Kansas Heads To Missouri Looking For Border Showdown Sweep
Feb. 22, 2008
LAWRENCE, Kan. –
Game Notes
OPENING TIP
The Kansas women’s basketball team will attempt to pick up a season sweep in the Border Showdown when it travels to Missouri on Sunday, Feb. 24. The Jayhawks (15-10, 4-8) last swept the Tigers (8-17, 1-11) with two wins over their rivals in 2005, head coach Bonnie Henrickson’s first season at KU. The game is slated for a 1:30 p.m. tip-off in Mizzou Arena and will be aired nationally on Fox Sports Net.
FAST BREAKS
-Freshman center Krysten Boogaard has turned in double figures in scoring in five of the last six games for KU. She is averaging 14.0 points per game during that span. Boogaard was the leading scorer in Kansas’ last meeting with Mizzou as she posted 17 points in the win over the Tigers.
-Freshman forward Nicollette Smith collected 10 points in KU’s win over Nebraska and followed that performance up with 11 tallies at Texas Tech. It marked the first time in Smith’s short career she has posted double figures in back-to-back outings.
-Sophomore guard LaChelda Jacobs has dished 10 assists over the last two games, averaging 5.0 assists per game. Jacobs dished a career-best six assists in the Jayhawks’ win over Nebraska.
-Kansas is ranked No. 31 in the latest RPI rankings on collegerpi.com. The Jayhawks’ strength of schedule is listed as the 13th toughest in the country.
A LOOK AT MISSOURI
The Tigers are 8-17 on the season, including a 1-11 mark in Big 12 Conferece play with their win over Texas Tech coming on their home court. Mizzou is led on the season by junior guard Alyssa Hollins with 16.4 points per game. Hollins pulls down 3.4 rebounds and leads the Tigers with 55 steals. Sophomore forward Jessra Johnson is leading rebounder with 7.5 rebounds per game, while also getting double figures in scoring with 13.2 tallies per game. Freshman forward Shakara Jones is MU’s third player in double figure scoring with 11.3 points a game. Jones grabs 5.8 rebounds per game, while shooting a team-best 47.4 percent from the field. The Tigers have made 157 three-point baskets on the season with Hollins leading the way with 68. MU passes the ball well as seven players have recorded 20 or more assists on the season. Missouri head coach Cindy Stein is 158-139 in her 10th season in Columbia. Stein owns an overall mark of 223-164 in her 13th season in the business.
KANSAS-MISSOURI SERIES HISTORY
The Jayhawks lead the all-time series 39-34, however Missouri owns a 16-14 advantage in games played in Columbia. The two teams have split the Border Showdown in each of the last two seasons and KU won the first meeting this season. KU head coach Bonnie Henrickson is 5-3 versus MU, including a 2-1 mark in games played in Columbia.
A LOOK AT KANSAS
Kansas enters Sunday’s contest with a 15-10 overall mark, including a 4-8 Big 12 Conference record after knocking falling at Texas Tech, 65-61, on Wednesday. Sophomore guard/forward Danielle McCray is the top Jayhawk in scoring (14.6) and rebounding (7.3). McCray also leads the Jayhawks in steals with 43. Fellow sophomore guard Sade Morris is also in double figures in points per game with 10.4 tallies an outing. Morris also gives KU 3.7 boards and 2.3 assists per game. Freshman center Krysten Boogaard was inserted into the starting line-up after the team returned from its holiday break and ranks third on the team in scoring with 9.8 points a game to go along with 5.6 caroms per contest. Boogaard also leads the Jayhawks in blocks with 27 on the season, as well as field goal percentage at 54.0 percent. Senior forward Taylor McIntosh is second on the team in rebounding with 6.5 boards per game, while also dropping in 6.6 points. Junior point guard Ivana Catic is the team-leader in assists with 3.4 dishes per game, while also collecting 41 pilfers on the year. Freshman forward Nicollette Smith comes off the bench to provide 6.3 points per game and leads KU with 37 triples on the season. The Jayhawks are coached by Bonnie Henrickson who owns a 55-59 mark in her fourth season at the helm of the Kansas program. Henrickson owns an overall coaching mark of 213-121 in 11 seasons on the sidelines.
SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION
– Kansas does not have any players from the state of Missouri on its roster, however, MU has two natives of the Sunflower state on its roster in freshman Bekah Milles of El Dorado and sophomore Marissa Scott of Iola.
– KU and MU played one common opponent outside of league competition this season in UMKC. Both teams knocked off the Kangaroos in their respective home arenas.
BORDER SHOWDOWN
Sunday marks the 11th Kansas-Missouri meetings of the 2007-08 academic year in the annual Border Showdown with the women’s basketball game in Columbia. The winner of KU-MU head-to-head competition are awarded points. Currently, Kansas holds an advantage against Missouri, 9.0 to 8.0. Though the state rivalry dates back to the pre-Civil War era, the athletics rivalry started in 1891 with football and 1907 in men’s basketball. The Border Showdown trophy has been presented five times with MU winning three times – 2003, 2005 and 2007 – and KU twice in 2004 and 2006.
