Women To Face Buffs On Fox Sports Net
Jan. 9, 2006
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Kansas Jayhawks at Colorado Buffaloes
Game #14 – Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2006 – 8 p.m. – Coors Events Center (11,064)
Radio
Jayhawk Radio Network. Nate Bukaty (play-by-play), Brian Hanni (color).
Television
FSN-Rocky Mountain/Midwest (Sunflower Broadband channel 36 in Lawrence). Dave Benz (play-by-play), Ceal Barry (color).
Records
Kansas is 12-1 overall and 1-1 in the Big 12, after falling at Nebraska. Colorado is 5-9 overall, 0-2 in Big 12 and has lost its last three.
Rankings
Kansas is receiving votes in the Jan. 2 Associated Press poll. Colorado is not ranked.
Coaches
Bonnie Henrickson is 24-17 in her second year at Kansas and 182-79 in her ninth season overall. The Buffaloes are coached by Kathy McConnell-Miller who is 5-9 in her first year at Colorado and 96-97 in her seventh year as a head coach overall.
Series History
Colorado leads the all-time series 28-27 although Kansas won both meetings last year. In Boulder, the Buffaloes lead 14-9.
Jayhawk Storylines
– Kansas is coming off its first loss of the season, a 73-61 setback at Nebraska. It snapped KU’s school-record 12-game winning streak to begin the season.
– Senior Crystal Kemp is averaging 22.9 points, 10.0 rebounds and 40.6 minutes over the last seven outings. She is the current Big 12 Player of the Week, and has earned the honor a league-best two times this season.
– Kansas is playing just its second road game of the season and second in a row.
– The Jayhawks have reached 70 or more points in 11 of 13 games this season, but are coming off a season-low 61 at Nebraska.
– Kansas is looking for its 13th win which would be its most in a season since 1999-2000.
The Matchup
Just three days after being handed its first loss of the season, the University of Kansas (12-1, 1-1) will play on the road for the second-straight game when it travels to Boulder, Colo., on Tuesday, Jan. 10 to face the University of Colorado at 8 p.m. in the Coors Events Center. The game will be aired regionally by Fox Sports Net-Rocky Mountain and Midwest.
After running off a school-record 12-straight victories to open the season, Kansas fell in its first road test against a talented Nebraska team, 73-61, on Saturday. Senior Crystal Kemp had another strong game with 23 points and 11 rebounds, but it was Nebraska’s Kiera Hardy who stole the show with 26 points. KU senior Kaylee Brown added 13 points.
For the season, KU is led by its senior trio of Kemp, Erica Hallman and Brown, who are 1-2-3 on the scoring leaders list and are all having their best seasons in Jayhawk uniforms. Kemp leads the pack 19.5 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. Over the last seven games, she has upped those numbers to 22.9 points and 10.0 boards in 40.6 minutes per game.
Hallman adds 14.4 points to go with 5.0 boards and 4.4 assists per outing. Brown chips in 12.6 ppg and is second on the team with 1.5 steals per game.
KU averages 74.4 points as a team, while holding opponents to an average of 62.1. The Jayhawks have scored over 70 points in all but two games, while holding all but three opponents under 70 points.
Colorado is led by sophomore Jackie McFarland and junior Jasmina Ilic who each average 18.4 points per game. McFarland is the top rebounder on the team with 9.8 per game. Four other Buffaloes are averaging over 5.5 points per game.
The Buffs are scoring 72.1 points and 41.1 boards per game, while holding opponents to 69.4 points and 36.4 rebounds. CU shoots a solid 41.3 percent from the floor, but struggles from long range hitting just 29.5 percent of its three-point attempts.
The meeting is the 56th all-time between Kansas and Colorado, with CU holding a 28-27 advantage. Kansas won both meetings last season, which snapped an eight-game losing streak to Colorado.
The Buffaloes are coached by Kathy McConnell-Miller, who is 5-9 in her first year at Colorado and 96-97 in her seventh season as a head coach overall.
More From The Last Game
Kansas (12-1, 1-1 Big 12) fell 73-61 to Nebraska (10-3, 2-0) Saturday, Jan. 7 at the Devaney Center.
Crystal Kemp had 23 points and 11 rebounds for her second-straight double-double. She reached 20+ points for the sixth time in the last seven games. Kaylee Brown added 13 points.
The first half was tight with eight ties and 10 lead changes. Both teams reached leads of five points, although neither KU nor the NU could gain much momentum. KU led at the break 35-34.
Kemp led Kansas with 10 points and four boards in the first half, while Brown pumped in eight points including a pair of three-pointers. Kansas City native Kiera Hardy led NU with 11 points before intermission. Both teams were red-hot from the field in the opening stanza as KU shot 59.3 percent and NU shot 51.9 percent.
For the first eight minutes after the break it was much of the same story. At the 11:46 media timeout, the Huskers led the Jayhawks 50-49. After the timeout, NU went on a 10-3 run over the next four minutes, sparked by Hardy, who hit an off-balance three-pointer.
The Huskers kept KU at arms length for the remainder of the game, scoring their final nine points from the free throw line. Hardy finished with 26 points including four three pointers. Kelsey Griffin added 16 points and a team-high seven boards. Jessica Gerhart rounded out the Nebraska double-figure scorers with 10 points.
Kansas shot 45.8 percent from the field and 22.2 percent (4-of-18) from the three-point line, while Nebraska shot 51.9 percent from the floor and 45.5 percent from beyond the arc. Kansas won the battle of the boards, 35-31.
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 24-17 (.585) at KU and 182-79 (.697) in her career.
Jayhawk Starters
Kansas has used three different starting lineups in 13 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 (10 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 10 games.
Today’s Opponent – Colorado
Colorado (5-9, 0-2) enters the game against Kansas on Tuesday, Jan. 10, searching for its first Big 12 win. The Buffaloes have lost their last three including games to Oregon, Nebraska and at Oklahoma.
The Buffaloes are coming off an 84-61 loss at Oklahoma on Saturday. Senior guard Whitney Law came off the bench to pace the team with 14 points. Freshman reserve Hannah Skildum added 12 points off the bench. Junior Jasmina Ilic added 10 points and four rebounds.
The Buffs shot just 39.2 percent and were outrebounded 47-32 in the loss.
For the season, Colorado is paced by Ilic and sophomore Jackie McFarland, who each average 18.4 points per game. McFarland adds a team-high 9.8 rebounds per outing. Law passes out a team-high 4.5 assists per game.
Colorado shoots 41.3 percent from the floor to average 72.1 points per game, while giving up 69.4 points on 40.3 percent shooting to opponents. CU outrebounds its opponents 41.1 to 36.4.
The Buffaloes are coached by Kathy McConnell-Miller in her first year ag Colorado. She arrived in Boulder after a six-year stint at Tulsa, where she compiled a 91-88 record.
Kansas/Colorado Notes
Kansas and Colorado are meeting for the 56th time in history dating back to 1979. Since the inception of the Big 12 Conference, the series is tied 9-9. Colorado sophomore forward Jackie McFarland is a native of Derby, Kan. Colorado coach Kathy McConnell-Miller and Kansas men’s coach Bill Self were both head coaches at Tulsa.
A Kansas Win Would
Make the Jayhawks 13-1 to start the season … Give Kansas a 2-1 record in Big 12 play … Give the Jayhawks their 13th win, marking the most since 1999-2000 … Even the all-time series against CU to 28 apiece … Give KU its third-straight win over the Huskers … Make the Jayhawks 1-1 on the road this season … Improve head coach Bonnie Henrickson’s record to 25-17 at Kansas and 183-79 in her career … Make the Jayhawks 622-415 all-time.
A Kansas Loss Would
Make the Jayhawks 12-2 to start the season … Give KU a 1-2 record in Big 12 play … Give KU a two-game losing streak … Make KU 27-29 all-time against Colorado … Give Colorado its ninth win in the last 11 meetings against the Jayhawks … Make the Jayhawks 0-2 on the road this season … Make head coach Bonnie Henrickson’s record 24-18 at Kansas and 182-80 in her career … Make the Jayhawks 621-416 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.
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 13 games and averages 74.4 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 223 assists and made 365 field goals, or an assist for every 1.64 field goals made. KU’s 17.15 assists per game ranks third in the Big 12 behind Oklahoma State (18.38) and Texas A&M (17.40). Additionally, KU has only turned the ball over 169 times for a Big 12-leading assist/turnover ratio of 1.32. 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 home 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.
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 was 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.
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 nine 20+ scoring games this year as Crystal Kemp has seven and Erica Hallman has two. Kemp has six 20+ games in the last seven outings.
– Kemp reached 500 career made field goals against Pepperdine. Her current total of 529 ranks ninth on the all-time KU list.
– Hallman is averaging 6.4 rebounds per game in the last seven outings.
– Kemp played all but six minutes in the last seven games, averaging 40.6 mpg in that span.
– Kansas was leading the Big 12 in three-point shooting before connecting on just 4-of-18 attempts at Nebraska. At 38.3 percent, the Jayhawks now rank second behind Missouri (39.2 %).
– After putting together a string of impressive practices, freshman Sophronia Sallard found her way onto the court for the first time in seven games against Nebraska. She contributed two points, three rebounds and two assists in eight minutes against the Cornhuskers.
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’ started the season 12-0 which was 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
After playing its first two road games of the season at Nebraska and Colorado, Kansas will return to Allen Fieldhouse for a pair of games against Texas A&M and Oklahoma State. The Jayhawks will play the Aggies on Sunday, Jan. 15 in Allen Fieldhouse at 1 p.m. on Sunflower Broadband channel 6. A week later, KU will play the Cowgirls on Jan. 22 at 1 p.m. on Metro Sports.
