February 09, 2011

Davis' Basket in Final Seconds Gives Kansas 86-85 Overtime Victory Against No. 20 Iowa State

Feb. 9, 2011

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Postgame Videos Bonnie | Davis | Goodrich

LAWRENCE, Kan. –

Sophomore Angel Goodrich set an Allen Fieldhouse record with 15 assists, while fellow sophomore Carolyn Davis tied her career-high with 31 points to lead Kansas in an exciting 86-85 overtime victory over No. 20 Iowa State Wednesday night in Allen Fieldhouse.

It was the second consecutive game Goodrich established a new career-high in assists after she had 14 helpers at Texas on Saturday. Goodrich added 11 points to earn her first career double-double.

The contest also marked Davis’ 10th game of the season – and the 15th of her career – with 20 or more points, doing so on 11-for-17 shooting from the field and a 9-for-15 mark from the free throw line. Davis also grabbed a game-high eight rebounds for the Jayhawks. Sophomore Monica Engelman scored double digits for the fourth-straight game with 12 points.

Kansas improved to 16-8 on the season and 3-7 in Big 12 play, while Iowa State fell to 16-7 overall and 4-5 against conference opponents. Kansas also improved to 3-1 in overtime games this season, which includes victories at Wisconsin and against Fordham. The victory marked Kansas’ first against a ranked opponent since it defeated No. 5 Baylor at home, 69-45, on March 4, 2009.

Three Cyclones reached the 20-point mark, led by senior Kelsey Bolte with 26. Close behind were freshman Hallie Christofferson and sophomore Chelsea Poppens with 21 and 20 points, respectively.

Kansas trailed by one point, 85-84, with seven seconds remaining in overtime as the Cyclones tried to inbound the basketball after a jump ball gave them possession. KU’s pressure defense was able to force an IowaState turnover, giving the Jayhawks a chance to win the game with the ball on their baseline. On the final play, Goodrich threw the ball from the top of the key inside to Davis, who made a three-foot jump shot as she was fouled to put KU ahead 86-85 with two seconds on the clock. It was Kansas’ first field goal of overtime after scoring its first six points on free throws. Davis missed the final free throw, but time expired before the Cyclones could attempt a shot.

Kansas finished the game with a 54.4 field goal percentage, barely edging the Cyclones’ 53.6 percent. KU also shot 50 percent from three-point range compared to 37.5 percent by the Cyclones. The Jayhawks posted 24 assists on their 30 made field goals.

Kansas led 77-70 with 2:19 remaining in regulation, but the Cyclones chipped away at the lead until a three-pointer by Bolte with 35 seconds left tied the game at 78. A halfcourt heave by Engelman at the buzzer hit the rim but did not fall, sending KU to its fourth overtime game of the year, the most in a single season in program history.

Leading 42-36 to begin the second half, Kansas extended its margin to 15 points with an 11-2 run in the first three minutes that included four baskets by Davis and a three-pointer by Engelman. Goodrich had an assist on each of KU’s first four field goals. As a team, the Jayhawks had an assist on each of their first seven baskets of the second frame.

The Cyclones came back, using an 8-3 run in the next five minutes to cut KU’s lead to single digits, 56-47. Following a layup by freshman Tania Jackson, Iowa State began an 11-2 run in the next 1:30 to pull within three, 62-59, with 8:26 remaining in the game. Kansas countered with eight unanswered points in a span of 1:14 to grab a 70-59 advantage.

To begin the game, Iowa State made its first four field goals to jump out to a 9-4 lead in the first 2:30, but Kansas responded with a 15-4 run to take a 19-13 lead with 11:35 remaining in the first half. The run included five-straight points by Mays and two traditional three-point plays by Davis.

Iowa State stormed back to claim a 22-21 lead with 7:56 remaining in the first half after a three-pointer by junior Chassidy Cole. Mays promptly answered with a three-pointer to restore Kansas’ lead. The Jayhawks never trailed for the remainder of the half, stretching their lead to as much as seven before a free throw by Cole for the Cyclones made the halftime score 42-36 in favor of KU.

Kansas had its best shooting half of the season, making 68.2 percent of its shots in the first 20 minutes. However, IowaState outshot the Jayhawks by making 69.6 percent of its attempts in the first half. KU finished the half with assists on 12 of its 15 field goals while only committing eight turnovers. Conversely, the Cyclones had seven assists and 11 turnovers at the break.

Kansas will look to defeat ranked opponents in consecutive games for the first time in school history when it travels to No. 6 Texas A&M Saturday for a contest scheduled to tip-off at 7 p.m. KU will wear its pink uniforms for the first time this year as the Aggies celebrate their Pink Zone game.