Carolyn Davis' Nearly Perfect Night Propels Jayhawks To Second Round Of WNIT

March 17, 2011

LAWRENCE, Kan. –

031711aaa_165_4602975.jpegKansas sophomore Carolyn Davis’ eighth double-double of the season may have been her most dominant as she threw down 33 total points and grabbed 12 boards in her team’s 79-58 win over Wichita State, Wednesday night in the opening round of the 2011 WNIT.

“I thought she played with a lot of discipline with the ball in her hand,” Kansas head coach Bonnie Henrickson said. “She got a lot of traffic in the middle of the floor, but she was money.”

Davis’ 33 points were just three shy of her career high and her dozen rebounds put her within two of her best night under the boards.

“It’s good for me to do that for the team,” said Davis. “But that is really what my teammates and coaches expect me to do every night. They expect me to be consistent, make the shots I am supposed to make and I feel good knowing that I am holding my own.”

Holding her own was an understatement as Davis would have gone perfect from the field if not for a missed lay-up with just four minutes left to play in the contest.

“I was basically running the floor and just getting the transition lay-ups I usually get,” Davis said. “It was a physical game and because of that I was trying to get away from the defense so I would not have to draw as much contact. That is what I think made it easier for me to score.”

On the other side of the court watching Davis pour in 33 on her team was Wichita State Head Coach Jody Adams. Adams was quick to praise the standout sophomore after the game.

“They (Kansas) went to their go to player,” Adams said. “She had a heck of a game and she continues to be a solid factor for them just as she has all year long.”

031711aaa_165_4602977.jpegFor the sophomore center, Wednesday night’s double-double was not only the 14th of her career, but the third for her in the last four games.

“It means a lot to me,” Davis said. “I came into the season wanting to set the double-double record and to keep getting them, but I need to work on rebounding more. Honestly, the points will come, but rebounding needs to be an emphasis for me as I finish out the season and head into next year.”

While the leading KU scorer still has aspects of her game she would like to improve on, her teammates find it hard to seek out flaws in her performance.

“She is so consistent and when we feed the ball inside to her she is able to catch and finish it,” said sophomore guard Monica Engelman. “She has multiple moves and tonight she shot better from the free throw line, so it is just a confidence builder for us knowing she is out there.”

While Davis did not set a new career high in points Wednesday night, her performance was good enough to break one of her career records; most points scored in a post-season. Her 33 in the first round of the 2011 WNIT eclipsed the 27 she scored in three games of the same tournament last season.

If her first game is any indication of what she is capable of the rest of the tournament, the other 31 remaining teams in the tournament may want to take notice; and that includes Duquesne and Kent State who will battle it out Thursday night for the right to take on Davis and the Jayhawks Saturday, in the second round of the WNIT.