March 16, 2011

Kansas Cruises to 79-58 Victory Over Wichita State in Opening WNIT Game

March 16, 2011

Postgame Videos Bonnie | Davis | Goodrich

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Sophomore Carolyn Davis earned her eighth double-double of the season with a game-high 33 points and 12 rebounds to lead Kansas to a 79-58 victory over Wichita State in its first-round game of the WNIT in Allen Fieldhouse Wednesday night. Davis’ 93.3 percent (14-for-15) shooting from the field set a WNIT school record, topping her own mark of 9-for-10 in the Creighton game on March 21, 2010.

Three other Jayhawks reached double figures, led by sophomore Monica Engelman with 15 points. Sophomore Angel Goodrich added 10 points and also set a KU record for a WNIT game with her nine assists. Goodrich tied a career high with five steals as well. Freshman Diara Moore contributed 10 points on 5-for-8 shooting. Junior Aishah Sutherland’s three blocks in the contest made her the seventh Jayhawk in program history to reach 100 career swats.

Kansas improved to 21-12 on the season with the victory. The Jayhawks are now a perfect 8-0 at home under the current WNIT format and 5-0 all-time in their first game of the WNIT. KU also remained perfect against the Shockers in Lawrence with an all-time mark of 19-0 against its in-state opponent when playing at home. With the loss, Wichita State ended its season with a 17-15 mark.

Sophomore Jessica Diamond led the Shockers with 18 points, while junior Haleigh Lankster posted 13 points for Wichita State. Sophomore Jazimen Gordon had a team-high nine rebounds in the Shockers’ defeat.

Leading 44-29 to begin the second half, Kansas never allowed the Shockers to come within 12 points for the remainder of the game. Senior Krysten Boogaard made four-straight free throws midway through the second half to stretch KU’s lead to its largest of the game, 69-46, with 9:06 remaining in the game. Boogaard finished the contest with six points in 11 minutes.

Kansas finished the game shooting 62 percent from the field, an all-time best for a Jayhawk team in a WNIT game. KU also registered 19 assists and only 11 turnovers against Wichita State.

To open the game, Kansas made its first eight shots, including an Engelman three-pointer and six layups, to storm out to an 18-11 lead in the first six minutes. KU’s hot shooting continued throughout the first half. A three-pointer by Engelman with 8:24 remaining in the opening frame gave KU a 30-17 lead, capping a stretch where the Jayhawks made 13 of their first 14 shots.

Kansas gained its largest lead of the first half when a layup by Moore gave the Jayhawks a 17-point advantage, 36-19, with 6:27 to play before halftime. KU finished the half with a 15-point lead over the Shockers, 44-29.

Kansas tied a WNIT school record for points in a half with 44 in the first 20 minutes. KU previously scored 44 points in the second half against Illinois State on April 1, 2009. For the half, the Jayhawks shot 70.8 percent, including 3-for-6 from three-point range.

Davis led all players with 17 points on 7-for-7 shooting at the intermission. Davis also had a team-high six rebounds for the Jayhawks. Lankster had 11 of her 13 points at the break, while Gordon had six rebounds for Wichita State.

Kansas will play its second-round game Saturday night in Allen Fieldhouse at 7 p.m. against the winner of the Duquesne and Kent State first-round game, which takes place Thursday.