No. 19 Kansas Forges a 66-55 Victory At Iowa
Nov. 18, 2009
Box Score in PDF Format
IOWA CITY, Iowa –
Five Jayhawks earned double figures, as No. 19 Kansas defeated Iowa, 66-55, in its first road game of the season. Senior Danielle McCray and redshirt freshman Angel Goodrich played strong in the second half, combining for 25 points to secure the win for the Jayhawks.
Kansas improves to 2-0 on the season, while Iowa falls to 2-1. The KU win also marks the fourth consecutive season the Jayhawks have opened with a victory on the road.
Kansas opened the contest with an 11-0 lead, while holding Iowa to 0-of-8 from the field in the first six minutes. Sophomore forward Aishah Sutherland converted on her first two attempts, which was followed by a three-pointer from senior Danielle McCray. With the long-range basket, McCray became the eighth leading scorer in Kansas history with 1,569 points.
Iowa gained some momentum after hitting its first basket at the 14:40 mark, as the Hawkeyes then went on a 10-2 run to eventually tie the game at 13-13. Kansas tightened its defense as two blocked shots and a forced turnover by Sutherland kept Iowa off the board for the next few possessions. The Jayhawks regained the lead after a jumper from senior Sade Morris and trey from freshman Monica Engelman put the Jayhawks up 18-15 with 8:32 remaining in the first frame.
The game saw four more ties before the first-half buzzer, but four points from junior Krysten Boogaard and a fast-break lay up for McCray in the final minute and a half gave the Jayhawks a one-point advantage (27-26) heading into the locker room.
Both teams struggled to find a good rhythm offensively in the first period, as Kansas recorded a 28.9 field goal percentage, and Iowa 31 percent. KU did dominate the offensive glass, though, outrebounding Iowa 11-5, which led to seven second-chance points for the Crimson and Blue.
The second half began with a similar pattern of play, as the teams traded baskets for first three minutes and neither squad could secure a lead of more than two points. McCray was able to tally ten points early in period, including six from beyond the arc.
Goodrich scored back-to-back buckets to build the Kansas lead to five (49-44). Iowa then scored six unanswered points before McCray terminated the run with a lay up in traffic, giving the Jayhawks a one-point advantage at 51-50 with 7:38 remaining on the game clock.
Goodrich added four points to her tally to give KU a six-point lead (54-62) before Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder called a timeout. Following the break, the Jayhawks extended their lead to 10 after Morris drained a three off an assist from McCray, which solidified the KU victory.
McCray finished with a game-leading 20 points and corralled seven rebounds. Sutherland recorded her second-career double-double with 12 points and 11 boards, while also contributing four steals. Boogaard chipped in 11 points, while Goodrich and Morris added 10 apiece. Goodrich matched her season high in assists with seven.
Iowa guard Kachine Alexander led all scorers with 23 points, while also leading the Hawkeyes defensive effort as she pulled in 17 rebounds.
The Jayhawks will return home for its next contest on Sunday, Nov. 22, when they take on Michigan at 2 p.m., in Allen Fieldhouse.
