Kansas Women To Face Sacred Heart

Nov. 23, 2004

Game Notes in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

Kansas Jayhawks (0-1) vs. Sacred Heart Pioneers (1-0)
Game #2 – Wed., Nov. 24, 2004 – 7:05 p.m. – Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)

Radio/Television
Jayhawk Radio Network: Nate Bukaty (play-by-play) and Brian Hanni (color analyst) call the action. Sunflower Broadband Channel 6: Kevin Romary (play-by-play) and Lynn Harrod (color) call the action. Records
Kansas is 0-1 after falling in its season-opener. Sacred Heart is 1-0 coming off a win over Yale.

Rankings
None.

Coaches
Bonnie Henrickson is 0-1 in her first year at Kansas, and 158-63 in her eighth year as a head coach overall. The Pioneers are coached by Ed Swanson who is 213-176 in his 15th year at Sacred Heart and overall.

Jayhawk Storylines
– Kansas is 0-1 after falling 53-49 in its season-opener versus Texas-Arlington. The Jayhawks were led by junior Crystal Kemp’s 26 points and eight rebounds. Junior Erica Hallman added 11 points and sophomore Alicia Rhymes had nine rebounds.
– Kemp’s 26 points tied a career high and marked the most by a Jayhawk in a season-opener since Brooke Reves scored 28 against Grambling State on Nov. 18, 2000.
– The game is the first-ever meeting between Kansas and Sacred Heart. Additionally, it is the first game for KU against a team from the Northeast Conference, and the first game for SHU against a team from the Big 12 Conference.
– Several players recorded career firsts against Texas-Arlington, including freshmen Taylor McIntosh and Jamie Boyd who made their career debuts. McIntosh and Rhymes also made their first career starts.
– Kansas plays its first five games of the season at home in a 12 day period between Nov. 21 and Dec. 2. Additionally, the Dec. 2 game will mark KU’s 1,000th all-time game.

Tonight’s Game
Kansas plays its second consecutive home game to start the season on Wednesday, Nov. 24 against the Sacred Heart Pioneers at 7:05 p.m. The game, broadcast on Sunflower Broadband channel 6, is the second of five home games KU will play in Allen Fieldhouse to open the season.
KU is fresh off a heart-stopping finish Sunday afternoon that saw the Texas-Arlington Lady Mavs escape with a 53-49 win in the Jayhawks’ season-opener. Trailing by two points in the final 15 seconds of the game, KU junior Erica Hallman took the ball to the hole, but charged into the Lady Mavs defender as the ball went through the hoop. The basket was waved off and UTA hit two free throws to ice the game.
KU was led in scoring by junior Crystal Kemp who tied a career-high with 26 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Hallman added 11 points and five assists. Sophomore Alicia Rhymes and freshman Taylor McIntosh each made their first career starts in first year head coach Bonnie Henrickson’s debut. Rhymes led KU in rebounding with nine.
Sacred Heart, which is located in Fairfield, Conn., faces KU after a season-opening 66-53 win at Yale last Friday. Coached by Ed Swanson, the Pioneers return eight letterwinners and three starters. After finishing 21-8 overall and 14-4 in the Northeast Conference, Sacred Heart is picked to finish second in its league this season.
Leading the charge for the Pioneers are returning starters Kerri Burke and Nicolle Rubino. The pair provided a large chunk of the SHU offense last season, combining for 26.6 points per game, nearly 40 percent of the offensive output.
The matchup will mark the first-ever meeting between the two teams.

Last Time Out
Kansas fell 53-49 to Texas-Arlington in the opening game of the 2004-05 season, Sunday at Allen Fieldhouse. KU shot just 34 percent from the floor and committed 22 turnovers in the loss.
KU got a big effort from junior forward Crystal Kemp, who led all scorers with 26 points to go with eight boards. Junior Erica Hallman scored 11 points for the Jayhawks and sophomore Alicia Rhymes led on the glass with nine rebounds.
“We had too many possessions where we didn’t run the offense correctly,” head coach Bonnie Henrickson said. “That led to too many turnovers, which cost us the game. We gave up too many offensive rebounds, which is something we will have to work on.”
UTA got a double-double effort from Rola Ogunoye. Ogunoye had a team high 21 points to go along with 11 rebounds. Terra Wallace chipped in with 12 points for the Lady Mavs.
Kansas held a six-point lead at the break, but was outscored by UTA 32-22 in the second half. In the final minute, Hallman hit a three to cut the UTA lead to 50-49. Texas-Arlington’s Krystal Buchanan hit a free throw to give the Lady Mavs a two-point lead with 23 seconds remaining.
The Jayhawks had a chance to tie it in the waning seconds, but Hallman’s drive and basket was wiped away by an offensive foul. UTA’s Buchanan hit two free throws to ice the game.

Head Coach Bonnie Henrickson
Head coach Bonnie Henrickson, in her first season at the helm of the Jayhawks, is one the hottest young coaches in the nation. Henrickson comes to KU after seven successful seasons at Virginia Tech University where she compiled a record of 158-62 (.718). Her teams averaged 23 wins per season and advanced to postseason play all seven years including five NCAA appearances. When Henrickson took over at Tech for the 1997-98 season, she orchestrated the biggest turnaround in school history. She guided her team to a 22-10 record, the school’s first Atlantic 10 Conference title and an NCAA second-round appearance just one season after the Hokies had finished last in the Atlantic 10 Conference with a 10-21 record. Overall, the Willmar, Minn., native has been a part of 11-straight postseason teams entering the 2004-05 season.

A Quick Look At the Jayhawks
The Jayhawks take the court this year with seven returning players and three newcomers. Returning team MVP Crystal Kemp (Topeka, Kan.) is back for her junior season and will anchor the inside game. At 6-2, Kemp is the tallest player on the KU roster. Sophomore Alicia Rhymes (Shreveport, La.), freshman Jamie Boyd (Underwood, Iowa) and freshman Taylor McIntosh (Wichita, Kan.) will bolster the Jayhawk frontcourt.
As a result of a lack of height, Henrickson may choose to go with a four-out, one-in type of offense, and she has six quality players to work with on the perimeter. Junior Erica Hallman (Covington, Ky.) will carry the brunt of the workload at the point, while junior Kaylee Brown (Arcadia,Okla.), senior Blair Waltz (Leawood, Kan.), senior Aquanita Burras (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and sophomore Sharita Smith (Dallas, Texas) will operate on the wings. Junior Heather Hayes (Derby, Kan.), a late addition to the team, will also see time on the wing.

Kansas Signs Four
Kansas signed four players during the early signing period for the 2005-06 season including Ivana Catic (E-von-uh Cot-ich), Shaquina Mosley (Sha-KWAH-nah MOSE-lee), Jennifer Orgas (Or-GUS) and Sophronia Sallard (Suh-FRONE-yuh SUH-lard). Catic, Orgas and Sallard will join the Jayhawks as freshmen, while Mosley will be a junior after transferring from Central Arizona College.
Kansas Signees At-a-GlanceKansas Signees At-a-Glance
Ivana Catic (point guard, 5-8, Wheeling, W.V. – Mt. deChantal Academy)
Shaquina Mosley (point guard, 5-6, Lancaster, Calif. – Antelope Valley HS/Central Ariz. College)
Jennifer Orgas (forward, 6-2, Omaha, Neb. – Skutt Catholic HS)
Sophronia Sallard (guard/forward, 5-10, Syracuse, N.Y. – Nottingham HS)

Tonight’s Opponent – Sacred Heart Pioneers
Sacred Heart (1-0) comes to Lawrence after opening its season on Nov. 19 with a 66-53 win at Yale. SHU was led by junior guard Nicolle Rubino with 18 points, five rebounds, two assists, two steals and a blocked shot. Also in double figures for SHU was sophomore point guard Kerri Burke who poured in a career-high 14 points off four-of-nine shooting from the floor. She also grabbed five boards with two assists and two steals. Sophomore guard Amanda Pape finished with 11 with four steals, three rebounds and three assists.
Senior Colleen Duggan (Newington, CT) came off the bench to notch 13 points on five-of-seven from the floor with three rebounds and a block. The Pioneers shot 40.0 percent (26-65) for the game but were out rebounded 41-35.
Sacred Heart, which is located in Fairfield, Conn., is coached by Ed Swanson. The Pioneers return eight letterwinners and three starters. After finishing 21-8 overall and 14-4 in the Northeast Conference, Sacred Heart is picked to finish second in its league this season. Swanson is 213-176 in his fifth year at SHU and overall.
The game marks the first ever meeting between Sacred Heart and KU, and the first time SHU has ever played a team from the Big 12 Conference.

Series Notes
First meeting between the two schools. Kansas coach Bonnie Henrickson has never faced Sacred Heart. SHU coach Ed Swanson has never faced KU.

A Kansas Win Would
Make KU 1-0 all-time against Sacred Heart … Give the Jayhawks their first win of the season … Make head coach Bonnie Henrickson’s record 1-1 (.500) at KU and 159-63 (.716) in her career … Make the Jayhawks 598-399 all-time.

A Kansas Loss Would
Make KU 0-1 all-time against Sacred Heart … Give the Jayhawks a two game losing streak … Make head coach Bonnie Henrickson’s record 0-2 (.000) at KU and 158-64 (.712) in her career … Make the Jayhawks 597-400 all-time.

Returning For The Jayhawks
Kansas returns seven players and three starters from last year’s team that finished 9-19 overall and 2-14 in the Big 12. Leading the returners is 2003-04 team MVP junior Crystal Kemp who averaged 13.4 points and 5.8 rebounds last year. Other returners with starting experience include senior Blair Waltz, senior Aquanita Burras, junior Kaylee Brown, junior Erica Hallman and sophomore Sharita Smith. Also returning is sophomore Alicia Rhymes.

The Newcomers
Joining the team in 2004-05 are three newcomers including two freshmen and one junior. Below is a quick look at the new faces.
No., Name, Pos., Ht., Cl., Notes
10, Jamie Boyd, F, 6-0, Fr., Winner of the 2004 Ms. Iowa Basketball award.
13, Taylor McIntosh, F, 5-11, Fr., Wichita Heights product scored over 1,400 points.
22, Heather Hayes, G, 5-8, Jr., Began her career at Oral Roberts. Spent last season as a redshirt walk-on for the Jayhawks.

An All-Star Staff
Joining Bonnie Henrickson on the sidelines in her first season at KU are assistant coaches Karen Lange, Kyra Elzy, Katie O’Connor. Also joining the staff is director of operations Trena Anderson and administrative assistant Katie Wulf. Lange, O’Connor and Anderson followed Henrickson from Virginia Tech, while Elzy and Wulf both join KU from Western Kentucky. Prior to WKU, Elzy also worked as an administrative assistant for Henrickson at Virginia Tech. At an average age of less than 28 years old, Henrickson’s three assistant coaches (Lange, Elzy, O’Connor) have already been a part of 19 NCAA tournaments, eight Sweet 16s, five Elite Eights, four Final Fours and two National Championships, combined.

Random Notes
– Senior Aquanita Burras owns the team’s longest starting streak at 58 games. She has started every game of her Kansas career.
– Junior Erica Hallman is in the all-time top 10 at Kansas for three-pointers made (61, tied for 8th), three-pointers attempted (173, 8th) and three-point field goal percentage (35.3 percent, 8th).
– Junior Crystal Kemp ranks seventh on the KU all-time free throw percentage list (minimum 50 made). She has connected on 162-of-218 free throws for 74.3 percent.
– Kansas is playing its 37th season of women’s basketball, and it’s 32nd season of basketball in Allen Fieldhouse. Bonnie Henrickson is the fifth head coach in KU history.

Preseason Polls
Texas was picked by both the conference media and league coaches to win the Big 12 Championship in 2004-05. In the Coaches Poll, Texas received 11 first place votes and Kansas State took one first place nod. In the Media Poll, Texas received 12 first place votes while K-State received two votes. Kansas was picked to finish 11th in both preseason polls.

Home Court Advantage
Kansas fans will have plenty of opportunities to check out the Jayhawks in Allen Fieldhouse this season. KU plays a total of 18 games this year in Lawrence including two exhibition games, eight non-conference contests and eight conference matchups. Other than conference play, KU will only take to the road three times. KU plays at No. 14 Minnesota on Dec. 5, at Creighton on Dec. 21 and at Ball State on Dec. 30.

20 Games On TV
KU’s television package in 2004-05 is the finest in school history. The Jayhawks will play four times on national television (two each on Fox Sports Net and CSTV), four times on Metro Sports out of Kansas City, nine times on Sunflower Broadband in Lawrence, once on the Jayhawk Television Network and at least two other road Big 12 games. All 16 regular season home games will be on the tube, in addition to games at Texas, Colorado, Kansas State and Iowa State.

Increased Radio Coverage
The Jayhawk Radio Network has improved its coverage of the Jayhawks in 2004-05. Stations carrying the Jayhawks included KLWN 1320-AM in Lawrence, KWIC 99.3-FM in Topeka, KFH 98.7-FM in Wichita and either KMBZ 980-AM or KXTR-1660-AM in Kansas City.

Woodard To Be Enshrined In Women’s HOF
The Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame announced its seventh group of inductees, the Class of 2005, on Sunday, November 14. The six members of the Class of 2005 are Joe Ciampi, Kelli Litsch, Hunter Low, Edna Tarbutton, Dixie Woodall and Lynette Woodard.
Woodard, a Kansas legend, scored 3,649 points to become the all-time leading scorer in Division I women’s collegiate basketball en route to becoming a four-time Kodak All-American and winning the 1981 Wade Trophy then went on to become a two-time Olympian, serving as captain of the USA’s 1984 gold medal-winning squad, and the first female to play for the Harlem Globetrotters before playing professionally in Japan and Italy and two seasons in the WNBA.
The six individuals in the Class of 2005 will be formally enshrined as members of the Hall of Fame during a weekend of induction festivities to be held Friday and Saturday, June 10-11, 2005, in Knoxville.
Woodard becomes the second Jayhawk to be enshrined to in the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, joining former Kansas coach Marian Washington who was enshrined in June of 2004.

Up Next For KU
After the game with Sacred Heart, the Jayhawks will remain at home for three more games. KU will next face UMKC on Saturday, Nov. 27 at 1 p.m., before playing host to Denver on Tuesday and Washburn on Thursday. The UMKC game will air on the Jayhawk Television Network, and both the Denver and Washburn games will be seen on Sunflower Broadband channel 6. KU plays its first five regular season games, all at home, in a span of only 12 days.