KU Opens Big 12 Slate Hosting #24/25 Oklahoma State
Jan. 8, 2008
LAWRENCE, Kan. –
Game Notes
OPENING TIP
After posting an 11-2 mark during non-conference action, the Kansas women’s basketball team opens Big 12 Conference play with a home game versus #24/25 Oklahoma State on Wednesday, Jan. 9. The Cowgirls enter Wednesday’s game with a 12-1 mark, including four-straight wins. KU is 8-0 at Allen Fieldhouse on the season and 4-7 all time in Big 12 Conference openers heading into the 7 p.m. tip-off with OSU.
FAST BREAKS
-Sophomore guard-forward Danielle McCray went over the 20-point plateau for the third time this season with a game-high 24 points in KU’s win over Xavier. McCray made 10-of-20 shots from the field, including 4-of-9 from beyond the arc in the Jayhawks’ 62-60 victory.
-Kansas head coach Bonnie Henrickson moved her Kansas coaching record to .500 with her team’s win over Xavier. Under her guidance, the Jayhawks are now 51-51 in her fourth season.
-KU made 5-of-6 free throws in the final minute of their last game to post a 62-60 win at Xavier. Sophomore guard Sade Morris made 3-of-4 and senior forward Taylor McIntosh knocked down both her attempts to help seal the Jayhawk win.
-Kansas is currently listed at No. 16 in the most recent RPI update on collegerpi.com. KU is the third highest ranked team in the Big 12 in the latest RPI rankings behind Texas A&M (8) and Oklahoma (10). Oklahoma State is ranked 87th.
A LOOK AT OKLAHOMA STATE
The Cowgirls are 12-1 on the season, including a perfect 9-0 mark at home. OSU suffered its lone loss of the season on the road at TCU. Oklahoma State is led on the season by sophomore guard Andrea Riley, who leads the Big 12 Conference with 20.5 points per outing. Riley also leads OSU in assists with 4.5 and steals with 3.8 per game. Senior guard Danielle Green adds 14.1 points per game, while also pulling down 7.1 caroms per contest. Green has also collected 31 steals and 36 assists. Senior center Mario Cordero contributes 11.2 tallies per game, while leading the Cowgirls with 11 blocks. Freshman guard Kristin Hernandez is not far behind, averaging 9.5 points per game. Hernandez averages 18.4 minutes off the bench. OSU plays extremely tough on the defensive end of the court, collecting 175 steals compared to just 95 for their opponents. They have committed 209 turnovers, while forcing their foes into 308 on the season. Oklahoma State head coach Kurt Budke is 38-34 in his third season in Stillwater. Budke owns an overall mark of 391-81 in his 15th season in the business.
KANSAS-OKLAHOMA STATE SERIES HISTORY
The Jayhawks lead the all-time series 28-20, including a 13-7 mark in games played in Lawrence. The two teams split last season, with OSU winning 68-54 in Stillwater during the regular season and KU claiming a 71-62 win over the Cowgirls in the opening round of play at the 2007 Big 12 Championship.
A LOOK AT KANSAS
Kansas enters Friday’s contest with a 11-2 mark, including a perfect 8-0 mark in Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks have won back-to-back games over Boston and Xavier after falling at #11 Cal just before the holidays. Sophomore guard/forward Danielle McCray is the top Jayhawk in scoring (16.8) and ranks second in rebounding (7.3). Fellow sophomore guard Sade Morris is also in double figures in points per game with 12.3 tallies an outing. Morris also gives KU 4.2 boards and 2.6 assists per game. Freshman center Krysten Boogaard has continued to improve as the season unfolds. Boogaard ranks third on the team in scoring with 9.3 points a game to go along with 4.8 caroms per contest. Senior forward Taylor McIntosh is tops on the team in rebounding with 7.8 boards per game, while also dropping in 8.0 points. Junior point guard Ivana Catic is the team-leader in assists with 4.5 dishes per game, while also leading the Jayhawks in steals with 1.8 pilfers per outing. Kansas is shooting 45.4 percent from the field, while limiting its opponents to making just 36.0 percent of their shots. The Jayhawks are coached by Bonnie Henrickson who owns a 51-51 mark in her fourth season at the helm of the Kansas program. Henrickson owns an overall coaching mark of 209-113 in 11 seasons on the sideline.
SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION
– Kansas has two players from the state of Oklahoma in sophomore Sade Morris (Norman) and freshman Nicollette Smith (Tulsa). Oklahoma State does not have any native Kansans on its roster. OSU head coach Kurt Budke is a 1984 of Washburn University in Topeka, Kan.
– KU sophomore guard Sade Morris and OSU junior guard Taylor Hardeman are both graduates of Norman High School in Norman, Okla. The duo teamed up for two seasons under head coach Matilda Mossman, leading Norman High to the Class 6A state title in 2005.
