Women's Basketball Opens Big 12 Play At Kansas State
Jan. 8, 2009
LAWRENCE, Kan. –
Game Notes in PDF Format
OPENING TIP
The University of Kansas women’s basketball team will travel to in-state rival #18/20 Kansas State for its 2009 Big 12 Conference opener on Saturday, Jan. 10. The Jayhawks concluded non-conference play with an 11-2 mark, while the Wildcats enter Saturday’s contest with a perfect 13-0 record. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m., in Bramlage Coliseum.
FAST BREAKS
-Kansas is riding a four-game winning streak, its second longest of the season. The Jayhawks won five-straight games to open the 2008-09 season.
-The Jayhawks concluded non-conference play with an 11-2 record for the second-straight season under head coach Bonnie Henrickson.
-Junior guard-forward Danielle McCray has scored in double figures in 12-of-13 games this season and leads the Jayhawks with 18.9 points per game. McCray currently ranks second in the Big 12 Conference in scoring behind only Andrea Riley of Oklahoma State.
-Kansas has implored five different starting line-ups on the season, with seven different players earning atleast one start.
-Kansas is making 47.4 percent of its shots from the field. The Jayhawks made a season-best 67.9 percent of their shots at Pepperdine. The Jayhawks were especially hot in the second half versus the Waves as they connected on 18-of-23 buckets. On the season, four Jayhawks are shooting better than 50 percent from the field.
-KU has made 81 three-point baskets on the season, while holding its opponents to just 37. The Jayhawks have connected on 81-of-192 shots from beyond the arc, good for a Big 12 Conference best 41.8 percent. Kansas made only 120 three-pointers for the season a year ago.
-Junior Porscha Weddington has collected 28 offensive rebounds in her 276 minutes of court time. Her 28 offensive boards rank second on the team behind McCray’s 33 in 395 minutes of play.
-Kansas is very steady as it has scored 486 points in the first half and 494 in the second half.
A LOOK AT KANSAS STATE
#18/20 K-State enters Saturday’s game as one of just five undefeated teams in the nation and the last unbeaten team in the Big 12. The Wildcats are led on the season by senior Shalee Lehning, who has posted two triple-doubles in 13 games. Lehning, who leads the NCAA in assists with 9.2 per outing, leads the Wildcats on the boards with 7.3 per game, while also averaging 10.5 points per game. Junior Ashley Sweat leads KSU in scoring with 16.0 points per game and senior Marlies Gipson turns in 13.9 tallies a game. Gipson pulls down 6.8 caroms per contest and Sweat grabs 4.9. Junior Kari Kincaid is the top long range shooter as she has knocked down 29-of-71 three-point baskets. Senior Danielle Zanotti rounds out the starting five with 3.5 points and 3.2 rebounds a game. Kansas State head coach Deb Patterson is 253-138 in her 13th season at the helm of the Wildcat program. Her overall coaching mark is the same.
KU-KSU SERIES HISTORY
The Wildcats lead the all-time series 55-41, including a 26-13 in games played in Manhattan. KU head coach Bonnie Henrickson is 1-8 versus KSU, including an 0-4 mark in games played in Manhattan.
A LOOK AT KANSAS
Kansas is off to an 11-2 start to the 2008-09 season behind the strong play of its junior class. Led by a trio of guards in Danielle McCray, Sade Morris and LaChelda Jacobs, the Jayhawks are outscoring their opponents by 20.4 points per game. McCray tops the Jayhawk scorers with 18.9 points per game, while Morris adds 12.3 and Jacobs turns in 8.7. In addition, sophomores Krysten Boogaard and Nicollette Smith are adding 11.3 and 7.3 points per game, respectively. KU is shooting 47.4 percent from the field, while holding its opponents to just 34.1 percent field goal shooting. Four different Jayhawks are making better than 50.0 percent of their shots, led by Rebecca Feickert at 60 percent. The Jayhawks have recorded 113 steals compared to just 83 for their opponents, led by McCray with 25 pilfers. Jacobs is the leader in assists with 64 dimes in 13 games, while Ivana Catic has dished 44 assists and Morris 35. McCray is pulling down a team-leading 8.5 rebounds and Boogaard is grabbing 5.7 per game. Kansas is also shooting well from the three-point line as it has connected on 81-of-194 shots from beyond the arc, good for 41.8 percent, tops in the Big 12 Conference. McCray is leading the way from beyond the arc as she has knocked 27-of-69 shots. Ivana Catic leads the Jayhawks from the foul line as she has connected on 17-of-18 attempts, good for 94.4 percent. McCray is over 80 percent for the season as she has connected on 84.8 percent of her foul shots.
