Jayhawks Host Duquesne In WNIT Second Round Saturday
March 18, 2011
Game Notes
LAWRENCE, Kan. –
OPENING TIP
Kansas will host Duquesne in the second round of play in the 2011 Women’s NIT on Saturday, March 19. The Jayhawks, who enter the game with a 21-12 overall mark, have advanced to the second round of the WNIT in each of the last four seasons under head coach Bonnie Henrickson. The Dukes, who are 23-8 on the season, picked up their first postseason win in school history with their win over Kent State in the first round. The two teams are meeting for the first time, however Henrickson owns a 6-1 mark versus Duquesne from her days as the head coach at Virginia Tech. The Jayhawks and Dukes will tip off at 7 p.m., in Allen Fieldhouse and the game will be streamed live for free on AT&T Jayhawk All-Access.
FAST BREAKS
-Tickets for the game are available at www.kuathletics.com or by calling 1-800-34-HAWKS. Ticket prices are $5 for adults and $4 for students ages 4-17. KU students will be admitted for free with a valid KU ID.
-Kansas is 15-4 at home on the season, including a perfect 11-0 mark versus non-conference opponents. The Dukes are an impressive 13-3 on the road this season, with two of their road losses coming against ranked opponents West Virigina and Xavier.
-Sophomore forward Carolyn Davis was tabbed First Team All-Big 12 on March 7 after averaging a team-best 18.4 points per game. Davis also turned in 7.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per outing in the regular season. Davis had 12 20-point outings and had three games with 30 or more points, including a career-best 36 in a win over Nebraska on Feb. 26. Davis is the fourth player under Henrickson to be honored by the league coaches.
-The Jayhawks won seven of their last 12 games after struggling to a 1-6 start in Big 12 Conference play. The common thread in the Jayhawk wins is field goal percentage. KU is shooting a blistering 54.4 (203-373) percent in the seven wins, including 44.6 (33-74) percent from beyond the arc. KU also knocked down 103-137 shots from the foul line, good for 75.2 percent, in the wins. Conversely, the Jayhawks made just 38.5 (106-275) percent from the field, including 31.7 (19-60) percent from three, in its five losses. KU also struggled from the foul line in its losses down the stretch as it made only 60.0 (33-55) percent from the charity stripe.
-By far the biggest difference in the wins and losses is with Davis who averages an amazing 76.3 percent from the field in the seven wins, while she is making 53.3 percent from the field in the five losses. Davis has scored 25.6 points per game in the wins and just 12.2 points per loss.
-KU is one of the younger teams in the country as it sends out a starting lineup with three sophomores, a redshirt freshman and a senior. With only three upperclassmen on their roster, the Jayhawks are getting 82.6 percent of their scoring from players in either their first or second year in college. Led by the sophomore duo of All-Big 12 First Team member Davis (18.4) and Monica Engelman (12.2), the Baby Jays are scoring 58.0 of the team’s 70.2 points per game.
-Engelman closed regular season play leading the Big 12 in three-point field goal percentage in conference games as she knocked down 43.1 percent from beyond the arc. She made 22-of-51 from three-point land in 16 conference games. She finished ranked fourth in the Big 12 in overall games at 43.0 percent. Engelman has made 9-of-15 shots from beyond the arc in her last three games.
-Davis is shooting 66.3 percent from the field as she has knocked down 220-of-332 shots this season. She leads the Big 12 and ranks second in the NCAA in field goal percentage. Davis made 104-of-156 shots from the floor in conference play, good for 66.7 percent.
-Davis is averaging a team-best 18.4 points per game on the season overall, and is also pulling down a team-leading 7.4 caroms per contest. She has recorded eight double-doubles on the season, including doing so in three of the last four games. Davis ranks third in the Big 12 and 28th in the NCAA in scoring.
-KU ranks seventh nationally (second in Big 12) in field goal percentage at 46.6 percent. The Jayhawks are led by Davis, who has made 220-of-332 shots from the field, good for a league-leading 66.3 percent. In all, seven KU players are shooting better than 40.0 percent on the season.
-Kansas sophomore guard Angel Goodrich has recorded double-figure assists in three games on the season, including a personal-best 15 assists versus Iowa State (Feb. 9). Goodrich has 161 assists on the year, marking her second-straight season with 100 or more assists. Her 161 assists rank sixth on the KU single-season assist chart. She is second in the Big 12 in assists and ranks eighth nationally with 6.2 dimes per game. She upped her average in conference games to a league-best 6.6 helpers per outing.
-KU has knocked down 457-of-676 shots from the foul line. The Jayhawks’ opponents have only made 491 trips to the foul line compared to KU’s 676 attempts. Kansas is averaging 20.5 free throw attempts per game, compared to 14.9 attempts per game for its opponents. On the season, Kansas owns a 124 point advantage over its foes from the foul line.
-Kansas has dished 519 assists on the season, good for an average of 15.7 dimes per outing. The Jayhawks rank third in the Big 12 and 30th nationally in assists per game. Goodrich leads the way with 161 assists in 26 games. She is dishing out 6.2 assists per game which ranks second in the Big 12 and eighth nationally. Freshman guard Keena Mays has dished 118 helpers on the year, ranking 13th in the Big 12. Engelman has recorded 92 dimes on the season.
-Goodrich etched her name in the KU record books again as she dished a career-best 15 dimes in KU’s win over Iowa State. Goodrich’s 15 assists rank second on the KU single game chart and are the most assists by a Kansas player since Lisa Braddy dished 18 helpers versus Creighton on Dec. 22, 1989. Her 15 assists are the most ever recorded by a Kansas player in Allen Fieldhouse (male or female) and are the most by a Big 12 player this season.
-Kansas is 3-1 in WNIT second round games. The Jayhawks received a bye in the 2008 WNIT before defeating Evansville in the second round. KU also received a bye in the 2009 WNIT before recording a win over Creighton. Kansas also defeated Creighton in a 2010 second round game. The Jayhawks’ lone loss came at the hands of Ole Miss in the 2006 WNIT second round.
A LOOK AT DUQUESNE
At 23-8 (9-5 A10), Duquesne enters the game versus KU having won three of its last four games on the season. The Dukes finished tied for third place in the Atlantic 10 Conference, but fell in the A-10 Tourney first round to Dayton. DU is an impressive 13-3 in road games on the season. Junior guard Alex Gensler leads the Dukes with 12.4 points per game to go along with 3.1 boards, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Senior forward Samantha Pollino, who was named to the All A-10 Second Team, turns in 12.0 points and 5.4 caroms per contest. Freshman forward Wumi Agunbiade is the third Duquesne player in double digits as she averages 11.0 points and a team-best 7.3 rebounds an outing. Agunbiade also leads the Dukes with 1.4 blocks a game. Junior guard Vanessa Abel leads DU in assists with 4.7 per game and also in steals with 2.4 an outing. The Dukes collect 11.0 steals per game as a team. Duquesne shoots 35.1 percent from beyond the arc, led by Gensler who has knocked down 64 triples on the season. DU is coached by Suzie McConnell-Serio, who owns a 78-47 ledger in her fourth season with the Dukes. McConnell-Serio’s overall mark is the same.
A LOOK AT KANSAS
Kansas is 21-12 overall and finished 6-10 in Big 12 regular season games. KU has won five of its last eight games. Kansas defeated Wichita State, 79-58, in the opening round of the 2011 WNIT. KU got 33 points from sophomore forward Carolyn Davis in the win as she made 14-of-15 shots from the field. The Jayhawks are led on the season by Davis’ 18.0 points per game. She has posted 13 20-point games on the season, highlighted by a career-best 36-point effort in KU’s win over Nebraska on Feb. 26. Davis has gone over the 30-point mark in four contests on the season and five in her career. She is also grabbing a team-best 7.4 boards per game. Sophomore guard Monica Engelman is averaging 12.2 points per game, while also pulling down 4.0 rebounds per game. Engelman leads Kansas in three-point field goal shooting as she is making 43.0 percent from beyond the arc. She also leads KU with 46 threes. Junior forward Aishah Sutherland is next in scoring with 8.6 points per contest off the bench. She is pulling down 7.3 caroms per contest. Sophomore guard Angel Goodrich leads KU with 1.7 steals per game, while also averaging a team-best 6.2 assists and 7.5 points per outing. Goodrich stepped up her game in conference play as she turned in 7.6 points, 6.6 assists and 3.0 boards per game in league play. Davis tops KU in blocks with 1.4 per game, while Sutherland blocks 1.2 per game. KU is shooting 46.6 percent from the field, which ranks second in the Big 12 and seventh in the NCAA. Kansas is holding its opponents to 39.6 percent from the field. Davis leads the team in field goal percentage as she is knocking down 66.3 percent of her shots, which tops the Big 12. Six other Jayhawks are also shooting 40.0 percent or better. Senior Marisha Brown and redshirt freshman Tania Jackson round out the KU starting line up with Brown turning in 3.6 points and 2.3 boards per game and Jackson adding 4.5 points and 3.0 rebounds an outing. Freshman Keena Mays is turning in 7.3 points and 3.6 assists per game off the bench.
A KANSAS WIN WOULD…
Improve the Jayhawks to 22-12 on the season, giving KU its most wins in a season since it was 22-14 during the 2008-09 season … The 22 wins would tie (2008-09) for the most wins under Kansas head coach Bonnie Henrickson during her KU tenure … Improve the Jayhawks to 16-4 in home games, including a perfect 12-0 mark in Allen Fieldhouse versus non-conference foes … Make KU 10-4 all-time in WNIT play … Move the Jayhawks to 1-0 all-time versus DU … Make the Jayhawks 12-4 all-time versus schools from the Atlantic 10 Conference … Improve Henrickson to 7-1 against DU, including a 1-0 mark at KU … Give Henrickson a 118-107 mark at Kansas and a 276-169 overall record … Make Kansas 715-505 all time.
A KANSAS LOSS WOULD…
Drop KU to 21-13 to close out the 2010-11 season … Move the series to a 1-0 advantage for Duquesne … Give KU head coach Bonnie Henrickson a 6-2 record against DU, including an 0-1 mark while at KU … Make the Jayhawks 11-5 all-time versus schools from the Atlantic 10 Conference … Make KU 9-5 all-time in WNIT play … Drop Henrickson’s record at KU to 117-108 and her overall mark to 275-170 … Make Kansas 714-506 all time.
