Davis And Goodrich Join Forces To Lead KU Over Iowa State
Feb. 10, 2011
LAWRENCE, Kan. –
The Iowa State Cyclones won’t soon forget their most recent trip to Allen Fieldhouse. That’s because both Carolyn Davis and Angel Goodrich won’t let them. The sophomore tandem equaled and set career highs in points and assists, respectively.
“They (KU) are extremely talented,” said Iowa State head coach Bill Fennelly. “There are a lot of good players on that team, so I don’t think what they did is any surprise.”
What did come as a surprise to Carolyn Davis was her 31-point performance in her team’s 86-85 overtime win. The 31 points ties her career high which was set last season in a game against Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City.
“I was kind of surprised when I looked up and saw how many points I had,” said Davis, who averages 18.2 points per game for the season. “I had no idea it was my career high until some of my teammates told me.”
One of those teammates was fellow classmate Goodrich, whose last second pass to Davis gave her a new career high of 15-assists, surpassing her previous high water mark of 14, which she set just the game before at Texas.
“I’m just looking for an open player to pass the ball to,” said Goodrich, who set a new Allen Fieldhouse record for assists in a game for either men or women. “I love being able to control the tempo and push the ball every single time down the court.”
On the receiving end of six of those 15 assists Wednesday night was none other than Davis, who turned those six passes into 12 of her career high 31-points.
“We have joked about how she (Goodrich) is always passing the ball to me and I told her I was going to try and make every shot she passed to me,” said Davis, who finished 11-of-17 from the field.
The one pass that possibly meant the most came from Goodrich with just two seconds left on the clock in overtime after Davis had shot and missed a pair in the paint.
“I was so frustrated with the misses,” said Davis, who also pulled down a game-high eight boards in the win. “They were contested, but still those were tough ones to miss down the stretch. I am just glad I kept control of my emotions enough to make that last one.”
Emotions aside, Davis knows that Goodrich can find her whether the game is on the line or the Jayhawks are up big.
“She just has a knack for passing the ball and finding the open person,” said Davis. “It is great to play with a guard with those abilities.”
That talent that Davis is alluding to is turning into a trend. Over the last three games Goodrich has averaged 12.3 helpers a game and achieved her first career double-double by adding 11 points in the win over ISU.
“I think just being able to run and running in transition on a miss and a make has helped a lot,” said Goodrich. “Having the open player run with me makes it so much easier because you do not have to set up for a play.”
Not to be outdone by her passing game, Goodrich is also averaging 6.9 points per game on the season and tied a career-high with three three-point baskets against the Cyclones.
“Angel has spent a lot of time working on her shot,” said KU head coach Bonnie Henrickson. “Her mechanics are good and she is shooting the ball with a lot of confidence right now.”
If that confidence continues, the rest of the Jayhawks’ opponents this season may want to take notice, because the Goodrich to Davis combination seems to be the perfect ingredient to a Jayhawk victory.
