Kansas Concludes Regular Season at Oklahoma
March 2, 2012
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Kansas All-America Candidates
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas women’s basketball (18-11, 7-10 Big 12) will look to bounce back from a two-game skid as it closes out the 2011-12 regular season at Oklahoma (19-10, 11-6 Big 12) on Sunday, March 4. Game time is slated for 2 p.m. from the Lloyd Noble Center and will air on Metro Sports in the Kansas City area. At the conclusion of Sunday’s league contests, seeding will be set for the Big 12 Championship which runs March 7-10 in Kansas City, Mo.
Follow the Jayhawks
Fans can catch Sunday’s game on Metro Sports in the Kansas City area. The Jayhawk Radio Network will broadcast the game over the air waves or fans can listen online through Jayhawk All-Access at www.KUAthletics.com. Oklahoma will video stream the contest on www.SoonerSports.com.
Fast Breaks
– Kansas is playing without leading scorer Carolyn Davis, who suffered a season-ending knee injury four minutes into the team’s contest at Kansas State on Feb. 12. The Jayhawks have gone 1-5 since losing Davis in the lineup.
– Freshman Chelsea Gardner has started the last five games in place of Davis. In her last two games, Gardner has stepped up her production level with 18 points and 17 rebounds in that span. Against Oklahoma State, she was just shy of double-double with 10 points and nine boards, both personal bests.
– Junior Angel Goodrich notched her first double-double of points and rebounds as she pulled down a career-high 11 boards Wednesday versus Oklahoma State to go along with 13 points.
– Goodrich broke the school’s 24-year-old single-season assist record this season and currently owns 215 dimes in 2011-12.
– CeCe Harper scored a career-tying 10 points versus OSU in her fourth-straight start. The sophomore guard is averaging 8.0 points and 4.3 rebounds in 32.7 minutes per game over her last three outings.
– KU had 12 turnovers versus the Cowgirls and is averaging 11.7 miscues in its last three games, down from its season average of 16.4 turnovers a game.
– The Jayhawks are 4-4 in conference road games this season compared to 3-6 at home.
– Kansas has seven Big 12 wins for the first time since 2000 as well as four conference road victories.
– Kansas is just one win shy of reaching its 100th all-time Big 12 regular-season win.
– Six of KU’s 11 losses have been by six points or less.
About the Jayhawks
The Jayhawks played their final regular-season home game Wednesday versus Oklahoma State and suffered a close 66-63 loss to take an 18-11 overall mark (7-10 Big 12) to Oklahoma … KU has at least seven conference wins for the first time since 2000 … Playing without leading scorer Carolyn Davis (16.9 ppg), senior Aishah Sutherland is the team’s top offensive threat averaging 13.6 ppg and also adds a team-high 9.1 rpg … She is coming off her eighth double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds versus OSU Wednesday … Junior Angel Goodrich is right behind adding 12.9 ppg and owns a team-high 38 three-pointers … A Lieberman Award finalist for the top point guard in the nation, Goodrich is second nationally dishing 7.4 apg and already owns the program’s single-season assists record this season … Forward Chelsea Gardner is starting in place of Davis and has been especially productive over the last two games … The freshman is averaging 9.0 points and 8.5 rebounds per game in her last two outings … Sophomore CeCe Harper was recently inserted into the starting lineup and has contributed 8.0 points and 4.3 rebounds per game over the last three games.
Scouting Oklahoma
Oklahoma is third in the league standings with an 11-6 mark (19-10 overall) following a road win at Texas Tech Wednesday … The Sooners are 7-1 in home conference games with their only loss to No. 1 Baylor … Three starters average double-digit points led by Aaryn Ellenberg’s 15.2 ppg … She is also second in the Big 12 with 67 three-pointers while OU leads the Big 12 shooting 35.3 percent from behind the three-point arc as a team … Whitney Hand is next scoring 13.0 ppg and adds a team-high 6.8 rpg … Hand shoots 84.2 percent from the foul line … The Sooners lead the league making 74.0 percent of their free throws … Morgan Hook rounds out the double-figure scorers contributing 10.9 ppg.
Series History
After Oklahoma’s overtime victory in Lawrence earlier this season, the Sooners improved to 30-27 all-time versus Kansas and have won the last 15 meetings. KU also trails 13-9 in games played in Norman. Its last win on the Sooners’ home court was a 78-74 decision on Feb. 25, 1998.
A Kansas Win Would…
Give KU at least eight Big 12 wins for the first time since 1999-2000 … Mark Kansas’ 100th all-time win in the Big 12 Conference, improving its record to 100-155 since the Big 12’s inception in 1997 … Halt a 15-game skid versus the Sooners and cut KU’s deficit in the all-time series to 30-28 … Improve KU to 5-4 in conference road games in 2011-12 … Make coach Bonnie Henrickson 1-8 against Oklahoma, 136-119 at Kansas and 294-181 for her career … Make KU 733-516 all time.
A Kansas Loss Would…
Make the all-time series versus Oklahoma 31-27 in favor of the Sooners … Give Kansas a 4-5 record in conference road games … Make coach Bonnie Henrickson 0-9 against Oklahoma, 135-120 at Kansas and 293-182 for her career … Make KU 732-517 all time and 99-156 in the Big 12 Conference.
Gardner Steps Up
When junior Carolyn Davis was sidelined with a torn ACL, freshman Chelsea Gardner was called on to play in her absence. Through her first three starts, Gardner contributed just 2.7 points and 2.3 rebounds in 18.0 minutes per outing. In the last two games, however, the 6-foot-3 forward has made her presence known scoring 9.0 ppg, including 6-for-6 from the foul line, and pulling down 8.5 rpg in 27.5 minutes per game.
Up Next
Kansas will prepare for the Phillips 66 Big 12 Women’s Basketball Championship, which runs March 7-10, at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo. Depending on Sunday’s outcome, KU could finish the regular-season as the No. 6 or No. 7 seed.
