Sunflower Showdown And Senior Night Set For Thursday

March 1, 2006

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Kansas Jayhawks vs. Kansas State Wildcats
Game #27 – Thursday, March 2, 2006 – 7:06 p.m. – Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Radio
Jayhawk Radio Network: Nate Bukaty (play-by-play), Patti Phillips (color). Live video streaming, Gametracker and post-game results will be available on Kansas Athletics’ official website, kuathletics.com. Television
CSTV: Ann Schatz (play-by-play), Brenda VanLengen (color). Curtis Lorenz produces. Records
Kansas is 16-10 overall, 5-10 in the Big 12 and has won two of its last three. Kansas State is 17-9 overall, 7-8 in Big 12 play and has lost its last four. Rankings
Neither Kansas nor Kansas State is ranked in the Associated Press Top-25 poll or the USA Today/WBCA/ESPN Coaches poll. Coaches
Bonnie Henrickson is 28-26 in her second year at Kansas and 186-88 in her ninth season overall. The Wildcats are coached by Deb Patterson who is 192-112 in her 10th year at Kansas State and as a head coach overall. Series History
Kansas State leads the all-time series 50-40 and has won the last nine meetings. KU maintains a narrow 22-21 lead in games played in Lawrence. KSU took the season’s first meeting 69-63. Jayhawk Storylines
– Kansas is coming off an 81-71 win over Border Showdown rival Missouri. Senior Erica Hallman scored a career-high 29 points, while senior Crystal Kemp posted her 10th double-double with 25 points and 13 rebounds.
– Kansas will honor seniors Kemp, Hallman and Kaylee Brown on Senior Night. The Jayhawks are playing K-State in Allen Fieldhouse on Senior Night for the first time since 1996. The last time KU played KSU in its last regular season game was 1999 in Manhattan.
– Kemp has scored in double figures in her last 27 games, dating back to the final game of last season against Missouri in the Big 12 Tournament.
– The Jayhawks will play in the 10th Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship on March 7-9, 11 in Dallas’ Reunion Arena. KU will be either a 9 or 10 seed depending on the outcome of tonight’s games. The Matchup
The 91st edition of the Sunflower Showdown rivalry renews on Thursday, March 2, when the University of Kansas women’s basketball team (16-10, 5-10 Big 12) hosts the Kansas State Wildcats (17-9, 7-8 Big 12) at Allen Fieldhouse. The game, televised live in front of a national television audience on CSTV, tips off at 7:06 p.m.
A KU win over KSU coupled with a Colorado win at Iowa State tonight would give Kansas a nine seed in the Big 12 Championship which starts next week. A K-State win would make Kansas the 10 seed and, depending on the outcome of Wednesday night’s games, possibly set up another rematch between the two clubs in the first round on Tuesday.
The Jayhawks are looking to end a nine-game skid against KSU, and send the senior trio of Kaylee Brown, Erica Hallman and Crystal Kemp out with back-to-back wins over their primary two rivals. Kansas defeated Border Showdown rival Missouri 81-71 in thrilling fashion in overtime on Saturday. Hallman pumped in a career-high 29 points, while Kemp added 25 points and 13 rebounds. Brown scored 11, as the three accounted for over 80 percent of the team’s offensive production. The Jayhawks also got a defensive spark from junior Sharita Smith, who held Mizzou’s top scorer LaToya Bond to just four points — 14 below her average.
Kansas State enters the game on a four-game losing streak but feeling good after solid outings against the Big 12’s top two teams in Oklahoma and Baylor. The Wildcats fell Saturday to BU, but got 20 points from point guard Twiggy McIntyre off the bench and 10 points from Claire Coggins. Overall, it was a balanced effort by KSU as eight players scored at least four points.
The first meeting between the two teams this season went down to the wire before KSU pulled out the 69-63 victory on Jan. 25 at Bramlage Coliseum. Kansas State held a late 17-point lead in the game that was trimmed to two in the final six minutes, but clutch free throw shooting from Coggins, McIntyre and Danielle Zanotti in the final minute sealed it for KSU. Game Promotions
Promotions for the game include Fan Appreciation Night, Senior Night, a T-shirt giveaway from adidas & TIAA-CREF and halftime entertainment by the High Impact Dunk Squad. More From The Last Game
Kansas (16-10, 5-10 Big 12) defeated Border Showdown rival Missouri (20-7, 10-5 Big 12), 81-71, in overtime Saturday afternoon at Allen Fieldhouse. After Missouri sank three free throws to tie the game at 64-64 near the end of regulation, the Jayhawks scored the first eight points in the extra frame to seal the victory.
Senior guard Erica Hallman led all scorers with 29 points, setting a new career high. She also dished out a game-high eight assists and grabbed six rebounds. Senior forward Crystal Kemp added 25 points and tied a season high with 13 rebounds while playing the entire game. Her performance marked her 10th double-double of the season.
Senior guard Kaylee Brown scored nine of her 11 points in the second half, including a crucial 3-pointer late in the second half that tied the game at 54-54. Junior guard Sharita Smith made her second start of the season and held MU’s top scorer LaToya Bond to just four points while playing a career-high 39 minutes. In addition to her stellar defense, Smith dished out a career-high seven assists while not committing any turnovers.
The game was a back and forth affair that featured 16 ties and 11 lead changes. The Jayhawks forced 18 Tiger turnovers and converted them into 20 points. KU held Missouri to only 41.4 percent shooting from the field and 18.2 percent from beyond the 3-point arc. The victory improves KU’s record to 3-0 in overtime this season.
In the first half, Kemp scored 12 points while Hallman poured in nine as KU trailed at the break 38-34. In the second half, Kansas rallied behind back-to-back steals from Smith and sophomore forward Taylor McIntosh to erase a four point Missouri lead with less than three minutes to play. Missouri forward Carlynn Savant knocked down three free throws with nine seconds left to send the game into overtime. Head Coach Bonnie Henrickson
Kansas head coach Bonnie Henrickson, one of the top young coaches in the nation, is in her second season at the helm of the Jayhawks. In her first year on the Kansas sidelines, Henrickson led KU to its best record in five seasons and highest Big 12 finish in six campaigns. Following the season, Henrickson was honored with the Carol Eckman Award — given by the WBCA to a coach who exemplifies spirit, integrity, and character through sportsmanship, commitment to the student-athlete, honesty, ethical behavior, courage and dedication to purpose. Henrickson came to KU after seven successful seasons at Virginia Tech where she compiled a record of 158-62 (.718). Her teams averaged 23 wins per season and advanced to postseason play all seven years including five NCAA appearances. Overall, the Willmar, Minn., native has been a part of postseason play in 11 of the last 12 seasons. She is 28-26 (.519) at KU and 186-88 (.679) in her career.
Jayhawk Starters
Kansas has used six different starting lineups in 26 games with senior F Crystal Kemp and senior G Kaylee Brown starting every game. Sophomore F Taylor McIntosh (25 starts), freshman G Ivana Catic (23), senior G Erica Hallman (23), junior G Shaquina Mosley (3), junior G Sharita Smith (2), sophomore F Jamie Boyd (1) and freshman G Sophronia Sallard (1) and have all received starting nods. The most used line-up of McIntosh, Kemp, Catic, Brown and Hallman is 12-8 as a unit. Today’s Opponent – Kansas State
The Kansas State Wildcats (17-9, 7-8 Big 12) are looking to snap a four-game losing streak when they travel to Lawrence on Thursday, March 2 to face Kansas.
K-State will play its Sunflower Showdown rival coming off a 79-70 loss to Baylor on Saturday and a 78-64 loss to Oklahoma last Wednesday — the Big’s top two teams.
Against the Lady Bears, KSU was led by junior guard Twiggy McIntyre who came off the bench to score 20 points. Junior guard/forward Claire Coggins added 10 points. Freshman Marlies Gipson led on the glass with eight boards to go with eight points. KSU was outrebounded 46-33 and shot just 35.9 percent from the floor. The Wildcats took care of the ball, committing just 11 turnovers. Kansas State outshot BU 7-3 from 3-point range, but Baylor outdid KSU 33-17 from the free throw line, as the Wildcats were whistled for 25 fouls.
Coggins and McIntyre lead the offensive attack for the season with 12.5 and 11.0 points per game, respectively. Gipson is the top rebounder with 6.2 caroms per game to go with 8.8 points. Freshman point guard Shalee Lehning adds 6.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and a team-best 3.1 assists per game.
Kansas State has won the last nine meetings in the series against KU dating back to Jan. 23, 2002. After losing the primary weapons behind the Wildcat winning streak to graduation, K-State takes the court this season with just one senior and seven players who are either freshmen or sophomores.
Three in-state freshmen play valuable minutes for KSU and their presence is most felt on the glass where they are the top three rebounders on the team. Gipson leads with 6.2 boards per game, while Lehning adds 6.0 and Hamlin chips in 4.4.
KSU won the first meeting this season 69-63 in Manhattan. The Wildcats held a late 17 point lead that KU cut to two in the final six minutes. K-State iced the game from the free throw line.
The Wildcats are coached by Deb Patterson, who is 192-112 in her 10th year at KSU. Kansas/Kansas State Notes
Kansas and Kansas State are meeting for the 91st time in history. Since the inception of the Big 12 Conference, KSU leads 12-9. A total of seven Kansas natives are on the two rosters. Kansas assistant coach Karen Lange and K-State assistant coach Jennie Lillis both played college ball at the University of Iowa. Kansas is 3-0 in overtime games this season, while K-State is 0-3. A Kansas Win Would
Make the Jayhawks 17-10 overall and 6-10 in Big 12 play … Give KU its third win in the last four games … Snap a nine-game losing streak to the Wildcats … Improve KU’s record against KSU to 41-50 overall including a 23-21 mark in games played in Lawrence, Kan. … Make KU 16-3 at home this season … Improve head coach Bonnie Henrickson’s record to 29-26 at Kansas and 187-88 in her career … Make the Jayhawks 626-424 all-time. A Kansas Loss Would
Make the Jayhawks 16-11 overall and 5-11 in Big 12 play … Make KU 40-51 all-time against Kansas State, including a 22-22 mark in Lawrence … Give Kansas State its 10th straight win over the Jayhawks … Make the Jayhawks 15-4 at home this season … Make head coach Bonnie Henrickson’s record 28-27 at Kansas and 186-89 in her career … Make the Jayhawks 625-425 all-time. Most Wins Since 1999-2000
When Kansas defeated Oklahoma State on Jan. 22, it recorded its lucky 13th win of the season to mark the most victories in a season for the Jayhawks since the 1999-2000 season when KU went 20-10 overall, 11-5 in the Big 12 and played in the NCAA Tournament. That team, led by senior Lynn Pride, was the most recent KU team to post a winning record. KU now has 16 victories. Jayhawks Run The Table In Non-Conference
With a 75-72 win over La Salle on Dec. 30, Kansas did something it had never done before by starting a season 11-0 and finishing the non-conference part of the schedule undefeated. The perfect start surpassed the 1991-92 team which went 10-0 before becoming the first of nine straight Jayhawk teams to advance to the NCAA Tournament. 12-0 Not A Bonnie Best
Kansas started the season 12-0 which was not Bonnie Henrickson’s best career start. Her 1998-99 Virginia Tech team won 18 straight to open the season, and her last Hokie team in 2003-04 also rattled off 12. Jayhawks Tough When Reaching 70
Kansas has scored 70 or more points in 13 games. After scoring 57 points at Oklahoma, the Jayhawks’ scoring average dipped just below 70 for the season. KU now sits on 67.7 per outing. Last year, the Jayhawks reached 70 points only four times all season. The last time KU averaged 70 or more points for an entire season was 1999-2000 when the team averaged 70.4. KU’s high scoring game this year came when the squad scored 100 points against New Orleans on Dec. 3. It marked the first time since Dec. 21, 2000 — when KU outscored Mississippi Valley State 116-34 — that Kansas reached 100 points. KU also reached 90 points against Wisconsin — marking the first time in six seasons Kansas scored 90 twice in one season. KU is 12-1 when scoring 70 or more this year. Hallman Reaches 1,000
Senior Erica Hallman cemented her name in the KU record books when she hit a jumper from the right elbow with 19:07 in the first half at Baylor for her 1,000th career point. The Covington, Ky., native is the 19th player in KU history to reach the scoring plateau. Currently at 1,139 points, she is in 15th place on the all-time scoring list, and needs 24 points to catch Lisa Dougherty for 14th place. Kemp Among KU’s All-Time Elite
Crystal Kemp became the 18th player in KU history to reach 1,000 career points when she hit a jumper from the right wing with 18:13 on the clock in first half against Texas Tech as a junior last season. Against Birmingham-Southern this year, the Topeka, Kan., native collected her 600th career rebound. Twelve games later against Oklahoma State, she surpassed 700 career boards. At Missouri, she scored her 1,500th point, making her the seventh Jayhawk in history to reach both 1,500 points and 700 rebounds. She continues to move up both career lists as she ranks among the top players to ever don the Crimson & Blue.
This & That
– KU trailed by as many as 18 points against Wisconsin. The 14-point halftime comeback for the victory tied for the third-biggest halftime comeback in program history.
– Kaylee Brown ranks third on the KU career free throw percentage at 78.6 percent (81-103). Her 77.8 percent shooting this season ranks 10th on the single-season list.
– KU players have recorded 20+ point scoring games 17 times as Crystal Kemp has 12, Erica Hallman has three and Kaylee Brown has two.
– Kemp ranks in the all-time KU top-10 in points (7th-1,573), rebounds (8th-793), field goals made (7th-628), field goals attempted (7th-1,228), field goal percentage (9th-51.1), free throws made (9th-311), free throws attempted (10th-423), free throw percentage (8th-73.5), blocked shots (T-7th-89) and minutes (7th-3,475).
– Hallman ranks second on the all-time KU 3-pointers list with 176 made and 475 attempted. Brown ranks sixth with 105 made and 326 attempted.
– Hallman ranks third on the all-time assist list with 440 dimes.
– Freshman Ivana Catic’s 129 assists this season rank ninth on the KU single-season list.
– KU’s 50-point loss at Baylor was the largest margin of defeat in school history.
– KU wore red uniforms for the first time at K-State on Jan. 25, and again at Missouri on Feb. 11. Kemp Named Academic All-District
Senior Crystal Kemp was named ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VII by the College Sports Information Directors of America on Thursday, Feb. 9. As a first team member, Kemp became eligible for Academic All-America honors to be released at a later date.
The honor is the first for Kemp in her career. She becomes the first KU player to receive an Academic All-District award since Jennifer Jackson was named to the second team in 2001.
A Speech Language and Hearing major from Topeka, Kan., Kemp has been a standout in the classroom throughout her career. She is a two-time Academic All-Big 12 First Team selection and has been a member of the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll every year.
On the court, Kemp is having her best season as a Jayhawk with averages of 19.1 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. She has scored in double figures in every game this season and in her last 24 outings overall. She continues to solidify herself among the elite players to ever don the Crimson and Blue as she is just one of seven Jayhawks in history to reach 1,500 career points and 700 career rebounds.
A student-athlete must have a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher to be eligible for the Academic All-District Team. Seniors Stepping It Up
The senior trio of Crystal Kemp, Erica Hallman and Kaylee Brown are having their best seasons as Jayhawks, ranking 1-2-3 on the KU scoring list.
Kemp is scoring 19.0 points per game after averaging 13.8 a year ago. She has 12 games with 20 or more points this season and 10 double-doubles. She is shooting a career-best 53.8 percent from the field this season, and has regained her stroke at the free throw line, shooting a solid 78.4 percent.
Hallman has upped her scoring average to 14.7 this year after scoring 13.1 ppg last year. She is tied for second in the conference with 2.38 3-pointers per game and her 57 treys rank sixth on the single-season list. She has nailed 176 trifectas in her career which ranks second on the KU list.
Brown has emerged as a solid third scoring option as a senior, averaging 12.0 points per contest. Last year she averaged 8.9 points per game. Her 55 treys currently rank seventh on the KU single-season list. She has 105 career threes to rank sixth all-time at KU. No Place Like Home
Kansas plays an unprecedented 21 games in Allen Fieldhouse this season including two exhibition contests, all 11 non-conference matchups and eight Big 12 games. The game against Nebraska on Jan. 7 was the first road game for the Jayhawks this season. KU was originally scheduled to play in the UNO Lady Privateer Tournament in New Orleans on Dec. 2-3, but those games were moved to Lawrence as a result of Hurricane Katrina. Serbian Sensations
Kansas welcomes the addition of two international players in 2005-06 with the addition of freshmen Ivana Catic and Marija Zinic — both natives of Serbia & Montenegro. The duo has extensive experience playing together on various teams in their home country. The pair bring Kansas’ all-time list of international players to eight. Other international players to suit up for KU include Bente Dahl (Oslo, Norway – 1985), Sandra de Bruin (Beetgum, Holland – 1990), Suzi Raymant (Melbourne, Australia – 1996-2000), Fernanda Bosi (Americana, Brazil – 2000-01), Leila Mengüç (Stockholm, Sweden – 2000-04) and Valerie Migicovsky (North Bay, Ontario – 2001-03).
Big 12 Preseason Coaches’ Poll
In the only official poll conducted this season, Baylor was picked by the Big 12 Conference coaches to win the Big 12 Championship again in 2005-06. The Lady Bears received six first place votes, while Texas received two first place nods and Texas Tech got four votes for first place. The coaches believe Kansas will be better this season as the Jayhawks were selected to finish sixth (after finishing eighth last season). The only Big 12 North team picked higher than KU was Nebraska, who was picked fifth. Kemp Wins Big 12 Player of the Week, Twice
Senior Crystal Kemp has been honored twice this season as the Phillips 66 Big 12 Player of the Week by a media voting panel for games played Dec. 5-11, and Dec. 19-Jan. 2. Kemp’s first honor came after averaging 22 points and 7.5 rebounds in wins over UMKC and Wisconsin. She then was named Co-POW along with Oklahoma’s Courtney Paris for games played over the holiday period. In wins over Creighton, Pepperdine and La Salle, the Topeka, Kan., native posted 22.7 points and 8.7 rebounds while leading Kansas to a perfect 11-0 record in non-conference play for the first time in program history. Kemp joined Lynn Pride (1999), Suzi Raymant (1998) and Tamecka Dixon (1997) as the only KU players to win the award twice in a season. Mosley Tabbed Preseason Big 12 Rookie of the Year
Junior transfer Shaquina Mosley was named the Preseason Newcomer of the Year in a vote of the Big 12 women’s basketball coaches released Oct. 18 by the conference office. A 5-6 junior guard, Mosley transferred to Kansas from Central Arizona Community College. She led her team to the NJCAA national championship last year while being named the 2005 WBCA Junior College/Community College Player of the Year. Kemp Chosen Preseason All-Big 12 Honorable Mention
Senior Crystal Kemp was selected as a preseason All-Big 12 Honorable Mention pick by a vote of the league coaches as released on Oct. 18. Last season, Kemp was named postseason All-Big 12 Honorable Mention after leading the Jayhawks with 13.8 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. First Win Over A Top-25 Team Since 2001
Kansas knocked off No. 23/24 Texas on Jan. 3 by a score of 70-61. The win ended a 36-game drought against Top-25 competition since a 69-61 win over No. 6 Iowa State on Feb. 17, 2001. Additionally, the victory ended a six-game losing skid to the Longhorns. Kansas Inks Seven For `06-’07
Kansas signed seven recruits to National Letters of Intent during the early signing period. Below is a quick look at those seven commitments for next season.Player (position, height, hometown – high school)
Lindsay Ballweg (guard, 5-10, Overland Park, Kan. – St. Thomas Aquinas HS)
Rebecca Feickert (forward/center, 6-2, Goodrich, N.D. – Sheridan County HS)
LaChelda Jacobs (guard, 5-10, Mansfield, Texas – Mansfield Summit HS)
Kelly Kohn (guard, 5-9, Adrian, Mich. – Adrian HS)
Danielle McCray (forward, 6-0, Olathe, Kan. – Olathe East HS)
Sade Morris (forward, 6-0, Norman, Okla. – Norman HS)
Porscha Weddington (forward, 6-1, Temple, Texas – Temple HS)
Winning The Close Ones
Jayhawks are 6-0 in games decided by five or fewer points and 3-0 in overtime games. Last game against Missouri, KU won 81-71 in overtime. KU also has an overtime win at Iowa State and a double overtime win over Wisconsin. The End Of The Trend
With its 81-71 overtime victory over Missouri, the Jayhawks ended a trend that plagued the team in its first 13 league games. Beginning with its win against Texas, the Jayhawks went through a period where it would win one game followed by three losses. KU looks for its first two-game winning streak in conference play when it hosts Kansas State on Senior Night. Smith A Lucky Charm?
Junior defensive specialist Sharita Smith notched her second start of the season last game against Missouri with the primary assignment of shutting down LaToya Bond, which she did holding her to four points. The Jayhawks are 2-0 this season with Smith in the starting lineup. Taking Care Of The Ball
The Jayhawks have passed out 412 assists and made 674 field goals, or an assist for every 1.64 field goals made. KU averages 15.85 assists per game while only turning the ball over 14.1 times per game to rank third in the Big 12 in assist/turnover ratio at 1.12. KU has finished a season with a positive assist/turnover ratio only once, in 1986-87, when the team sported a ratio of 1.18. Attendance Boost
The Jayhawks have enjoyed increased home attendance by an average of over 600 fans per game from last season’s average. The crowd of 4,025 against La Salle ranked as the third-most in school history for a non-conference game, while the Pepperdine attendance of 3,622 ranked fourth. The 5,634 fans for the Big 12 opener against Texas was the most in the Bonnie Henrickson era. 27 Games On TV
With 27 games on the tube, KU’s television package in 2005-06 is the finest in school history and among the very best in the nation for any men’s or women’s team. In fact, other than the Kansas men, no other Big 12 team has more games on television this season. The next closest team in the league is Texas Tech with 21, followed by Texas (16), Oklahoma (13), Baylor (11), Nebraska (10), Kansas State (9), Colorado (9), Iowa State (7), Missouri (6), Texas A&M (5) and Oklahoma State (4). The only two KU games not on TV are at Texas Tech and at Oklahoma. Overall, KU plays two games on Fox Sports Net, three games on FSN regional television and three contests on CSTV. Locally, 14 games will be produced and aired by Sunflower Broadband in Lawrence, and five contests will be produced by Metro Sports of Kansas City. Mosley Reinstated
Head coach Bonnie Henrickson announced Feb. 20 the reinstatement of junior guard Shaquina Mosley. Mosley was suspended at Henrickson’s discretion on Feb. 14 and missed games against Nebraska and at Iowa State. The Lancaster, Calif., native resumed practice with the team on Feb. 20.
Sallard Out
Freshman reserve guard Sophronia Sallard is currently not playing for medical reasons. Her status for the remainder of the season is unknown. The Syracuse, N.Y., native has played in 15 games with averages of 1.8 points and 1.3 rebounds in 8.5 minutes per game. An All-Star Staff
Joining Bonnie Henrickson on the sidelines are assistant coaches Karen Lange, Kyra Elzy and Katie O’Connor. Also on staff is director of operations Trena Anderson and administrative assistant Katie Capps. Lange, O’Connor and Anderson followed Henrickson from Virginia Tech, while Elzy and Capps both joined KU from Western Kentucky. Prior to WKU, Elzy also worked as an administrative assistant for Henrickson at Virginia Tech. At an average age of less than 29 years old, Henrickson’s three assistant coaches (Lange, Elzy, O’Connor) have already been part of a combined 19 NCAA tournaments, eight Sweet 16s, five Elite Eights, four Final Fours and two National Championships, combined. Increased Radio Coverage
The Jayhawk Radio Network has improved its coverage over the past two seasons. Stations carrying the Jayhawks include KLWN 1320-AM in Lawrence, KWIC 99.3-FM in Topeka, KFH 98.7-FM in Wichita and KXTR-1660-AM in Kansas City. Up Next For KU
Kansas will play in the 10th Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship on March 7-9, 11 at Reunion Arena in Dallas, Texas. Kansas will play its first game on Tuesday as either a nine or 10 seed depending on the outcome of tonight’s games.