Jayhawks Take On Cornhuskers In Opening Round Of Big 12 Championship

March 10, 2008

LAWRENCE, Kan. –

Game Notes

OPENING TIP

The University of Kansas women’s basketball team will head down I-70 to Kansas City, Mo., for the 2008 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship. KU, seeded 11th, will take on Nebraska, the sixth seed, in the opening round of play. The Jayhawks (15-14, 4-12) and Cornhuskers (20-10, 9-7) split their two meetings this season, with each team winning on its home court. Game time is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. in Municipal Auditorium, with a live television broadcast on MetroSports.

FAST BREAKS

-Sophomore guard-forward Danielle McCray was honored by the league coaches as she was named honorable mention All-Big 12. The 5-foot-11 Olathe, Kan, native led the Jayhawks in scoring (14.7), rebounding (7.0) and steals (1.8) on the season.

-Freshman center Krysten Boogaard was one of five players named to the Big 12 Conference All-Rookie Team. Boogaard turns in 9.2 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, both of which rank third on the team. She was the team leader in blocks with 32 on the season.

-Sophomore guard LaChelda Jacobs picked up her first start of the season and sixth of her career versus Kansas State in the regular-season finale. Jacobs dropped in 14 points versus KSU, while also collecting four rebounds and two steals in 36 minutes of play.

-Kansas is 1-0 in neutral site games this season with a 69-64 win over Drake in Dallas, Texas.

A LOOK AT NEBRASKA

The Cornhuskers are 20-10 overall and 9-7 in Big 12 Conference play. NU is 1-2 in neutral site games this season. The `Huskers closed out the regular season with back-to-back home wins over Colorado and Iowa State. All three of NU’s non-conference losses came at the hands of teams currently ranked in the top 25. Nebraska is led by junior forward Kelsey Griffin with 14.9 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. Senior forward Danielle Page is also dominant in the paint as she adds 12.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game. Sophomore forward Cory Montgomery adds 9.6 points off the bench, while sophomore guard Yvonne Turner leads the NU defense with 2.6 steals per game. Freshman guard Kaitlyn Burke is the leading assister with 2.3 dimes per game. The `Huskers are one of the deeper teams in the league as nine players average 12.6 minutes or more per game. Nebraska head coach Connie Yori is 100-75 in her sixth season in Lincoln. Yori owns an overall mark of 295-215 in her 18th season in the business.

KANSAS-NEBRASKA SERIES HISTORY

The Jayhawks lead the all-time series 45-27, including an 8-2 mark in games played on neutral courts. Kansas knocked off the NU, 62-61, in Lawrence in the two teams’ last meeting. Prior to that, Nebraska had won five-straight games. KU head coach Bonnie Henrickson is 2-6 versus NU, picking up both of her victories in Lawrence.

A LOOK AT KANSAS

Kansas enters Wednesday’s contest with a 15-14 overall mark, including a 4-12 Big 12 Conference. Sophomore guard/forward Danielle McCray is the top Jayhawk in scoring (14.7) and rebounding (7.0). McCray also leads the Jayhawks in steals with 48. Fellow sophomore guard Sade Morris is almost in double figures in points per game with 9.8 tallies an outing. Morris also gives KU 3.6 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 9.2 points a game to go along with 5.5 caroms per contest. Boogaard also leads the Jayhawks in blocks with 32 on the season, while shooting 49.5 percent from the field. Senior forward Taylor McIntosh is second on the team in rebounding with 6.8 boards per game, while also dropping in 6.7 points. Junior point guard Ivana Catic is the team-leader in assists with 3.2 dishes per game, while also collecting 42 pilfers on the year. Freshman forward Nicollette Smith comes off the bench to provide 6.1 points per game and leads KU with 40 triples on the season. The Jayhawks are coached by Bonnie Henrickson who owns a 55-63 mark in her fourth season at the helm of the Kansas program. Henrickson owns an overall coaching mark of 213-125 in 11 seasons on the sidelines.

SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION

-Kansas has one player from the state of Nebraska in junior guard Katie Smith (Omaha). Nebraska does not have any native Kansans on its roster.

-KU freshman center Krysten Boogaard and NU freshman guard Kaitlyn Burke both hail from Canada and arrived at their respective college campuses after being two of 12 players selected to attend the Canadian National Elite Development Academy last year. Of the 12 players selected for the academy, six are currently playing in the United States at Division I schools.

-Jayhawk sophomore guard LaChelda Jacobs and Nebraska freshman Catheryn Redmond both attended high school in Mansfield, Texas. Jacobs prepped at Mansfield Summit High, while Redmond played at Mansfield Timberview.

KANSAS VERSUS NEBRASKA 2008 RECAPS

Feb. 17, 2008 — Sophomore Danielle McCray hit a free-throw with 1.4 seconds remaining, sending the University of Kansas, who donned pink jerseys in honor of breast cancer awareness, to a 62-61 victory over conference-rival Nebraska in Allen Fieldhouse. After the Huskers’ Tay Hester hit one of two from the line with 12 seconds left to tie the game, McCray took the ball at the top of the key, crossed over and drove into the lane, drawing a foul and setting up the game-winner. KU got off to a quick start and held a lead for the majority of the first half. The Jayhawks led 20-14 with 11:17 remaining in the opening frame after going on a 10-4 run, but the Huskers held Kansas scoreless for the next 4:29 to cut the deficit to one. However, the Jayhawks never lost their lead and eventually took a 31-26 cushion into the break. KU’s margin extended to 46-38 midway through the half on a jumper by sophomore Sade Morris, but NU again came back by picking up its defense, this time holding Kansas without a point for a stretch of 4:08 to get within three. McCray had an answer, though, as she connected on a three-pointer on the next possession, which was then followed by a three-point play by senior Taylor McIntosh to give KU its largest lead of the game at 52-43 with 6:08 remaining. But the Huskers would again battle back, going on an 11-0 run over the next four minutes to take their first lead since the score was 5-4 in the game’s opening minutes. After McCray tied the game at 58-58 with a runner at the 1:14 mark, the Jayhawks got a stop and Morris drew a foul on KU’s next possession. Morris made just one of two, but McIntosh rebounded the miss and hit a put-back to give KU a 61-58 lead with 54 seconds left.Nebraska then got a pair of free-throws from Kelsey Griffin to close to within one, and after a stop, Hester drew a blocking foul on Morris to set up a chance to take the lead. However, she made only one of two, setting up McCray’s heroics.

Jan. 12, 2008 — Kansas sophomore Danielle McCray scored 14 points, but KU could not overcome a late first half Nebraska run in the Huskers’ 71-51 win in Lincoln. McCray, who scored her 500th career point as a Jayhawk, had 10 of her 14 points in the second half. Sophomore Sade Morris scored nine of her 11 points in the opening half, while senior Taylor McIntosh led all rebounders with eight for the game. Neither team could take control for the first 13 minutes as there were four ties and three lead changes in that span. KU’s largest lead of the game was 6-2 on a layup by Morris with 17:31 on the clock. With KU leading 19-16 on a McCray jumper at the 7:18 mark, Nebraska went on a 17-2 run over the next five minutes to take control of the game. Kelsey Griffin made a jumper with 6:30 remaining to make the scored 20-19, a lead the Huskers would never relinquish. NU maintained control and built a 38-26 halftime advantage. Griffin led all scorers with 15 points for the game. The Huskers increased their lead to 46-28 by starting the second half with an 8-2 run over the first three minutes. The closest KU could come was 50-36 with 12:07 remaining on a jumper by sophomore LaChelda Jacobs. Jacobs ended the game with seven points and six rebounds, one shy of her career high.

BIRTHDAY WEEK

Three Jayhawks will celebrate their birthday’s this week. Senior forward Taylor McIntosh turns 22 on Monday, March 10. Junior forward Marija Zinic and sophomore forward Porscha Weddington both add a year on Wednesday, March 12. Zinic will turn 22, while Weddington will be 20 years old.