Kansas Opens Basketball Travelers Classic With Lamar Friday
Nov. 23, 2011
Travelers Basketball Classic Central
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Following its first road victory of the season, Kansas women’s basketball returns home with an unblemished 3-0 record to play three games in three days during the Basketball Travelers Classic, Nov. 25-27 in Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks open the tournament versus Lamar (4-1) on Friday at 7 p.m. Play continues Saturday as KU takes on IUPUI (1-2) at 4 p.m. followed by the weekend finale versus FAU (3-1) Sunday afternoon at 1:30 p.m.
How to Follow the Jayhawks
The contest will be televised live on Knology. Fans can also watch online through AT&T Jayhawk All-Access by going to www.KUAthletics.com. The Jayhawk Radio Network will broadcast the game with Nate Bukaty and Brian Hanni calling the action.
Fast Breaks
– In the most recent USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll, released Nov. 22, Kansas is receiving six votes to rank No. 35. It is the first time KU has appeared in a poll since it was receiving votes on Jan. 17, 2011.
– The Jayhawks are 3-0 for the fifth-straight season.
– KU is outrebounding foes by 5.7 boards per game through its first three contests of the season, up from last year’s +1.2 margin.
– Kansas has hit 75 of its 95 foul shots, good enough for 78.9 percent, which ranks second in the Big 12 Conference.
– For the 20th time in her career and first time this season Carolyn Davis reached the 20-point mark as the junior collected 21 points at Wake Forest on Nov. 20.
– Angel Goodrich recorded a career-high seven steals versus the Deacons last Sunday, passing her previous mark of five. She has three or more steals in all three games this season and ranks tied for first in the conference with 5.5 steals per game.
– Goodrich also owns five or more assists in 16-straight games dating back to last season, including six helpers at Wake Forest Sunday. Her 294 career assists are two shy of cracking the top 10 of KU’s career list.
About the Jayhawks
Kansas enters this weekend’s tournament with a perfect 3-0 record after holding off Wake Forest Sunday, when KU edged out the Deacons 74-73 with a game-winning layup from sophomore Keena Mays with five seconds remaining. After missing the season-opener due to injury, Carolyn Davis has scored in double-figures in each of the last two contests to lead the Jayhawks with 17.5 ppg in just 22 minutes per outing. She is hitting 76.5 percent of her shots, which ranks third in the Big 12. Sophomore Tania Jackson is coming off a dominating performance in which the forward hit 6-for-7 from the field for 15 points and pulled down a team-high nine rebounds to go along with a career-best four blocks. Jackson is third on the team averaging 12.3 ppg behind senior Aishah Sutherland’s 13.7 ppg. Sutherland also leads KU on the boards with 9.3 rpg.
Backcourt members Monica Engelman and Angel Goodrich round out the double-digit scorers with 12.0 and 11.7 ppg, respectively. Engelman is tops on the team shooting 88.2 percent from the foul line (15-for-17) while KU is hitting a respectable 79.5 percent as a team, second in the conference. Goodrich leads the Big 12 with 5.5 steals per game and but also dishes 6.0 assists per outing on the opposite end of the court. She owns 294 assists for her career and is just two assists shy of KU’s all-time top 10 list.
Scouting Lamar
Lamar has won its last three contests to bring a 4-1 record into Friday’s game with its lone blemish coming at Big 12 foe Texas A&M on Nov. 12. Most recently, the Lady Cardinals battled back from a halftime deficit for the second-straight game to pick up a 70-62 win at Southern University Monday. Junior Kalis Loyd leads Lamar in scoring with 19.8 ppg and is also tops on the team with 19 assists and 13 steals. She is one of only two players averaging double-digit points along with Nebraska senior transfer Monique Whittaker (14.2 ppg). The Lady Cardinals are shooting 41.3 percent from the field while holding opponents to 37.5 percent, but are losing the battle of the boards by a -1.6 margin. Danielle Heithoff leads Lamar with 8.8 rpg and four blocks.
Lamar returns 10 letterwinners, including three starters, from its 25-8 team last season and is just a year removed from an NCAA Tournament appearance (2010).
Series History
Lamar won the most recent meeting between the schools, a 78-72 win on Dec. 19, 1993 in Beaumont, Texas, to even the all-time series at one game apiece. Kansas won the first meeting with an 84-56 victory in Lawrence on Feb. 16, 1993.
Up Next
Kansas continues play in the Basketball Travelers Classic on Saturday when it hosts IUPUI at 4 p.m. The Jayhawks wrap up the tournament versus FAU Sunday at 1:30 p.m. in Allen Fieldhouse.
