Kansas Roars Past Lamar in Jayhawks' Tip-Off Classic Opener, 90-40

Nov. 25, 2011

Final Stats | Quotes | Notes |

Kansas 90, Lamar 40 Allen Fieldhouse // Lawrence, Kan.

Aishah Sutherland finished with 11 points and five rebounds as Kansas defeated Lamar, 90-40, Friday in Allen Fieldhouse. 1st 2nd Final Lamar 23 17 40 Kansas 49 41 90 Final Stats | Final Stats Game Coverage Notes | Photo Gallery | Quotes AT&T Jayhawk All-Access Replay ($) Statistical Leaders Lamar Kansas Points Loyd (13) Mays (14) Rebounds Henderson (8) Harper (7) Assists Two tied (1) Goodrich (7) Steals Two tied (2) Goodrich (7) Blocks Three tied (1) Sutherland (2) Stats at a Glance LU KU FG Percentage 18.8 54.9 3-Point FG Percentage 0.0 50.0 FT Percentage 64.0 56.3 Offensive Rebounds 20 11 Defensive Rebounds 24 36 Total Rebounds 44 47 Turnovers 25 17 Points in the Paint 18 56 Points off Turnovers 13 24 Second Chance Points 8 9 Fast Break Points 4 41 Bench Points 15 43

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Taking advantage of its quick and efficient offense, the Kansas women’s basketball team never allowed Lamar in the game as the Jayhawks’ won the first of three games in three days at the Basketball Traveler’s Tip-Off Classic, Friday night at Allen Fieldhouse, 90-40.

Working diligently to keep its undefeated record intact, Kansas (4-0) jumped out to a 24-8 lead to kickoff the opening 20 minutes and kept its distance using a 15-3 run to close out the first half, setting the tone for the offensive onslaught. Four different Jayhawks cranked out double digit points on Friday to power the Jayhawks’ to their first victory by 40 points or more since taking down Maine, 126-63, on Dec. 1, 2010.

Sophomore guard Keena Mays led all scorers with a season-high 14 points, while junior forward Carolyn Davis fell in right behind her with 12. Combined, the duo shot an extremely efficient 81-percent from the floor, which didn’t fall far from the 55-percent mark the Jayhawks finished the evening with as a team. Senior forward Aishah Sutherland put up 11 points in the victory, as did freshman guard Asia Boyd in her first appearance in a Kansas uniform.

Hitting 50 percent from the floor to open the game, the Jayhawks built an 8-4 lead by the first media timeout. Following the break, the Jayhawks supported their early offensive effort with a pair of defensive stops, highlighted by a five-second call and a block from Sutherland.

Rolling early, a three from freshman guard Natalie Knight, who scored a career-high nine points, and a pair of buckets from Davis shot the Jayhawks out to a comfortable 16-6 lead, less than seven minutes into the game. KU made up for the Lady Cardinals’ early advantage on the boards by holding the visiting squad to just six field goals in the first half. Lamar would finish the opening frame shooting a mere 18 percent.

As KU’s defense made it difficult for Lamar to find the bottom of the net, the Jayhawk offense only got hotter. Junior guard Monica Engelman pulled down a defensive rebound and ran the floor for a fast break layup that put her team in front, 30-12. Kansas churned out 21 points out of fast breaks and didn’t surrender a single one in the first half. By the end of the game, that mark stretched to 41-4 in favor of Kansas.

With the help of a quick, athletic save by junior guard Angel Goodrich on the defensive end and a put-back layup from Davis, Kansas cruised to a 34-20 lead into the final media timeout of the opening half. The Jayhawks rattled off three-straight fast break layups en route to heading to halftime with the 49-23 lead.

Without missing a beat, Kansas started the second half on fire as the Jayhawks knocked down their first eight of 10 attempts, including a three-pointer and a breakaway layup by Goodrich, jumping out to an 11-1 run to spark the final 20 minutes. Goodrich would finish the evening with seven steals, the second time she’s done so this season.

In the meantime, Mays kicked it into high gear. By the second media timeout in the final half, she had added six second-half points to the eight she collected in the first half. She and Boyd proceeded to run the tempo as the Jayhawks raced out to a commanding 77-31 lead before hitting the halfway point in the second half.

Kansas would reset its season-high lead differential several times as the home team ran away with an insurmountable lead. By the time freshman forward Bunny Williams dropped in her first bucket of the game at the three-minute mark, every Jayhawk who checked into the game had scored.

Boyd followed Williams’ effort with a three-point play as Kansas climbed to its new largest lead of the season. A final jumper from sophomore guard CeCe Harper ended the night with the convincing 90-40 victory. The 40 points allowed were the fewest scored by a KU opponent since the Jayhawks held South Dakota to 40 points on Nov. 14, 2010.

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.