February 02, 2008

Boogaard Notches Double-Double as Jayhawks Rally Past Iowa State, 53-50

Feb. 2, 2008

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Freshman Krysten Boogaard recorded her second double-double of the season and the University of Kansas held Iowa State to just seven points over the game’s final seven minutes as the Jayhawks defeated the Cyclones, 53-50, Saturday evening in Allen Fieldhouse.<?xml:namespace prefix=”o” ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office”?>

The win improved KU to 13-8 (2-6 in the Big 12), while ISU fell to 13-7 (2-5 in the Big 12).

Boogaard, coming off an 11-point, eight-rebound performance against Oklahoma in Kansas’ last outing, finished with 20 points – including 11 of KU’s first 13 – and a career-high 12 rebounds.

However, while Boogaard shined in the first half, the rest of the Jayhawks struggled, as the team shot just 37.5 percent while committing 14 turnovers. Late in the frame, <?xml:namespace prefix=”st1″ ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags”?>Kansas went 5:25 without scoring and watched an eight-point lead turn into a two point deficit. The Cyclones ended the half, one in which both teams combined for 26 turnovers, on a 15-4 run to take a 25-21 cushion into the break.

Both teams continued to labor offensively early in the second half. Luckily for the Jayhawks, though, the Cyclones struggles were worse. IowaState went on a stretch of 6:50 without a point – which included a sequence of 3:19 where neither team scored – allowing Kansas to open up a 33-27 lead at the 11:45 mark.

Iowa State then answered with a run of their own, outscoring the Jayhawks 12-0 over the next three minutes to regain a six-point lead with just under nine minutes remaining, its largest of the game. But Kansas’ defense was the story from that point out as it limited ISU to just seven points the rest of the way.

After not scoring since KU’s first two possessions of the second half, sophomore Danielle McCray, who finished the game with 11 points, keyed the Jayhawk comeback, giving her squad the lead for good with a free-throw at the 2:34 mark.

McCray also turned in perhaps the game’s biggest defensive play when she deflected a pass to force a a turnoever when IowaState had a chance to tie the game with under a minute remaining.

ISU forced KU into 20 turnovers, but the Jayhawks countered by outrebounding the Cyclones by a count of 37-25 and held a 13-5 advantage on second-chance points.

Sophomore Sade Morris finished with nine points and six rebounds, while junior Ivana Catic handed out five assists to go along with four points.

The Jayhawks will be back in action on Feb. 9 when they travel to Manhattan to take on rival KansasState. The game is set to tip at 1 p.m.