Hot Second Half Too Much As Jayhawks Fall 66-47 at Iowa State
Feb. 15, 2012
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AMES, Iowa – Senior Aishah Sutherland scored 12 of her team-high 19 points in the first half but a strong second-half push by Iowa State was too much to overcome as the Jayhawks fell 66-47 Wednesday night.
A 9-0 KU run helped Kansas close out the first half leading 23-21 but ISU came out of the break with a hot hand and proceeded to shoot 60.0 percent from the field in the second half, including 5-for-8 (62.5 percent) from beyond the arc. The Cyclones improved to 15-9 overall (6-7 Big 12), while the Jayhawks fell to 17-8 on the season, including 6-7 in league play.
Sutherland was just shy of her third-straight double-double as she added nine rebounds on the night to go along with four blocks. Junior Angel Goodrich was the only other Jayhawk in double figures, contributing 10 points in the effort, and dished a team-best four assists.
Playing without leading scorer Carolyn Davis, who suffered a season-ending knee injury Sunday at Kansas State, Sutherland stepped up big to fill the void. All offense went through the 6-foot-2 senior early as she scored 10 of the team’s first 14 points. Freshman Chelsea Gardner earned her first start in Davis’ absense. She would finish the game with eight points and four rebounds.
Despite Sutherland’s dominance, Kansas struggled on the boards with the Cyclones holding a 24-11 rebound advantage to help ISU hang on to the lead for a majority of the first frame. At the 11:45 mark, Iowa State gained its largest lead of the half, 15-6, while KU was shooting just 25 percent from the floor.
A determined Kansas team came on strong as time expired, however, as the Jayhawks erased a seven-point deficit during the final three minutes of the half. Goodrich drained a three-pointer, her only points of the half, to jump-start a 9-0 run which allowed Kansas to take a 23-21 lead into the break. KU also improved its shooting down the stretch ending the half shooting 41.7 percent from the floor compared to the Cyclones’ 31.0 percent.
Iowa State quickly erased Kansas’ lead with its first shot of the second half, a three from Brynn Williamson at the 19:19 mark. The bucket was the first of 14-straight points by the Cyclones and it forced KU to burn a timeout with 17:37 to play in the contest.
Sutherland stopped the run with a jumper at 16:08 for Kansas’ first points of the second half and her 13th and 14th of the contest. Not long after, Goodrich sank back-to-back three-pointers to cut the Jayhawks’ deficit to single digits, 40-33, with 15:11 on the clock.
Kansas chipped away at Iowa State’s advantage one last time as Sutherland grabbed an offensive rebound and fought through traffic to lay one in for two. After a Cyclone turnover on the other end, Goodrich was fouled and sent to the free throw line hitting 1-for-2 as KU trailed 53-41 with 6:08 remaining.
It was as close as the Jayhawks would get as ISU closed out the game on a 13-4 run. Kansas recorded a respectable 42.2 field goal percentage but the Cyclones, who were slightly better at 45.8 percent, dominated the boards holding a 38-22 rebound advantage during the contest. ISU’s work on the boards helped it to 18 second-chance points.
Kansas returns home for a matchup with Border Showdown rival Missouri on Saturday, Feb. 18. An afternoon tip is slated for 1 p.m. and Metro Sports will televise the game. The contest is also KU’s annual Jayhawks for a Cure game, in which $1 for every fan in attendance will be donated to Lawrence Memorial Hospital and the KU Cancer Center. In addition, KU head coach Bonnie Henrickson will also donate $1 for every student in attendance.
