Goodrich Leads Jayhawks to Upset over Delaware, 70-64, in NCAA Second Round

March 20, 2012

Final Stats | Notes |

Kansas 70, No. 7/8 Delaware 64
Jack Stephens Center // Little Rock, Ark.

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Smothering defense from the Jayhawks helped secure KU’s 70-64 victory over Delaware.

1st 2nd Final
No. 7/8 Delaware
37 27 64
Kansas 31 39 70
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Game Coverage
tinynotesicon.pngNotes | Quotes
Statistical Leaders
Delaware Kansas
Points Delle Donne (34) Goodrich (27)
Rebounds Two tied (10) Sutherland (11)
Assists Miller (3) Goodrich (6)
Steals Parker (2) Two tied (2)
Blocks Delle Donne (2) Gardner (2)
Stats at a Glance
UD KU
FG Percentage 37.5 50.0
3-Point FG Percentage 14.3 37.5
FT Percentage 83.3 33.3
Offensive Rebounds 12 8
Defensive Rebounds 28 26
Total Rebounds 40 34
Turnovers 13 9
Points in the Paint 24 34
Points off Turnovers 12 15
Second Chance Points 14 9
Fast Break Points 2 4
Bench Points 7 7

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.–Behind a 27-point showing from junior point guard Angel Goodrich, the Kansas women’s basketball team defeated No. 7/8 Delaware, 70-64, to advance to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. This marks the first Sweet 16 appearance for KU since the 1998 season and third all time.

The Jayhawks improved to 21-12 on the season while the third-seeded Hens finished the year at 31-2.

Senior Aishah Sutherland had KU’s only double-double, contributing 12 points and 11 rebounds during the contest. Freshman Chelsea Gardner joined the duo in double figures, chipping in 10 points. Kansas shot 50 percent for the game, including 60.7 percent in the second half.

Goodrich, named the Capital One Player of the Game, came out of the gate hot in the first half, scoring KU’s first five points before Delaware made a bucket. UD took the lead following an 8-0 to make the score 14-9, with 13:24 in the opening period.

Sutherland put a stop to the onslaught with a floater, marking her first points of the contest. Sophomore Tania Jackson followed with a three to tie it up, 14-14, with 11:41 to go in the first half. Sutherland completed the six-point swing with a fade-away jumper to give the Jayhawks a two-point advantage.

After Sutherland’s bucket, Delaware would amass a 16-6 run against the Crimson and Blue, giving the Hens a 30-22 advantage with 3:53 in the opening half. Five points from Gardner and four from Angel over the next four minutes cut KU’s deficit to just three, but UD sensation Elena Delle Donne hit a three as time expired to send the Hens into the lockerroom with a 37-31 lead. Delle Donne had 17 points at the half and finished with a game-high 34 tallies.

Goodrich led KU at the break with 11 points, while Sutherland and Gardner chipped in eight and seven points, respectively. In a half that saw seven of the game’s eight lead changes, the Jayhawks were outrebounded 27 to 13, but had only committed two turnovers.

Out of the lockerroom, Goodrich led the offense, knocking in a quick layup that Sutherland followed with one of her own to cut KU’s deficit to two. After a basket from UD, Goodrich responded with a three-pointer to make it a one-point ballgame. The two teams then exchanged buckets before a layup from Goodrich kick-started a 7-0 run for KU, forcing Delaware to call timeout, and giving the Jayhawks their first lead of the half, 47-43, with 15:11 to play.

Kansas kept the run going out of the timeout as freshman Natalie Knight drained another three to stretch KU’s lead to seven. The Jayhawks responded with another steal and a fastbreak layup from sophomore CeCe Harper to extend KU’s run to 12-0 and give them a 52-43 lead.

UD retaliated with an 11-4 run of its own, but Goodrich cut the Hens’ momentum with a layup to make the score 59-54, KU, with 8:21 left to play. Delle Donne put in three free throws, but Goodrich made five-straight points for the Crimson and Blue to force UD to take another timeout with 5:06 remaining and KU holding a seven-point advantage.

Hens coach Tina Martin was forced into another timeout just one minute later as Kansas extended its lead to 11, 68-57, with two more layups from Gardner and Goodrich, respectively. A layup from Harper sealed the victory for the Jayhawks with 2:37 to play.

The Jayhawks will take on No. 7/9 Tennessee Saturday, March 24 in Des Moines, Iowa. The game, scheduled for 11 a.m., will be televised on ESPN.