Jayhawks Ready For Defending National Champion No. 13/14 Texas A&M Saturday
Jan. 19, 2012
- Coach Henrickson
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Game Notes in PDF Format 
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Off to its best conference start since 1997, Kansas women’s basketball will look to extend a three-game win streak when it takes on defending national champion No. 13/14 Texas A&M (12-4, 3-2 Big 12) on Alumni Day, Saturday, Jan. 21, at 7 p.m. KU picked up its third-straight conference road win Wednesday evening at Oklahoma State to improve to 4-1 in the Big 12 and 15-2 overall.
Follow the Jayhawks
Saturday’s game will be televised on Knology. The game can also be heard on the Jayhawk Radio Network or online through Jayhawk All-Access at www.KUAthletics.com.
Fast Breaks
– Kansas is 15-2 overall for its best start since 1993-94 (16-1).
– No. 13/14 Texas A&M is the first of three-straight ranked opponents Kansas will face.
– The Jayhawks are ranked No. 27 in the latest NCAA ratings percentage index (RPI) report. Kansas is one of four Big 12 schools in the top 30.
– KU continues to receive votes in both national basketball polls. In the ESPN/USA Today poll the Jayhawks are garnering 21 votes, two spots out of the top 25, while the AP poll has KU with four votes.
– Kansas is 11-1 in home games this season, including 1-1 during Big 12 play. In the team’s last home game, the Jayhawks picked up a double-overtime win versus Iowa State on Jan. 11.
– KU recorded a 48.1 field goal percentage at Oklahoma State while the Cowgirls shot 40.6 percent. The Jayhawks have out-shot 15 of their 17 opponents this season.
– The Jayhawks have held all 17 opponents to under 50 percent shooting from the field.
– Senior Aishah Sutherland pulled down 22 rebounds at OSU and became the first Jayhawk to reach the 20-rebound mark in 30 years. She also added 15 points for her fifth double-double of the season.
– Sutherland needs three points to hit the 1,000-point mark for her career.
– Junior Carolyn Davis picked up her 500th career rebound versus the Cowgirls.
– Junior Angel Goodrich had four assists at Oklahoma State to break a string of 29-straight games with at least five dimes dating back to last season. Goodrich continues to lead the Big 12 with 7.8 assists per game and, as of Jan. 15, led the nation.
– Goodrich leads Kansas with 18 charges taken in 17 games this season.
About the Jayhawks
Following a 65-60 win at Oklahoma State, Kansas is 15-2 overall and off to its best start since the 1993-94 season. Senior Aishah Sutherland headlined Wednesday’s win as she pulled down 22 rebounds, the most for a Jayhawk since 1981. The forward leads KU and ranks third in the Big 12 with 9.5 rpg. She is also coming off her fifth double-double of year having scored 15 points and averages 13.6 ppg, second to junior Carolyn Davis’ 18.1 ppg, which ranks fourth in the league. Davis also leads the conference and ranks in the top five nationally shooting 62.6 percent from the field. Sutherland and Davis both benefit from having junior Angel Goodrich at the point. As of Jan. 15, Goodrich led the nation in assists per game and currently dishes 7.8 apg. Her 3.6 steals per outing also rank atop the Big 12 while she rounds out her stat sheet with 11.8 ppg and has been KU’s top threat from long range with a team-high 18 threes. Junior Monica Engelman is the fourth and final Jayhawk at the double-digit point mark adding 10.1 ppg while freshman Natalie Knight rounds out the Jayhawks’ starting lineup. Knight (5.4 ppg) is second on the team with 37 assists and 27 steals, while her 21 turnovers are the fewest among KU starters.
As a team, the Jayhawks are one of the top offensive teams in the conference with their league-leading 48.9 field goal percentage, another top-10 mark nationally. Kansas is second in the Big 12 averaging 75.2 ppg and third with its 34.2 three-point field goal percentage.
Scouting Texas A&M
After losing to Texas on Jan. 11, Texas A&M won back-to-back games versus Iowa State and Missouri last week to improve to 12-4 overall and 3-2 in the Big 12. The Aggies also lost at Kansas State in their conference opener and have collected three of their four losses on the road. TAMU has four players average over 11 points per game led by Tyra White’s 14.5 average followed by Sydney Carter (12.4 ppg). Kelsey Bone paces the Aggies’ efforts on the boards with 7.3 rpg and has more offensive caroms than defensive. As a team, Texas A&M leads the Big 12 with 18.7 offensive rebounds per outing to help it to a +8.4 rebound margin. Adaora Elonu contributes on the glass with 7.1 rpg and matches Bone with 11.8 ppg.
Series History
Kansas trails the all-time series with Texas A&M, 9-7, including 2-5 at Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks have lost eight-straight versus the Aggies with their last win, 64-57, on Jan. 25, 2003 in College Station. KU’s previous win in Lawrence (71-60) took place on March 1, 2000.
A Kansas Win Would…
Extend the Jayhawks’ win streak to four games … Make Kansas 5-1 in conference play for the first time since 1996-97 … Give the Jayhawks an 11-1 mark at home this season, including 2-1 in Big 12 play … Cut KU’s deficit in the all-time series versus Texas A&M to 9-8, and make the Jayhawks 3-5 in games played in Lawrence … Halt an eight-game winless streak against the Aggies … Make coach Bonnie Henrickson 1-7 versus TAMU, 133-110 at Kansas and 291-172 for her career … Give Kansas a 97-149 all-time record in Big 12 play … Make KU 730-508 all time.
A Kansas Loss Would…
Halt the Jayhawks’ three-game win streak … Give the Jayhawks a 10-2 mark at home this season, including 1-2 in Big 12 play … Increase Texas A&M’s series lead to 10-7 all-time, including 2-6 in games played in Lawrence … Make coach Bonnie Henrickson 0-8 versus TAMU, 132-111 at Kansas and 290-173 for her career … Give Kansas a 96-150 all-time record in Big 12 play … Make KU 729-509 all time.
First Time Since…
Wednesday’s win at Oklahoma State was highlighted by several team accomplishments:
– First time KU has earned at least three conference wins on the road since 2001.
– The Jayhawks won their first three conference road games since 1996, the final year of the Big Eight Conference.
– KU now has three-straight league victories away from Allen Fieldhouse for the first time since 1999.
Sutherland Has Historic Night on the Boards
The team’s top rebounder, senior Aishah Sutherland more than proved that point Wednesday evening as the forward pulled down an incredible 22 rebounds at Oklahoma State. It was the most rebounds by a Jayhawk since Tracey Claxton recorded 28 boards versus Pacific Christian on Nov. 21, 1981. Sutherland also tied the ninth-best mark in Big 12 history and had the league’s most single-game rebounds since March 11, 2008 when Ashley Paris (Oklahoma) tallied 23 caroms.
Up Next
Kansas continues its tough stretch of schedule when it hosts No. 17/20 Texas Tech on Wednesday, Jan. 25 at 7 p.m.
