McCray and Davis Record Double-Doubles as Kansas Defeats Colorado 75-64
Jan. 27, 2010
Final Stats | Quotes | Notes |
Rookies Igniting Jayhawks
LAWRENCE, Kan. –
Senior guard Danielle McCray scored 29 points and pulled down 16 rebounds, and freshman center Carolyn Davis registered her first career double-double as Kansas defeated Colorado, 75-64, in front of 3,012 fans Wednesday night at Allen Fieldhouse.
The Jayhawks moved to 12-7 on the season and 2-4 in the Big 12, breaking a two-game losing streak with the victory. With the loss, Colorado is now 12-7 on the season and 2-4 in conference play.
Coach Bonnie Henrickson’s team took control of the game from the opening tip, jumping out to an 11-2 advantage behind the leadership and shooting ability of McCray, and the inside play of Davis.
Although Colorado eventually began chipping away at the home team’s lead, another even more impressive run gave Kansas a 20-point advantage.
Up 23-14, Kansas took off with a little over seven minutes left in the opening period, scoring 17 of the contest’s next 20 points in a four-minute stretch to take a lightning quick 23-point lead.
McCray started the run with a three-pointer, Davis followed that with an offensive rebound and putback and freshman guard Monica Engelman hit another three-pointer before Colorado could take a breath. Kansas followed with a steal, another Davis putback and baskets by McCray and Engelman to force the Buffaloes into a timeout.
Davis finished the contest with 10 points and 10 rebounds, while Engelman scored seven points on three-of-four shooting in 20 minutes off the bench. It was Davis’ fourth-consecutive start.
Much of Kansas’ success was the result of stifling perimeter defense and relentless rebounding on both the offensive and defensive glass. The Jayhawks outrebounded the Buffaloes 49 to 29, ripping down 20 offensive rebounds and racking up 18 second-chance points in the process. Henrickson’s team also held a 40 to 34 advantage in points in the paint.
The Jayhawks were also hot from behind the three-point line, attempting 13 shots from behind the arc and making six. McCray finished 4-of-11 from long range, and Engelman and junior guard Rhea Codio also made one three-pointer apiece.
For most of the second half, Kansas’ lead hovered between 10 and 15 points as Colorado attempted to claw back into the game, but McCray and senior guard Sade Morris took turns keeping the Buffaloes at bay.
Morris finished with 11 points and played lock-down perimeter defense to keep Colorado’s guards from finding room to score. Sophomore forward Aishah Sutherland finished with nine points and nine rebounds as well.
The Jayhawks shot 48 percent from the field and had 13 assists to 17 turnovers. Henrickson improved to 6-5 against the Buffaloes in her career at Kansas.
Brittany Spears and Chucky Jeffery led the way for Colorado with 21 and 12 points, respectively.
Kansas will look for its third conference victory on Saturday, when it takes on Missouri at Mizzou Arena in Columbia, Mo., at 5 p.m.
