshman Kelsey Griffin is second with 14.6 ppg to go with a team-high 7.3 boards per game. The Huskers go 10-deep on the bench, with nine players seeing over 14.5 minutes per game.
The meeting is the 67th all-time between Kansas and Nebraska, with KU holding a 44-22 advantage. Kansas won the last meeting, 67-53, on Feb. 20, 2005 in Lawrence. Hallman led all scorers with 22 points, while Hardy pumped in 15 for the Cornhuskers.
The Huskers are coached by Connie Yori, who is 53-49 in her fourth year at Nebraska and 248-189 in her 16th season as a head coach overall.
The game pitts the top two teams in the Big 12 North, as chosen by the league coaches in the preseason polls. Nebraska was picked to finish fifth and Kansas sixth in the Big 12 race.
More From The Last Game
Seniors Kaylee Brown, Erica Hallman and Crystal Kemp combined to score 50 points to lead the University of Kansas to a 70-61 victory over No. 23 Texas, Tuesday, Jan. 3 at Allen Fieldhouse. The victory to open its Big 12 schedule was KU’s school-best 12th straight.
Texas (6-5, 0-1) held its only lead of the game at 2-0. Kemp scored 15 of her game-high 21 points as the Jayhawks closed out the first half on an 8-2 run and went into the lockerroom leading 39-31.
Two Kemp free throws and a Hallman jumper to open the second stanza stretched the Jayhawks lead to 43-31. After the Jayhawks converted back-to-back old-fashioned three-point plays to take a 61-47 lead, the Longhorns went on a 7-0 spurt to pull to within seven points.
With the shot clock winding down a driving Hallman found freshman center Marija Zinic under the basket for a layup to stop the Texas run and give the Jayhawks a comfortable lead they would not relinquish with 4:29 remaining. Hallman finished with a game-high six assists to go with her 14 points.
Brown knocked down three 3-pointers and scored 15 points on the game. As a team, KU shot 40 percent (8-of-20) from behind the 3-point arc. Kemp and Brown played all 40 minutes while Hallman was on the court for 38.
The victory snapped a Texas six-game winning streak over KU. The last time the Jayhawks defeated a ranked foe was during the 2001 season.
Head Coach Bonnie Henrickson
Kansas head coach Bonnie Henrickson, one the top young coaches in the nation, is in her second season at the helm of the Jayhawks. In her first year on the Kansas sidelines, Henrickson led KU to its best record in five seasons and highest Big 12 finish in six campaigns. Following the season, Henrickson was honored with the Carol Eckman Award — given by the WBCA to a coach who exemplifies spirit, integrity, and character through sportsmanship, commitment to the student-athlete, honesty, ethical behavior, courage and dedication to purpose. Henrickson came to KU after seven successful seasons at Virginia Tech where she compiled a record of 158-62 (.718). Her teams averaged 23 wins per season and advanced to postseason play all seven years including five NCAA appearances. Overall, the Willmar, Minn., native has been a part of postseason play in 11 of the last 12 seasons. She is 24-16 (.600) at KU and 182-78 (.700) in her career.
Jayhawk Starters
Kansas has used three different starting lineups in 12 games with sophomore forward Taylor McIntosh, senior forward Crystal Kemp, freshman point guard Ivana Catic and senior guard Kaylee Brown starting every game. Senior Erica Hallman (9 starts), junior Shaquina Mosley (2) and junior Sharita Smith (1) have all received starting nods at the third guard spot. Hallman has started the last nine games.
Today’s Opponent – Nebraska
Nebraska enters the game against Kansas on Saturday, Jan. 7, with a 9-3 overall record after winning its last seven games, all by 14 or more points. The Huskers are 1-0 in the Big 12 after an 80-62 win over Colorado in Boulder on Wednesday night.
The Huskers have been impressive on defense during the winning streak, holding five consecutive foes to 56 or fewer points before Colorado reached 62. In those seven games, NU has won by an average margin of 26.4 points per game.
The win over Colorado ended a 20-year drought for NU in Boulder, marking the Huskers first win since 1985. Junior Kiera Hardy led the attack with 17 points, four assists and three rebounds. Joining Hardy in the double-figure scoring column was freshman Kelsey Griffin (12), junior Chelsea Aubry (10) and sophomore Danielle Page (10). The Huskers shot a scorching 55.2 percent from the floor while holding CU to a mere 37.5 percent.
NU’s three leading scorers on the season (Hardy, Griffin and Jessica Gerhart), have combined to average 42.1 points and 13.8 rebounds per game, with Hardy leading the pack at 17.6 points per outing.
Nebraska is also getting impressive production from the bench from TK LaFleur, Danielle Page and Elena Diaz, who combine for 16.3 points and 8.9 boards per game.
The Huskers are coached by Connie Yori, who is 53-49 in her fourth year at NU and 248-189 in her 16th year as a head coach overall.
Kansas/Nebraska Notes
Kansas and Nebraska are meeting for the 67th time in history dating back to 1975. Since the inception of the Big 12 Conference, Nebraska leads 12-7. Kansas freshmen Jen Orgas and Katie Smith are natives of Nebraska. Husker sophomore Sarah White is a native of Topeka, Kan., and junior Kiera Hardy is from Kansas City, Mo. Each team has two natives of Serbia & Montenegro including Ivana Catic and Marija Zinic for KU and Jelena Spiric and Ivana Drmanac for NU. Nebraska coach Connie Yori compiled a 4-6 record against Kansas when she was coach at Creighton between 1992 and 2001.
A Kansas Win Would
Make the Jayhawks 13-0 to start the season, extending KU’s school-best season start … Give Kansas a 2-0 record in Big 12 play … Give the Jayhawks their first 13-game winning streak in the history of the program … Make KU 45-22 all-time against Nebraska … Give KU its second-straight win over the Huskers … Make the Jayhawks 1-0 on the road this season … Improve head coach Bonnie Henrickson’s record to 25-16 at Kansas and 183-78 in her career … Make the Jayhawks 622-414 all-time.
A Kansas Loss Would
Make the Jayhawks 12-1 to start the season … Give KU a 1-1 record in Big 12 play … Halt KU’s all-time program best 12-game winning streak … Make KU 44-23 all-time against Nebraska … Give Nebraska its fourth win in the last four meetings against the Jayhawks … Make the Jayhawks 0-1 on the road this season … Make head coach Bonnie Henrickson’s record 24-17 at Kansas and 182-79 in her career … Make the Jayhawks 621-415 all-time.
Jayhawks Run The Table In Non-Conference
With a 75-72 win over La Salle on Dec. 30, Kansas did something it had never done before by starting a season 11-0 and finishing the non-conference part of the schedule undefeated. The perfect start surpassed the 1991-92 team which went 10-0 before becoming the first of nine straight Jayhawk teams to advance to the NCAA Tournament.
Still Undefeated
Through games of Jan. 4, Kansas was one of five undefeated teams in the country. The Jayhawks join Tennessee (14-0), North Carolina (13-0), Duke (12-0) and LSU (12-0) as the only teams in the country with perfect records.
First Win Over A Top-25 Team Since 2001
Kansas knocked off No. 23/24 Texas on Jan. 3 by a score of 70-61. The win ended a 36-game drought against Top-25 competition since a 69-61 win over No. 6 Iowa State on Feb. 17, 2001. Additionally, the victory ended a six-game losing skid to the Longhorns.
Offensive Explosion
Kansas has scored 70 or more points in 11 of 12 games and averages 75.5 per outing. Last year, the Jayhawks reached 70 points only four times all season. The last time KU averaged 70 or more points for an entire season was 1999-2000 when the team averaged 70.4. KU’s high scoring game this year came when the squad scored 100 points against New Orleans on Dec. 3. It marked the first time since Dec. 21, 2000 — when KU outscored Mississippi Valley State 116-34 — that Kansas reached 100 points. KU also reached 90 points against Wisconsin — marking the first time in six seasons Kansas scored 90 twice in one season.
Taking Care Of The Ball
The Jayhawks have passed out 212 assists and made 338 field goals, or an assist for every 1.59 field goals made. KU’s 17.67 assists per game ranks fourth in the Big 12 behind Oklahoma State (18.42), Texas A&M (18.14) and Kansas State (17.83). Additionally, KU has only turned the ball over 155 times for a Big 12-leading assist/turnover ratio of 1.37. Kansas has finished a season with a positive assist/turnover ratio only once, in 1986-87, when the team sported a ratio of 1.18.
Attendance Boost
The Jayhawks have enjoyed season-highs in attendance in the last three games. The crowd of 4,025 against La Salle ranked as the third-most in school history for a non-conference game, while the Pepperdine attendance of 3,622 ranked fourth. The record for a non-conference home game is 7,850 on Dec. 18, 1994 during a “Fill The Fieldhouse” event when admission was free. The 5,634 fans for the Big 12 opener against Texas was the most in the Bonnie Henrickson era.
Kemp Among KU’s All-Time Elite
Junior Crystal Kemp became the 18th player in KU history to reach 1,000 career points when she hit a jumper from the right wing with 18:13 on the clock in first half against Texas Tech last season. Against Birmingham-Southern this year, the Topeka, Kan., native collected her 600th career rebound. She is now the eighth player in KU history to accumulate over 1,300 points and 600 career boards. She continues to move up both career lists as she ranks among the top players to ever don the Crimson & Blue.
This & That
– KU trailed by as many as 18 points against Wisconsin. The 14-point halftime comeback for the victory tied for the third-biggest halftime comeback in program history.
– Kaylee Brown ranks fourth on the KU career free throw percentage at 78.2 percent (61-78).
– The Jayhawks have eight 20+ scoring games this year as Crystal Kemp has six and Erica Hallman has two. Kemp has five 20+ games in the last six outings.
– Kemp reached 500 career made field goals against Pepperdine. Her current total of 518 ranks 10th on the all-time KU list.
– Hallman is averaging 6.5 rebounds per game in the last six outings.
– Kemp played all but four minutes in the last six games, logging 49, 40, 39, 38, 40 and 40 minutes.
– Kansas continues to lead the Big 12 in three-point shooting accuracy at a clip of 40.0 percent, although the Jayhawks have cooled from behind the arc hitting just 33.7 percent (35-104) over the last seven games.
No Place Like Home
Kansas plays an unprecedented 21 games in Allen Fieldhouse this season including two exhibition contests, all 11 non-conference matchups and eight Big 12 games. The game against Nebraska on Jan. 7 is the first road game for the Jayhawks this season. KU was originally scheduled to play in the UNO Lady Privateer Tournament in New Orleans on Dec. 2-3, but those games were moved to Lawrence as a result of Hurricane Katrina.
Serbian Sensations
Kansas welcomes the addition of two international players in 2005-06 with the addition of freshmen Ivana Catic and Marija Zinic — both natives of Serbia & Montenegro. The duo has extensive experience playing together on various teams in their home country. The pair bring Kansas’ all-time list of international players to eight. Other international players to suit up for KU include Bente Dahl (Oslo, Norway – 1985), Sandra de Bruin (Beetgum, Holland – 1990), Suzi Raymant (Melbourne, Australia – 1996-2000), Fernanda Bosi (Americana, Brazil – 2000-01), Leila Mengüç (Stockholm, Sweden – 2000-04) and Valerie Migicovsky (North Bay, Ontario – 2001-03).
Kansas Inks Seven For `06-’07
Kansas signed seven recruits to National Letters of Intent during the early signing period. Below is a quick look at those seven commitments for next season.
Player (position, height, hometown – high school)
Lindsay Ballweg (guard, 5-10, Overland Park, Kan. – St. Thomas Aquinas HS)
Rebecca Feickert (forward/center, 6-2, Goodrich, N.D. – Sheridan County HS)
LaChelda Jacobs (guard, 5-10, Mansfield, Texas – Mansfield Summit HS)
Kelly Kohn (guard, 5-9, Adrian, Mich. – Adrian HS)
Danielle McCray (forward, 6-0, Olathe, Kan. – Olathe East HS)
Sade Morris (forward, 6-0, Norman, Okla. – Norman HS)
Porscha Weddington (forward, 6-1, Temple, Texas – Temple HS)
Big 12 Preseason Coaches’ Poll
In the only official poll conducted this season, Baylor was picked by the Big 12 Conference coaches to win the Big 12 Championship again in 2005-06. The Lady Bears received six first place votes, while Texas received two first place nods and Texas Tech got four votes for first place. The coaches believe Kansas will be better this season as the Jayhawks were selected to finish sixth (after finishing eighth last season). The only Big 12 North team picked higher than KU was Nebraska, who was picked fifth.
Kemp Wins Big 12 Player of the Week, Twice
Senior Crystal Kemp has been honored twice this season with Phillips 66 Big 12 Player of the Week by a media voting panel for games played Dec. 5-11, and Dec. 19-Jan. 2. Kemp’s first honor came after averaging 22 points and 7.5 rebounds in wins over UMKC and Wisconsin. She then was named Co-POW along with Oklahoma’s Courtney Paris for games played over the holiday period. In wins over Creighton, Pepperdine and La Salle, the Topeka, Kan., native posted 22.7 points and 8.7 rebounds while leading Kansas to a perfect 11-0 record in non-conference play for the first time in program history. Kemp joined Lynn Pride (1999), Suzi Raymant (1998) and Tamecka Dixon (1997) as the only KU players to win the award twice in a season.
Mosley Tabbed Preseason Big 12 Rookie of the Year
Junior transfer Shaquina Mosley was named the Preseason Newcomer of the Year in a vote of the Big 12 women’s basketball coaches released Oct. 18 by the conference office. A 5-6 junior guard, Mosley transferred to Kansas from Central Arizona Community College. She led her team to the NJCAA national championship last year while being named the 2005 WBCA Junior College/Community College Player of the Year.
Kemp Chosen Preseason All-Big 12 Honorable Mention
Senior Crystal Kemp was selected as a preseason All-Big 12 Honorable Mention pick by a vote of the league coaches as released on Oct. 18. Last season, Kemp was named postseason All-Big 12 Honorable Mention after leading the Jayhawks with 13.8 points and 8.8 rebounds per game.
An All-Star Staff
Joining Bonnie Henrickson on the sidelines are assistant coaches Karen Lange, Kyra Elzy and Katie O’Connor. Also on staff is director of operations Trena Anderson and administrative assistant Katie Capps. Lange, O’Connor and Anderson followed Henrickson from Virginia Tech, while Elzy and Capps both joined KU from Western Kentucky. Prior to WKU, Elzy also worked as an administrative assistant for Henrickson at Virginia Tech. At an average age of less than 29 years old, Henrickson’s three assistant coaches (Lange, Elzy, O’Connor) have already been part of a combined 19 NCAA tournaments, eight Sweet 16s, five Elite Eights, four Final Fours and two National Championships, combined.
27 Games On TV
With 27 games on the tube, KU’s television package in 2005-06 is the finest in school history and among the very best in the nation for any men’s or women’s team. In fact, other than the Kansas men, no other Big 12 team will play more games on television this season. The next closest team in the league is Texas Tech with 21, followed by Texas (16), Oklahoma (13), Baylor (11), Nebraska (10), Kansas State (9), Colorado (9), Iowa State (7), Missouri (6), Texas A&M (5) and Oklahoma State (4). The only two KU games not on TV are at Texas Tech and at Oklahoma. Overall, KU plays two games on Fox Sports Net, three games on FSN regional television and three contests on CSTV. Locally, 14 games will be produced and aired by Sunflower Broadband in Lawrence, and five contests will be produced by Metro Sports of Kansas City.
Increased Radio Coverage
The Jayhawk Radio Network has improved its coverage over the past two seasons. Stations carrying the Jayhawks include KLWN 1320-AM in Lawrence, KWIC 99.3-FM in Topeka, KFH 98.7-FM in Wichita and KXTR-1660-AM in Kansas City.
12-0 Not A Bonnie Best
Kansas’ 12-0 start is not Bonnie Henrickson’s best career start. Her 1998-99 Virginia Tech team won 18 straight to open the season, and her last Hokie team in 2003-04 also rattled off 12.
Up Next For KU
Kansas stays on the road for its second straight road game when it goes to Boulder, Colo., to face the Colorado Buffaloes on Tuesday, Jan. 10. The game will be aired on Fox Sports Net Rocky Mountain and Midwest, and tips off at 8 p.m. Colorado leads the all-time series 28-27, although the Kansas won both meetings a year ago. Colorado leads 14-9 in games played in Boulder.
