KU Women's Basketball Falls in Final Seconds, 65-60, in Sunflower Showdown
Jan. 29, 2011
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Behind the hot shooting of Monica Engelman, Kansas women’s basketball played close to in-state rival Kansas State Saturday afternoon. The Jayhawks stayed in the game until the final seconds, but couldn’t hang on, as the Wildcats won, 60-65, at Bramlage Coliseum, in Manhattan, Kan.
Monica Engelman kept the pressure on the Wildcats in the Sunflower Showdown with 18 points on 8-for-11 shooting to lead KU (14-7, 1-6 Big 12). Carolyn Davis also contributed nine points, while Angel Goodrich and Krysten Boogaard each tallied eight.
Taelor Karr and Jalana Childs paced the Wildcats (15-5, 5-2 Big 12) with 19 and 18 points each, respectively. Mariah White chipped in with 10, while Branshea Brown pulled down a game-high 10 boards.
Kansas put up a strong 40-minute battle, as several times throughout the game, K-State attempted to pull away, only to have the Jayhawks trim climb back up.
The Wildcats led by as much as 12 points late in the first half, and KU still managed to come within as few as one, and two points during the final 10 minutes of the game. With only 11 seconds left, the Jayhawks found themselves trailing by only three points when Marisha Brown hit a shot.
But despite the valiant fight, Kansas was never able to grab a lead.
The game began as a low-scoring affair, with only seven points scored between the two rivals in the first four minutes. The two teams remained close throughout most of the half, with Kansas State maintaining a slight advantage.
The Wildcats sparked a rally at the 10-minute mark, pulling out to a 17-12 lead with 9:10 left in the half. The Jayhawks quickly caught after a Kelsey Hill jumper at 8:53. Keena Mays nailed a three, bringing the Jayhawks to within four, 19-15. Boogaard then brought the Jayhawks even closer, sinking a jumper and a free throw, cutting the lead to just one with just under seven minutes on the clock.
Aishah Sutherland managed to tie the game up at 20-all a few minutes later, but the Wildcats scored on their next two possessions to take a five-point advantage, once again.
Late in the half, the Wildcats put up nine straight points to go up 34-22. With 34 seconds to go, Krysten Boogaard made a free throw, and Engelman swished a buzzer-beating three, to send the Jayhawks into the locker room trailing 34-26.
The Wildcats continued to build on their lead in the second half, pulling away by as much as nine early on.
But a strong defensive effort by the Jayhawks paid off. An 8-2 stretch and two missed free throws by Childs had Kansas knocking on the door. With a little more than 12 minutes left to play, as the Jayhawks managed to cut KSU’s lead to 41-38.
Down 30-39, Engelman went on a tear with three straight jumpers. After Childs laid one in for the Wildcats, Jackson and Davis each hit a layup to bring the score to 41-40.
K-State pushed the lead the lead back up to eight, and a pair of layups by Boogaard brought the Jayhawks back up to within two points with just over five minutes of play left.
KU continued to trail by only a handful of points, bringing the game right down to the wire. But KSU knocked down late free throws to take the win.
The Jayhawks will play Colorado for the final time as Big 12 opponents, when they return to their home confines of Allen Fieldhouse Wednesday, Feb. 2., at 7 p.m.
