Jayhawk Women Host UMKC Wednesday

Nov. 13, 2007

LAWRENCE, Kan. –

Game Notes

OPENING TIP

The University of Kansas women’s basketball team will try to pick up its second win of the season when it plays host to UMKC on Wednesday, Nov. 14. The Jayhawks and Kangaroos will tip-off at 7 p.m., in Allen Fieldhouse. KU leads the all-time series 12-3 and has won three-straight. Kansas head coach Bonnie Henrickson needs just one win to hit the 200 career victory plateau.

FAST BREAKS

-Three Jayhawks are averaging double figures in scoring after one game. Freshman Nicollette Smith leads the team with 19.0 points per game, while sophomores Sade Morris (17.0) and Danielle McCray (13.0) also posted double digits in the win over Hartford.

-Kansas has three freshmen on its 2007-08 roster and for two minutes versus Hartford all three were on the court at the same time, along with sophomores Danielle McCray and Kelly Kohn.

-The Kansas bench outscored their Hartford counterparts 37-16, led by Nicollette Smith’s 19 tallies and Kelly Kohn’s nine-point effort.

-The Jayhawks shared the ball well against Hartford, as they had 18 assists on 23 field goals. Four players dished out four assists each (Ivana Catic, Sade Morris, Kelly Kohn).

KU-UMKC SERIES HISTORY

The Jayhawks and Kangaroos will be meeting for the 16th time, with KU leading the all-time series 12-3. Kansas leads 7-1 in games played in Allen Fieldhouse and is a perfect 3-0 against UMKC under head coach Bonnie Henrickson. After losing the first two games in the series, Kansas has won 12 of the last 13 games.

A LOOK AT UMKC

The Kangaroos are off to a 2-0 start under first-year head coach Candace White-Whitaker. UMKC knocked off Central Arkansas, 73-63, on the road, before defeating Air Force, 65-59, in Kansas City on Sunday. UMKC is led by Chazny Morris with 17.5 points and 8.5 boards per game. Alysa Klein turns in 13.0 points and 5.5 rebound per game, while Taushelle Rushing is adding 10.0 points and 3.0 steals per outing. Klein needs just two blocks to set a new all-time career mark at UMKC. White-Whitaker is in her first year at the helm of the UMKC program after serving as interim head coach for the majority of last season after previous head coach Bo Overton left to take over the Chicago Sky of the WNBA.

A LOOK AT KANSAS

The Jayhawks enter Wednesday’s game with a 1-0 mark on the season after defeating two-time defending America East champions Hartford 76-72 on Sunday afternoon in Allen Fieldhouse. Freshman Nicollette Smith turned in a double-double in her collegiate debut with 19 points and 10 boards, both game-highs. Smith, who played 31 minutes off the bench, also had two assists. Sophomore Sade Morris posted a personal best 17 points in the win to go along with four boards, four assists and two steals. Sophomore Danielle McCray added 13 points and seven rebounds. KU made 11-of-16 shots from beyond the arc, good for 69 percent. The Jayhawks also out-rebounded the Hawks 35-32 and forced UH into 16 turnovers. With the win, fourth year head coach Bonnie Henrickson improved her record at KU to 41-49. Her overall record now stands at 199-111 in her 11th season in the business.

SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION

– Kansas sophomore Danielle McCray hails from the Kansas City area, as she attended Olathe East High School in Olathe, Kan.

-The Kansas men’s basketball team defeated UMKC in their last outing, knocking off the Kangaroos 85-62 on Sunday night in Allen Fieldhouse.

KANSAS VERSUS THE SUMMITT LEAGUE

KU is 24-4 all-time versus the Summitt League. The Jayhawks have faced IUPUI (1-0), Oral Roberts (9-0), UMKC (12-3) and Western Illinois (2-1). Kansas head coach Bonnie Henrickson is 6-1 against the Summitt League. Henrickson has faced UMKC (3-0), South Dakota State (0-1), Southern Utah (1-0) and Western Illinois (2-0). KU

IMPRESSIVE VERSUS NON-CONFERENCE OPPONENTS

The Jayhawks have compiled an impressive record outside the Big 12 Conference in regular-season play. KU owns a 260-136 (.653 winning percentage) record versus non-conference opponents. The Jayhawks’ best non-conference record came during the 2005-06 season as they collected an 11-0 mark against non-conference foes during the regular season and added another out of conference win during the 2006 WNIT with a win over Northern Iowa.

LAST TIME OUT

Freshman Nicollette Smith scored a game-high 19 points and made four clutch free-throws in the final minute to lead the University of Kansas women’s basketball team over Hartford, 76-72, in its season opener at Allen Fieldhouse on Sunday afternoon. Smith’s 19, which included four of the Jayhawks’ 11 three-pointers, were the most points scored by a KU freshman in a debut since Crystal Kemp scored 21 in her first collegiate game in 2002. Smith also pulled in 10 rebounds. Sophomore Sade Morris also had a standout game for Kansas, setting a career high with 17 points, surpassing her previous best of 15 which was set Northern Illinois last season. After a slow start, the Jayhawks went on a 21-6 run midway through the first half to take a 25-15 lead on two straight baskets by freshman Chakeita Weldon. Kansas’ lead grew to as much as 15 and was never less than nine in the opening frame as the Jayhawks took a 37-27 lead into the break. KU extended its lead to 48-37 on a Morris trey just over five minutes into the second half, but Hartford staged a comeback, going on a 16-7 run over the next eight minutes to cut the margin to 55-53. After three Smith free-throws which were then followed by a Hartford score, Morris regained the momentum for her squad with a streaking lay-up plus the foul, igniting an 11-2 KU run to push the lead back to 69-56 with 3:14 remaining. Hartford battled back again, going on a 12-3 run, capped by back-to-back three-pointers by MaryLynne Schaefer, to make it a 72-69 game with 19 seconds remaining. After two Smith free-throws, Schaefer nailed another trey to cut the lead to two with nine seconds left. However, Smith sealed the win with two more shots from the charity stripe. Kansas shot 51.9-percent from the field for the game and connected on 19-of-22 free-throws, including a perfect 7-for-7 by Smith. KU held the Hawks to just 39.3-percent shooting and turned 16 Hartford turnovers into 20 points. The Jayhawks’ bench, led by nine points from sophomore Kelly Kohn, outscored Hartford’s by a count of 37-16. Sophomore Danielle McCray scored 13 points – all in the first half – and grabbed seven boards while Catic, Kohn and Morris each dished out four assists.

HARTFORD LEFTOVERS

– Kansas improves to 30-10 all-time in season-openers, including 3-1 under Bonnie Henrickson. Over the last 10 years, KU is 7-3 in the first game of the regular season.

– Henrickson moves to 2-0 as the Jayhawks’ head coach against America East opponents.

– KU built a 10-point lead at the half on the strength of 52 percent field goal percentage. Hartford was just 11-for-28 (40 percent) from the field.

– Kansas went on a 21-6 run midway through the first half to turn a five-point deficit into a 10-point lead. During the surge, five different Jayhawks scored, including Danielle McCray, who scored eight of KU’s 21 points during the eight-minute stretch.

– KU hit 11 three-point field goals, matching the third-most in a game in school history. It was the most three-pointers by a Jayhawk team since they connected on 11 treys at Colorado on Jan. 10, 2006.

– The Jayhawks’ 69 percent shooting from beyond the three-point arc was the team’s best percentage since it shot 75 percent (3-for-4) against Fairfield on Dec. 30, 2003.

– Freshman Nicollette Smith became the second Jayhawk in the last five years to score in double figures in her collegiate debut. Ivana Catic scored 13 points in her collegiate debut against Binghamton in 2005.

– Smith also recorded a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds. It marked the first double-double by a KU freshman since McCray had 25 points and 10 rebounds against Kansas State on Feb. 18 last season.

– McCray finished with 13 points on 5-for-9 shooting from the field. Dating back to last season, it marked the fifth consecutive game she has scored in double-figures.

– Sophomore Sade Morris’ 17 points were a career high. Her season-high as a freshman was 15 against Northern Illinois on Dec. 29. She also tied a career-best with four assists.

– Kansas’ 19 free throws made were the most since connecting on 20 free throws against New Orleans on Dec. 3, 2005.

NIFTY NIC

Freshman forward Nicollette Smith was named the Phillips 66 Big 12 Rookie of the Week by a media voting panel for games from Nov. 5-11. The Tulsa, Okla., native turned in a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds, both game highs, in her Jayhawk debut. Smith made 4-of-7 shots from beyond the arc and all seven of her free throw attempts, including going 4-of-4 in the final minute, to lead KU to a 76-72 season-opening win over two-time defending America East champion Hartford. She also had two assists in the Jayhawk win. Smith is the fourth Jayhawk to earn Big 12 Rookie of the Week and first since Kelly Kohn was honored on Dec. 18, 2006.

HENRICKSON ONE WIN AWAY FROM 200

With a season-opening win over Hartford, Kansas head coach Bonnie Henrickson enters the UMKC contest with an overall mark of 199-111 (.641 winning percentage) in her first 10+ seasons on the sidelines. With just one win, Henrickson will hit the prestigious 200-victory mark. Through her first decade as a head coach, the Willmar, Minn., native, has averaged right at 20 wins per season.

BIG 12 PRESEASON POLL

The University of Kansas was tabbed 10th in the preseason poll voted on by the league’s head coaches. Texas A&M edged two-time defending champion Oklahoma for the top spot in the poll. The Aggies return all five starters from last season’s team and received seven first place votes. McCray Garners Preseason All-Big 12 Honors Kansas sophomore guard-forward Danielle McCray was tabbed Preseason All-Big 12 honorable mention in a poll of the league coaches. It was the first such honor for the 5-foot-11 Olathe, Kan., native.

LEADERS OF THE JAYHAWKS

Seniors Jamie Boyd and Taylor McIntosh and junior Ivana Catic have been named tri-captains for the 2007-08 season. It is the second-straight year for both McIntosh and Catic to be bestowed with the honor, while Boyd is serving as a captain for the first time in her Jayhawk career.

BIG 12 SHOWING POWER EARLY

The Big 12 Conference is well represented in both the preseason Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN Top 25 polls. Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Baylor and Texas are ranked in both polls, while Oklahoma State, Nebraska, Iowa State and Texas Tech are receiving votes. In addition to KU’s Big 12 competition receiving recognition, non-conference opponent California is tabbed in both Top 25 polls, while other out of conference foes, Xavier, Marquette, Drake and Hartford are receiving votes in one or both polls.

SUPER SOPHS

The 2007-08 version of the Kansas women’s basketball team features six super sophomores in guards LaChelda Jacobs, Kelly Kohn and Sade Morris, guard-forward Danielle McCray and forwards Rebecca Feickert and Porscha Weddington. Making up nearly half of the Jayhawk roster, the six will be counted on to carry a lot of weight for KU in the seasons to come.

WEBCAST AVAILABLE

New this season, Kansas fans will be able to watch 18 KU home basketball games live via AT&T Jayhawk All Access on kuathletics.com. To subscribe to Jayhawk All Access, log on to kuathletics.com and click on the All Access logo in the upper right corner of the page.

EXCELLENT EXPOSURE

The Jayhawks television and radio coverage is one of the best in the country. KU will be featured on television 24 times this season, including all 18 contests at Allen Fieldhouse. In addition, each of KU’s 16 regular season home games will be featured nationally on ESPN360.com. Kansas will also appear on national television four times. Among the Jayhawk Radio Network affiliates carrying the 2006-07 season includes WIBW (580 AM), which boasts the 11th largest signal in the country. KLWN (1320 AM) of Lawrence will join KCSP (610 AM), weekend games, and KXTR (1660 AM), weeknight games, are a few of the affiliates fans can use to listen to Jayhawk basketball.

UP NEXT

The Jayhawks will travel to Dallas for the SMU Hoops for the Cure Classic over Thanksgiving weekend. The Jayhawks will take on Drake on Friday, Nov. 23 in the opening round, followed by a match-up with host SMU or Western Michigan on the second and final day of action. Upon returning from Dallas, KU will host five-straight home games beginning with Creighton on Tuesday, Nov. 27 at 7 p.m.