Women's Hoops Starts Big 12 Tournament Tuesday Against Missouri

March 4, 2005

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Kansas (12-15, 5-11 Big 12) vs. Missouri (10-17, 4-12 Big 12)

Game #28 – Tues., March 8, 2005 – 12 p.m. – Municipal Auditorium (9,100)

Radio/Television

Jayhawk Radio Network: Nate Bukaty (play-by-play) and Brenda Van Lengen or Brian Hanni (color analyst) call the action. Television: None.

Records

Kansas is 12-15 overall, 5-11 in the Big 12, and has lost its last three. Missouri is 10-17 overall, 4-12 in the Big 12 and has lost four of its last five.

Rankings

None.

Coaches

Kansas coach Bonnie Henrickson is 12-15 in her first year at KU and 170-77 in her eighth year as a head coach overall. The Tigers are coached by Cindy Stein, who is 111-96 in her seventh year at Missouri and 176-121 in her 10th season overall.

Jayhawk Storylines

– KU finished the regular season 12-15 overall and 5-11 in the Big 12 after falling 61-52 to No. 20/19 Iowa State on Tuesday, March 1 in Ames, Iowa. Junior Erica Hallman led KU with 15 points.

– The Jayhawk’s 12 wins and five conference victories are the most since KU finished the 2000-01 season with an overall record of 12-17 and a 5-11 mark in the league.

– KU is playing Missouri for the third time this year after sweeping the Tigers in the regular season. The meeting is the first-ever meeting between the two schools in Kansas City, and also the first meeting between the two clubs in the Big 12 Tournament.

– KU held 15 of 16 Big 12 opponents under their season scoring averages, and seven of those opponents to more than 10 points below their season average.

– Kansas is 6-8 in Big 12 Tournament history, and has reached the championship game once (1998).

– The Jayhawks are seeded No. 8 in the tournament for the first time. It is the highest seed for a Kansas team since the 1999-2000 team was seeded fourth. KU has also been seeded No. 1 (1997), No. 3 twice (1998, 1999), No. 4 (2000), No. 9 twice (2001, 2003) and No. 12 twice (2002, 2004).

Today’s Game

The University of Kansas women’s basketball team (12-15 overall, 5-11 Big 12) will look to snap a three-game losing streak and keep its post season hopes alive when it travels to Kansas City, Mo., to play the Missouri Tigers (10-17 overall, 4-12 Big 12) in the first round of the ninth Phillips 66 Big 12 Tournament at Municipal Auditorium. Eighth seeded Kansas and ninth seeded Missouri will square off on Tuesday, March 8 at noon.

KU and Missouri will be facing each other for the third time this season after the Jayhawks swept the regular season series. Kansas defeated Missouri 63-61 on Jan. 22 in Lawrence before dispatching the Tigers 60-42 on Feb. 5 in Columbia.

In the two meetings against MU, the Jayhawks were led by junior Crystal Kemp with 14 points and 10 rebounds per game. Junior Erica Hallman also averaged 14 points in the two contests, while junior Kaylee Brown and senior Aquanita Burras each chipped in 10.5 ppg. Freshman Taylor McIntosh was the team’s leading rebounder with an average of 12 boards.

The Tigers had two players average double-figures in the two previous meetings including junior guard LaToya Bond and junior center Christelle N’Garsanet with 11 and 10.5 points per game, respectively. KU outrebounded MU 37.0 rpg to 30.5 rpg.

Kansas is coming off three-straight losses to ranked teams, including playing at Kansas State and at Iowa State on each of those teams’ senior days. KU ended the regular season at Iowa State as the Jayhawks took the Cyclones down to the wire. ISU led by just one point in the final minutes before putting the game away at the free throw line and winning 61-52.

Missouri ended its regular season with an 80-53 loss at home to Kansas State.

The game will be the first-ever meeting between the two schools in Kansas City, and the first in postseason play since the inception of the Big 12. The last time the two schools met three times in a single season was 1995 when the Jayhawks won all three meetings.

Although the two teams disagree on the all-time series record, Kansas leads the series 36-31. MU does not count the first meeting between the schools, a 45-40 Kansas win on Nov. 25, 1973 in a tournament played in Springfield, Mo. KU has won the last two meetings in the series and three of the last four.

Last Time Out

Kansas rounded out the 2005 regular season with a 61-52 loss at Iowa State on Tuesday, March 1 in Ames, Iowa. With the loss, KU fell to 12-15 overall and 5-11 in Big 12 play.

ISU connected on 26-of-31 from the free-line, while KU shot just three free-throws in the game.

Junior Erica Hallman led the Jayhawks with 15 points and a game-high five assists. Fellow junior Kaylee Brown added 13 points, while junior Crystal Kemp chipped in with nine points.

“I thought our effort was fantastic tonight,” head coach Bonnie Henrickson said. “We talked about needing toughness and we had that tonight. We can live with this loss because we played with a lot of pride tonight. We got good looks down the stretch but they just did not fall.”

In their final home game, ISU seniors Mary Fox and Katie Robinette each scored 18 points. Robinette recorded a double-double as she grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds. Senior Anne O’Neil added 16 points for the Cyclones.

Head Coach Bonnie Henrickson

Head coach Bonnie Henrickson, in her first season at the helm of the Jayhawks, is one the hottest young coaches in the nation. Henrickson comes to KU after seven successful seasons at Virginia Tech University 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. When Henrickson took over at Tech for the 1997-98 season, she orchestrated the biggest turnaround in school history. She guided her team to a 22-10 record, the school’s first Atlantic 10 Conference title and an NCAA second-round appearance just one season after the Hokies had finished last in the Atlantic 10 Conference with a 10-21 record. Overall, the Willmar, Minn., native has been a part of 11 straight postseason teams entering the 2004-05 season. In her eighth year as a head coach, her career record now stands at 170-77.

Jayhawk Starters

KU has used five different starting lineups in 27 games with the duo of senior Aquanita Burras and junior Erica Hallman starting each game. Freshman Taylor McIntosh (26 starts), junior Crystal Kemp (25), junior Kaylee Brown (24), senior Blair Waltz (3), sophomore Alicia Rhymes (2) and freshman Jamie Boyd (1) have also made starts. The most-used combo of McIntosh, Burras, Hallman, Brown and Kemp have started 22 of the last 24 contests and the team owns a record of 10-12 when going with that fivesome. Last game against Iowa State, Boyd earned her first start of the season as she replaced McIntosh in the Jayhawk frontcourt.

A Quick Look At the Jayhawks

Junior Crystal Kemp (Topeka, Kan.), the returning team MVP, anchors the inside game. At 6-2, Kemp is the tallest player on the KU roster. Sophomore Alicia Rhymes (Shreveport, La.), freshman Jamie Boyd (Underwood, Iowa) and freshman Taylor McIntosh (Wichita, Kan.) bolster the Jayhawk frontcourt.

On the perimeter, Henrickson has six quality players to work with. Junior Erica Hallman (Covington, Ky.) carries the brunt of the workload at the point, while junior Kaylee Brown (Arcadia,Okla.), senior Blair Waltz (Leawood, Kan.), senior Aquanita Burras (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and sophomore Sharita Smith (Dallas, Texas) operate on the wings. Junior Heather Hayes (Derby, Kan.), a late addition to the team, also plays on the wing.

Kemp has 19 double-figure scoring games and has led KU in scoring 10 times. Kemp has led on the glass in 16 games and Hallman has led in assists in 21 contests. KU has recorded 11 double-doubles, including nine by Kemp and two by McIntosh.

Today’s Opponent – Missouri Tigers

Missouri (10-17 overall, 4-12 Big 12) will face Kansas in the Big 12 Tournament after dropping its last game against Kansas State, 80-53, on March 2 in Columbia.

The matchup will mark the first-ever meeting between Kansas and Missouri in the Big 12 Tournament, and the first-ever meeting between the two teams in Kansas City.

Kansas won both meetings this season, and has won three of the last four meetings overall. KU narrowly defeated MU 63-61 on Jan. 22 in Lawrence before cruising to victory over the Tigers 60-42 on Feb. 5 in Columbia. KU leads the overall series 36-31 including a 7-6 advantage in games played on neutral courts.

The Tigers are led by sophomore guard Tiffany Brooks with 13.0 points per game. Junior center Christelle N’Garsanet adds 12.2 points and a team-best 6.3 rebounds per game. Junior guard LaToya Bond chips in with 12.0 ppg to go with 4.0 assists per outing.

As a team, Missouri averages 60.0 points on 40 percent shooting and grabs 35.8 rebounds per game, while giving up 64.8 points on 41.1 percent shooting and 38.7 rebounds per game.

Missouri is coached by Cindy Stein, who is 111-96 in her seventh year at Missouri and 176-121 in her 10th season overall.

Series Notes

Kansas leads the all-time series 36-31. The series is tied at 9-9 since the inception of the Big 12 Conference. The two teams have never met in Kansas City or in the Big 12 Tournament, but KU leads 7-6 at neutral sites overall. KU has won the last two meetings and three of the last four. The first-ever meeting came on Nov. 25, 1973 when the two teams met in a tournament in Springfield, Mo. Kansas won that meeting 45-40.

Border Showdown

The winner of the game will earn a bonus 0.5 points in the Kansas/Missouri Border Showdown presented by the Midwest Ford Dealers. KU currently leads the third annual all sports series 13.0 to 7.5.

Most Wins Since 2000-01

With a 12-15 record, KU has recorded its most wins since the 2000-01 season when the Jayhawks finished the year 12-17. With five conference wins, Kansas also tied its most league wins in the last five years. The last time KU had five Big 12 wins was in 2000-01. The last time KU had more than five Big 12 wins was 1999-2000 when the Jayhawks had 11.

A Kansas Win Would

Give KU 13 wins, it’s most since 1999-2000 when the Jayhawks finished with 20 wins … Improve Kansas’ all-time series against Missouri to 37-31 … Improve KU’s record against MU on neutral courts to 8-6 … Give KU its third-straight win over MU and its fourth in the last five meetings … Give KU a 1-0 record at neutral sites this season … Make KU 7-8 all-time in the Big 12 Tournament … Make head coach Bonnie Henrickson’s record 13-15 at KU and 171-77 (.690) in her career … Make KU 610-413 all-time.

A Kansas Loss Would

End KU’s season with a record of 12-16 overall … Narrow KU’s all-time series advantage over Missouri to 36-32 … Make the Jayhawks 7-7 against MU at neutral sites … Snap a two-game winning streak over MU … Make the Jayhawks 0-1 on neutral courts this season … Make KU 6-9 all-time in the Big 12 Tournament … Make head coach Bonnie Henrickson’s record 12-16 at KU and 170-78 (.685) in her career … Make KU 609-414 all-time.

Streaks And Career Leaders

– Senior Aquanita Burras owns the team’s longest starting streak at 84 games. She has started every game of her Kansas career.

– Junior Erica Hallman is in the all-time top 10 at Kansas for three-pointers made (116, 5th), three-pointers attempted (320, 5th) and three-point field goal percentage (36.3 percent, 5th).

– Hallman also has cracked the KU all-time top-10 in assists. Currently at 325 career assists, Hallman is in sixth place and needs 12 more dimes to catch Tamecka Dixon (337 career assists from 1994-97) for fifth place. Kay Kay Hart is in fourth place with 356 assists.

– On the single season assist list, Hallman’s 137 dimes are tied for seventh with Mary Myers (1985). Her next assist will move her into a tie with Lisa Braddy (138 in 1987) for sixth place. Lynette Woodard dished 165 assists in 1980 which ranks fifth.

– At Oklahoma State, Hallman moved into the KU single season top-10 for three-point field goals made. She is currently tied for fourth with 58 made this season and needs four more treys to tie for third with Shannon Kite who made 62 in 1993. Angie Halbleib owns the top two marks with 69 in 1996 and 67 in 1995.

– Hallman’s 152 three-point attempts ranks fourth on the KU single-season list. Angie Halbleib owns the top three marks (185 in 1995, 172 in 1996 and 165 in 1997). Hallman’s current 38.2 three-point percentage ranks ninth on the KU single season list.

– Junior Crystal Kemp currently ranks 16th on the KU all-time scoring list with 1,053 career points. She needs 22 points to catch Jennifer Jackson (1998-2001) for a share of 15th place with 1,075 points. Brooke Reves (1999-2001) is in 14th place with 1,101 points.

– Kemp has played and scored in all 84 games of her Kansas career.

Close Encounters

Four of KU’s Big 12 games — and seven total games this season — have been decided by five points or less. In wins over Missouri (1/22) and at Colorado (1/25), KU defeated the Tigers by two and the Buffaloes by five. The Jayhawks are 2-5 overall in games decided by five or fewer points.

An All-Star Staff

Joining Bonnie Henrickson on the sidelines in her first season at KU are assistant coaches Karen Lange, Kyra Elzy and Katie O’Connor. Also joining the staff is director of operations Trena Anderson and administrative assistant Katie Wulf. Lange, O’Connor and Anderson followed Henrickson from Virginia Tech, while Elzy and Wulf 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 28 years old, Henrickson’s three assistant coaches (Lange, Elzy, O’Connor) have already been a part of 19 NCAA tournaments, eight Sweet 16s, five Elite Eights, four Final Fours and two National Championships, combined.

Kemp Joins 1,000-Point, 500-Rebound Club

Junior 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. Two games earlier against Oklahoma State, the Topeka, Kan., native collected her 500th career rebound. She is just the 11th player in KU history to accumulate over 1,000 career points and 500 career boards, which puts her in some exclusive company.

Second Time Around

KU looked good against teams the second time it played them, with the exception of K-State on its senior night. In second meetings against Missouri, Colorado and Nebraska, the Jayhawks looked fantastic. In the first meetings against those three, KU narrowly defeated Missouri by two, won at Colorado by five and lost at Nebraska by 11. The second time around, KU won by 18 over Missouri, 22 over Colorado and 14 over Nebraska. In the first meeting against Iowa State KU suffered its worst loss of the season, by 33 at home. But in the season finale, KU took the Cyclones down to the wire trailing by only three until late ISU free throws pushed the final margin to nine.

The Jayhawks were able to score an average of nearly nine points more per game in second meetings while holding those five teams to an average of six points less. The most visible difference was on the defensive end where KU forced an average of 17 turnovers per game the second time around as opposed to just over 13 in first meetings.

Tenacious D

KU held six opponents to under 20 points in the first half (UMKC-19, Denver-15, Washburn-19, Western Illinois-13, San Diego State-17, Missouri-15). At Minnesota, the Jayhawks held the Gophers to 27 points, which was a Minnesota season-low at the time. Prior to playing KU, the Gophers averaged 40.5 points in the first half. Additionally, KU is holding all opponents to 57.7 points per game which ranks fourth in the Big 12. KU held 15 of 16 Big 12 opponents under their season scoring averages, 11 of those league opponents to more than five points below their average and seven of those teams to more than 10 points below their season average. KU held Missouri to 42 points (2/5), which was the lowest point total by a Big 12 opponent against KU since the Jayhawks held Missouri to 37 points on Feb. 7, 1999.

Taking A Charge

On the defensive end, KU has drawn 33 charges while being called for just 13 all season. Junior Erica Hallman has drawn 13 charges, junior Kaylee Brown has taken nine and junior Crystal Kemp has drawn six. Senior Aquanita Burras (3), sophomore Alicia Rhymes (1) and sophomore Sharita Smith (1) have also drawn at least one charge.

Iron Women

Three players (4th-Erica Hallman-35.37, 5th-Aquanita Burras-34.30 and 7th-Crystal Kemp-33.07) are playing more than 33 minutes per game, and each rank in the top seven in the conference in time played per game. Kemp (5), Burras (3) and Hallman (3) have also each played at least three complete games. Only six players have played in every game. KU’s top seven play over 92 percent of the available minutes.

Double-Doubles

Kansas has posted 11 double-doubles this season including nine by junior Crystal Kemp and two by freshman Taylor McIntosh. Kemp’s nine double-doubles are the fifth-most in the Big 12 this season.

Crystal Kemp

Nov. 27 UMKC, 17 pts, 12 rebs

Dec. 21 at Creighton, 16 pts, 17 rebs

Dec. 28 San Diego State, 18 pts, 10 rebs

Dec. 30 at Ball State, 14 pts, 18 rebs

Jan. 8 Kansas State, 10 pts, 11 rebs

Jan. 22 Missouri, 22 pts, 14 rebs

Jan. 25 at Colorado, 15 pts, 15 rebs

Feb. 16 Texas Tech, 19 pts, 10 rebs

Feb. 20 Nebraska, 11 pts, 11 rebs

Taylor McIntosh

Dec. 18 Dartmouth, 11 pts, 10 rebs

Feb. 5 at Missouri, 10 pts, 16 rebs

Free Throw Ups And Downs

After shooting 56.7 percent (59-of-104) from the free throw line in its first seven games, Kansas started to show improvement at the charity stripe in the final four non-conference games when the Jayhawks converted 54-of-68 free throws for 79.4 percent. In Big 12 play, KU has again struggled, hitting only 117-of-181 attempts for 64.6 percent. In crunch time, the Jayhawks are shooting slightly better at 67 percent in the final five minutes of games. Against Texas Tech, the Jayhawks went 7-for-7 from the line, which was the first time KU was perfect from the line in a game since Feb. 28 of last season when Kansas went 6-for-6 against Nebraska. KU has shot 72.7 percent (48-of-66) from the line over the last six games.

Putting Two Halves Together

During non-conference play, Kansas was impressive in the first half, outscoring opponents 32.9 ppg to 23.0 ppg. But in the second half, KU sometimes struggled and actually trailed on the scoreboard in the second period by a slim margin (29.1 ppg to 29.4 ppg). As the Big 12 season has progressed, KU has consistently shown the ability to play a more complete game. KU is still playing well in the first half, outscoring opponents 781-736, and has led or been tied at the break in 15 games. Five losses have come after being ahead or tied at intermission. As a team, the Jayhawks average 28.9 points per first half on 42.8 percent (316-of-738) shooting from the field. In the second half, KU has improved its scoring average to 29.1 ppg, but is shooting just 39.1 percent (289-of-739).

Hallman Posts Back-To-Back 20-Point Games

Junior Erica Hallman, who was averaging just 7.4 points per game for her career entering this season, is scoring 12.9 points per game. In Big 12 games, her average goes up to a team-best 13.3 ppg. Against Nebraska (2/20) and Baylor (2/23) she scored a career-high 22 points and 21 points, respectively. It marked the first time a KU player posted back-to-back 20+ point games since 2001, when Jaclyn Johnson scored 25 against Colorado (2/7) and 20 versus Missouri (2/10).

Kemp Leading The Jayhawks

Junior forward Crystal Kemp paces the team with 13.3 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. She has played in all 27 games with 25 starts. She has posted nine double-doubles, which ranks fifth in the Big 12. Her 18-rebound performance at Ball State and 17-rebound showing at Creighton are the top two single-game efforts in the league this season. She owns three 20+ point games this season. She reached 1,000 career points on Feb. 16 against Texas Tech, and her career total currently stands at 1,053 ranking 16th on the all-time KU scoring list. Kemp has collected 15 or more rebounds in a game four times this season including at Oklahoma State when her 15 boards pushed her career total over 500. She is the 11th KU player to accumulate both 1,000 career points and 500 career rebounds.

Hallman Running The Point

Junior Erica Hallman, who primarily played on the wing last season, has started all 27 games this season at point guard. She is second on the team with 12.9 points per game and leads the team with 58 three-pointers made. She provides KU with a solid ball-handling and long-range shooting option. Her 1.67-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks first on the team and seventh in the Big 12. She dished a career-high 13 assists against Dartmouth on Dec. 18, which ranks second on the KU single game list, and is the sixth highest total in the NCAA DI ranks this year. She is in the all-time top-10 at KU for three-pointers made (5th), three-pointers attempted (5th) and three-point field goal percentage (5th). She currently ranks sixth place on the KU career assist list with 325 career dimes. She scored a career-high 22 points in a win over Nebraska on Feb. 20, and followed that with 21 versus Baylor. On defense, she leads the team with 13 charges drawn this season. She ranks fourth in the league, playing 35.37 minutes per game. She is one of just two players (also Dionnah Jackson) in the conference to average at least 12 points and five assists per game.

Burras An All-Around Threat

Perhaps Kansas’ top all-around player, senior Aquanita Burras does the little things with hustle and intense defense. She is third on the team with 10.2 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. She ranks second on the team with 83 assists and leads the team with 54 steals. At just 5’9″, she is second on the team with 14 blocked shots and third on the squad with 44 offensive rebounds. She rarely comes out of the game, averaging 34.3 minutes per contest. In three years at KU, she has started all 84 games of her career. She tied a career-high 24 points at Texas A&M on Jan. 15 and on Senior Night versus Baylor. She prides herself on the defensive end.

McIntosh A Crowd Favorite

Freshman forward Taylor McIntosh has quickly become a fan favorite for the Jayhawks in her first season. A Wichita, Kan., native, “T-Mac” has started 26 of 27 games and has made her reputation doing the little things in her young career. She is second on the team with 6.4 rebounds per game and first on the team with 83 offensive rebounds. Her 3.07 offensive boards per game ranks fifth in the Big 12. Her 6.4 rpg ranks first in the Big 12 among freshmen. On offense, she is steadily improving her ball-handling and has become more reliable with the ball in her hands. She has recorded two double-doubles including at Missouri when she recorded 10 points and a career-high 16 rebounds. She owns five double-figure scoring games.

Brown From Downtown

Junior guard Kaylee Brown has played in all 27 games with 24 starts. A hard-nosed player, Brown is not afraid to sacrifice her body to take a charge (she has taken nine this season). She is a patient player who sees the floor well and has the ability to score from long range. Brown is second on the team with 43 three-pointers made, and has connected on at least one three-pointer in 22 of 27 games. She owns an average of 9.3 points and 1.4 assists per game. She posted a career-high 19 points at Ball State. She led the team in scoring four times in Big 12 Conference games.

Smith First Off The Bench

Sophomore guard Sharita Smith is in her first full season after missing the first half of her freshman campaign due to injury. This season, she has been the first player off the bench a team-high 16 times and is averaging 2.9 points and 1.1 assists in 15.3 minutes per game. She had her best game of the season when she had 10 points, two assists and two rebounds versus Dartmouth on Dec. 18. She backs up Hallman at point guard and also plays on the wing.

Boyd Plays Valuable Reserve Role

Freshman forward Jamie Boyd is in her first year with the Jayhawks after a standout career at Underwood (Iowa) High School where she was named Miss Iowa Basketball. She has played in 26 games this season primarily in a reserve role before earning her first start in the last game against Iowa State. She has posted 2.7 points and 2.3 boards in 15.0 minutes per game. A physical player who works hard in the low post on defense, she is also capable of knocking down the jumper from the high post.

Waltz Back For Senior Season

Senior Blair Waltz is the only four-year senior on the team. She has played in 21 games with three starting assignments and averages 1.7 points and 1.1 rebounds per game. Her best game this season was a nine-point, four-assist effort versus Sacred Heart on Nov. 24.

Rhymes A Hard Worker

Sophomore forward Alicia Rhymes is in her third year at KU after spending her first year as a redshirt and last season as a reserve. This season, Rhymes has played in 16 games with two starting assignments. She has posted 1.0 points and 2.1 rebounds per outing. One of just four players to stand at least six feet tall, she operates primarily out of the high post. She was described by the coaches as the player who improved the most during summer workouts.

Hayes Added Late

Junior guard Heather Hayes was a late addition to the team after practice had already begun in October. A native of Derby, Kan., Hayes began her career at Oral Roberts in 2001-02. She spent the first half of her sophomore season at Seward County CC before enrolling at Butler County CC in the spring of 2003. Hayes enrolled at KU in the summer of 2003 and spent the 2003-04 season as a redshirt walk-on with the Jayhawks. She left the team following the season but returned when offered a scholarship by the coaching staff. She has seen action in five games.

Quick Hits

– Junior Crystal Kemp’s 8.7 rebounds per game are the most by a KU player since Angela Aycock grabbed 8.7 rpg in 1994.

– Junior Erica Hallman’s 137 assists this season are the most by a KU player in a single season since Lisa Braddy dished 173 in 1990.

– KU is going for its third win over Missouri this season. The last time KU defeated MU three times in a season was 1995.

– The Jayhawks have hit 122 three-pointers this season which are the most since the 1997-98 team hit 129 treys.

– An average of 2,127 fans attended KU’s 16 home games, the most since 2000-01 when an average of 2,458 fans watched the Jayhawks in Allen Fieldhouse.

– KU has allowed its opponents 1,558 total points for an average of 57.7 per game. The total of 1,558 is the lowest in school history, while the average of 57.7 ranks as the second lowest only to the 57.5 points KU allowed in 1991-92.

– KU held its opponents to the fewest steals (211), rebounds (925) and field goals (564) since stats were kept in 1979-80.

– Jayhawk opponents have dished 327 assists this season, the fewest by a KU opponent since KU foes dished a total of 327 assists in 1983-84.

– KU opponents are averaging just 34.3 rebounds per game this season, the fewest since KU allowed only 34.2 rebounds per game from its opponents in 1998-99.

– Kansas opponents have connected for only 106 three-pointers this year, the fewest since 1993-94 when Jayhawk foes hit 100.

– KU is a No. 8 seed in the Big 12 Tournament for the first time in school history. It is the highest seed for the Jayhawks since 2000 when KU was seeded fourth and received a first round bye.

Kemp And Hallman Named All-Conference

Juniors Crystal Kemp and Erica Hallman were each named Honorable Mention All-Big 12 in a vote by the league’s coaches. The duo are the first KU all-conference selections since 2000-01 when Jaclyn Johnson, Brooke Reves and Jennifer Jackson all earned honorable mention all-league. Additionally, Kemp was named third-team All-Big 12 by the Kansas City Star.

Waltz And Kemp Earn Academic All-Big 12

Senior Blair Waltz and junior Crystal Kemp were named to the 2005 Women’s Basketball Academic All-Big 12 team first team. Waltz, a Leawood, Kan., native majoring in French and Economics was one of just 15 Big 12 players to earn the honor for the third straight year. She was named to the first team as a sophomore and the second team as a junior. Kemp, a Topeka, Kan., native majoring in Speech Language and Hearing, was named to the first team for the second straight year.

Nominated by each institution’s director of student-athlete support services and media relations offices, the women’s basketball academic all-league squad consisted of 37 first team members combined with nine on the second team. First team members include those who have maintained a 3.20 or better grade point average, and the second team are those who have a 3.00 to 3.19 GPA.

Possible Second Round Matchup

If Kansas could beat Missouri in the first round, it would advance to face the No. 1 seed Baylor at noon on Wednesday in the second round. KU is 3-3 all-time in Big 12 Tournament second round games. KU last played in the second round in 2002-03 against Texas. The Jayhawks have faced Baylor twice in the Big 12 Tournament including an 86-71 loss last season in the first round when KU was seeded 12th and the Lady Bears were seed fifth.

Preseason Polls/Final Standings

Texas was picked by both the conference media and league coaches to win the Big 12 Championship in 2004-05. In the Coaches Poll, Texas received 11 first-place votes and Kansas State took one first-place nod. In the Media Poll, Texas received 12 first place votes while K-State received two votes. Kansas was picked to finish 11th in both preseason polls. Baylor ended up taking the league title. KU finished in eighth place, three spots higher than predicted.

Kansas Signs Four

Kansas signed four players during the early signing period for the 2005-06 season including Ivana Catic (E-von-uh Cot-ich), Shaquina Mosley (Shuh-KWAH-nah MOSE-lee), Jennifer Orgas (Or-GUS) and Sophronia Sallard (Suh-FRONE-yuh SUH-lard). Catic, Orgas and Sallard will join the Jayhawks as freshmen, while Mosley will be a junior after transferring from Central Arizona College.

Kansas Signees At-a-Glance

Ivana Catic (point guard, 5-8, Wheeling, W.V. – Mt. deChantal Academy)

Shaquina Mosley (point guard, 5-6, Lancaster, Calif. – Antelope Valley HS/

Central Arizona College)

Jennifer Orgas (forward, 6-2, Omaha, Neb. – Skutt Catholic HS)

Sophronia Sallard (guard/forward, 5-10, Syracuse, N.Y. – Nottingham HS)

Program Milestones

With a 67-44 win over Denver on Nov. 30, Kansas became the 30th school in NCAA Division I history to record 600 wins. Two days later on Dec. 2, Kansas played its 1,000th all-time game against Washburn.

Home Court Advantage

Kansas fans had plenty of opportunities to check out the Jayhawks in Allen Fieldhouse this season. KU played a total of 18 games this year in Lawrence including two exhibition games, eight non-conference contests and eight conference matchups. Other than conference play, KU only played three road games. KU played at No. 14 Minnesota on Dec. 5, at Creighton on Dec. 21 and at Ball State on Dec. 30.

Most Wins At Home Since 1999-2000

With a 9-7 mark in Allen Fieldhouse, KU owned a winning record at home for the first time since 1999-2000 when the Jayhawks went 12-2 in Lawrence.

20 Games On TV

KU’s television package in 2004-05 was the finest in school history. The Jayhawks played four times on national television (two each on Fox Sports Net and CSTV), four times on Metro Sports out of Kansas City, nine times on Sunflower Broadband in Lawrence, once on the Jayhawk Television Network and two other road Big 12 games. All 16 regular season home games were on the tube, in addition to games at Texas, Colorado, Kansas State and Iowa State.

Increased Radio Coverage

The Jayhawk Radio Network also improved its coverage of the Jayhawks in 2004-05. Stations carrying the Jayhawks included KLWN 1320-AM in Lawrence, KWIC 99.3-FM in Topeka, KFH 98.7-FM in Wichita and either KMBZ 980-AM or KXTR-1660-AM in Kansas City.

Woodard To Be Enshrined In Women’s HOF

The Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame announced its seventh group of inductees, the Class of 2005, on Sunday, November 14. The six members of the Class of 2005 are Joe Ciampi, Kelli Litsch, Hunter Low, Edna Tarbutton, Dixie Woodall and Lynette Woodard.

Woodard, a Kansas legend, scored 3,649 points to become the all-time leading scorer in Division I women’s collegiate basketball en route to becoming a four-time Kodak All-American and winning the 1981 Wade Trophy. She then went on to become a two-time Olympian, serving as captain of the USA’s 1984 gold medal-winning squad, and the first female to play for the Harlem Globetrotters before playing professionally in Japan and Italy and two seasons in the WNBA.

The six individuals in the Class of 2005 will be formally enshrined as members of the Hall of Fame during a weekend of induction festivities to be held Friday and Saturday, June 10-11, 2005, in Knoxville, Tenn.

Woodard will become the second Jayhawk to be enshrined in the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, joining former Kansas coach Marian Washington who was enshrined in June, 2004.