Jayhawks Travel To Nebraska For Big 12 Road-Opener
Jan. 10, 2008
LAWRENCE, Kan. –
Game Notes
OPENING TIP
KU will travel to Nebraska on Saturday, Jan. 12, for its Big 12 Conference road-opener. The Jayhawks, who are 11-3 overall, are searching for their first conference victory after falling 59-54 to #24/25 Oklahoma State on Wednesday. Nebraska (12-3, 1-0) is looking for its second-straight win to open conference action after knocking off #15/15 Texas at home on Wednesday. The game is slated for an 11:30 a.m. tip-off at the Devaney Center with live national broadcast on Fox Sports Net.
FAST BREAKS
-Sophomore guard Sade Morris led Kansas in scoring versus #24/25 Oklahoma State with 17 points. Morris also had five rebounds and two assists. It marked the 10th time this season she scored in double digits and the seventh time she was the leading scorer for the Jayhawks.
-Kansas sophomore Kelly Kohn missed the first game of her Jayhawk career in KU’s loss to #24/25 Oklahoma State. Kohn, who suffered a right ankle sprain in practice during the week, is listed as day-to-day. She had played in 44-straight games, including 35 starts prior to Wednesday’s game.
-The Kansas defense was stingy versus Oklahoma State, holding the Cowgirls to just 59 points, 26 below their season average. OSU entered the game with the second best scoring offense in the NCAA at 85.0 points per game, but the Jayhawk defense gave up just 59 points in the loss.
-Kansas is currently listed at No. 22 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 Oklahoma (6) and Texas A&M (12). Nebraska is not far behind the Jayhawks, as they are ranked 26th.
A LOOK AT NEBRASKA
The Cornhuskers are 12-3 overall and 1-0 in Big 12 Conference play after knocking off #15 Texas on Wednesday. NU is 9-0 at home with wins over Ole Miss, Florida, Creighton and Southern California under their belt. The `Huskers, who have won three-straight games, are led by senior forward Danielle Page with 12.2 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game. Junior forward Kelsey Griffin and sophomore forward Cory Montgomery are also in double figures with 12.0 and 11.6 points, respectively. Sophomore guard Yvonne Turner leads the NU defense with 2.9 steals per game, while freshman guard Kaitlyn Burke is the leading assister with 2.9 dimes per game. The `Huskers are one of the deeper teams in the leauge as nine players average 13.7 minutes or more per game. Nebraska head coach Connie Yori is 97-72 in her sixth season in Lincoln. Yori owns an overall mark of 292-212 in her 18th season in the business.
KANSAS-NEBRASKA SERIES HISTORY
The Jayhawks lead the all-time series 44-26, but trail the Cornhuskers 15-13 in games played in Lincoln. Nebraska has won four-straight in the series, sweeping the Jayhawks in each of the last two seasons. KU head coach Bonnie Henrickson is 1-5 versus NU, including losses in all three of her appearances in Lincoln.
A LOOK AT KANSAS
Kansas enters Saturday’s contest with an 11-3 overall mark, including an 0-1 Big 12 Conferece record after falling to #24/25 Oklahoma State in Wednesday’s conference opener. The Jayhawks are 2-2 in road games with wins over San Jose State and Xavier and losses to #10 Cal and SMU. Sophomore guard/forward Danielle McCray is the top Jayhawk in scoring (16.1) and ranks second in rebounding (7.3). Fellow sophomore guard Sade Morris is also in double figures in points per game with 12.6 tallies an outing. Morris also gives KU 4.4 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 8.8 points a game to go along with 4.5 caroms per contest. Senior forward Taylor McIntosh is tops on the team in rebounding with 7.8 boards per game, while also dropping in 8.4 points. McIntosh is also the team leader in blocks with 13 and field goal percentage as she connects on 54.5 percent of her shots. Junior point guard Ivana Catic is the team-leader in assists with 4.3 dishes per game, while also leading the Jayhawks in steals with 1.8 pilfers per outing. Freshman forward Nicollette Smith comes off the bench to provide 6.1 points per game and leads KU with 21 triples on the season. Kansas is shooting 45.1 percent from the field, while limiting its opponents to making just 36.5 percent of their shots. The Jayhawks are coached by Bonnie Henrickson who owns a 51-52 mark in her fourth season at the helm of the Kansas program. Henrickson owns an overall coaching mark of 209-114 in 11 seasons on the sideline.
SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION
– Kansas has one player from the state of Nebraska in junior guard Katie Smith (Omaha). Nebraska does not have any native Kansans on its roster.
– KU freshman center Krysten Boogaard and NU freshman guard Kaitlyn Burke both hail from Canada and arrived at their respective college campuses after being two of 12 players selected to attend the Canadian National Elite Development Academy last year. Of the 12 players selected for the academy, six are currently playing in the United States at Division I schools.
– Jayhawk sophomore guard LaChelda Jacobs and Nebraska freshman Catheryn Redmond both attended high school in Mansfield, Texas. Jacobs prepped at Mansfield Summit High, while Redmond played at Mansfield Timberview.
