Jayhawks To Take On UMKC

Nov. 26, 2004

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Kansas Jayhawks (1-1) vs. UMKC Kangaroos (0-2)
Game #3 – Sat., Nov. 27, 2004 – 1:05 p.m. – Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)

Radio/Television

Jayhawk Radio Network: Nate Bukaty (play-by-play) and Brian Hanni (color analyst) call the action. Jayhawk Television Network: Bill Doleman (play-by-play) and Patti Phillips (color) call the action.

Records

Kansas is 1-1 after defeating Sacred Heart on Wednesday. UMKC is 0-2, and is coming off a loss to Creighton.

Rankings

None.

Coaches

Bonnie Henrickson is 1-1 in her first year at Kansas, and 159-63 in her eighth year as a head coach overall. The Kangaroos are coached by Bo Overton who is 0-2 in his first year at UMKC and overall.

Jayhawk Storylines

– Kansas is 1-1 after defeating Sacred Heart 59-48 on Wednesday. The Jayhawks were led by freshman Taylor McIntosh and senior Aquanita Burras with 11 points each.

– The win was head coach Bonnie Henrickson’s first career win as a Jayhawk.

– McIntosh just missed a double-double in her second career game with 11 points and eight boards against Sacred Heart. Henrickson was happy with McIntosh’s effort. “What Taylor brings everyday is tremendous effort and energy, and you have to respect that. I thought she did a nice job on the boards. She took a step forward and was more physical and tried to be more aggressive.”

– The game against UMKC is the 13th in the series with KU owning a 9-3 all-time advantage.

– Between KU and UMKC, a maximum of a just 19 players could play today. KU’s roster is comprised of 10 players, while the Kangaroos only suit up nine players.

– KU is playing its third-straight home game to open the season. The Jayhawks remain at home this week for games against Denver and Washburn before getting their first road test at No. 17 Minnesota on Dec. 5.

Today’s Game

Kansas (1-1) plays its third consecutive home game to start the season on Saturday, Nov. 27 against the UMKC Kangaroos (0-2) at 1:05 p.m. The game, broadcast on the Jayhawk Television Network, is the third of five home games KU will play in Allen Fieldhouse to open the season.

KU returns to the hardwood just three days after picking up its first win of the season, a 59-48 victory over Sacred Heart. KU was lifted by the play of freshman Taylor McIntosh and senior Aquanita Burras, who each scored 11 points. The duo also combined for 17 of the Jayhawks’ 35 rebounds seven of the team’s 10 steals.

For the season, KU is led in the scoring column by junior Crystal Kemp, who has posted 16.5 points per game to go with 6.0 rebounds per game off the bench. Burras leads the team with 6.5 boards per contest, as four Jayhawks are grabbing at least five boards per outing.

UMKC, from nearby Kansas City, Mo., opened its season with losses against Drake (74-70) and at Creighton (84-64). The Kangaroos have three players averaging in double figures led by senior guard Katie Houlehan with 19.5 points per game. Junior guard Sammi Knapic and sophomore guard Jowan Ortega add 12.5 and 10.5 points, respectively.

UMKC is coached by Bo Overton, who is in his first year with the Kangaroos after serving six seasons as an assistant coach at Oklahoma.

The matchup will mark the 13th meeting between the two teams all-time with KU owning a 9-3 advantage overall.

Last Time Out

Kansas head coach Bonnie Henrickson got her first victory at KU with a 59-48 win over visiting Sacred Heart, Wednesday night at Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks held Sacred Heart to just 30 percent shooting in the second half.

KU used a balanced attack with everyone who played getting in the scoring column. Senior guard Aquanita Burras and freshman forward Taylor McIntosh paced KU with 11 points each. Burras added a team-high nine rebounds. Senior Blair Waltz added nine points, while juniors Erica Hallman and Crystal Kemp added seven points apiece.

“I am most excited for the kids,” Henrickson said. “It is a reward for a great effort coming out of the locker room in the second half. We went into halftime down four and we had a goal that at the first media timeout we wanted to be up three, and I think we were up more than that. We had a little bit of a lull where we gave up some uncontested shots, but I thought overall our defensive intensity in the second half was night-and-day better than it was in the first half.”

Sacred Heart led 29-25 at the break. Kansas hit 11-of-23 shots in the second half to seal the win. KU also picked up defensively in the second half, forcing 17 turnovers and recording 10 steals that led to 19 Jayhawk points.

The Pioneers had one player in double figures. Nicolle Rubino led Sacred Heart with a game-high 16 points. Colleen Duggan added nine points off the bench and Amanda Pape scored seven and grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds.

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

KU has used a different starting lineup in each of its first two games with freshman Taylor McIntosh, sophomore Alicia Rhymes, senior Aquanita Burras and junior Erica Hallman starting both games. Junior Kaylee Brown and senior Blair Waltz have each started once.

Returning MVP Crystal Kemp (Topeka, Kan.) is back for her junior season to anchor the inside game. At 6-2, Kemp is the tallest player on the KU roster. Rhymes (Shreveport, La.), freshman Jamie Boyd (Underwood, Iowa) and 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. Hallman (Covington, Ky.) will carry the brunt of the workload at the point, while Brown (Arcadia,Okla.), Waltz (Leawood, Kan.), 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.

Today’s Opponent – UMKC Kangaroos

UMKC (0-2) comes to Lawrence after opening its season with a pair of losses against teams from the Missouri Valley Conference. The Kangaroos fell in their season opener, 74-70, in Kansas City against Drake on Nov. 19 before falling 84-64 at Creighton on Nov. 22.

Last game against Creighton, the Roos were paced senior guard Katie Houlehan with 21 points. The Kansas City native went 8-of-16 from the field including three treys. Sophomore guard Jowan Ortega added 13 points and a team-best seven rebounds.

For the season, Houlehan leads the team with 19.5 points per game. Junior guard Sammi Knapic and Ortega add 12.5 and 10.5 points, respectively. The duo of Houlehan and Knapic have combined for all 11 of UMKC’s three-pointers. On the boards, UMKC has five players averaging at least four rebounds per game led by Ortega with five caroms per game.

UMKC is scoring 67 points per game on 51.5 percent shooting and grabbing 28.0 boards per game, while giving up 79.0 points per game on 42.8 percent shooting and 41.0 boards per contest.

The Roos coached by Bo Overton who is in his first year at UMKC after six years as an assistant at Oklahoma. While he was at OU, the Sooners went 143-54, won three Big 12 championships and appeared in five NCAA tournaments including 2002, when Oklahoma played in the national championship game.

Series Notes

The game marks the third straight years the two teams have met and the 13th meeting overall. Kansas leads the all-time series 9-3. KU leads 4-1 in games played in Lawrenceand 5-2 in games played in Kansas City. UMKC has won the last two meetings. Kansas coach Bonnie Henrickson has never faced UMKC. UMKC coach Bo Overton is facing KU for the first time as a head coach.

Last Meeting

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Despite 14 points and seven rebounds by freshman Lauren Ervin, the Kansas women’s basketball team fell to UMKC 63-50 in the teams’ season-opener at the Swinney Recreation Center in Kansas City.

The loss snapped KU’s four-game season-opener win streak and makes the ‘Hawks 14-6 in openers on the road under head coach Marian Washington.

Ervin was 5-6 from the field and 4-4 from the charity stripe and added two blocks and a steal in only 16 minutes of play. Crystal Kemp added eight points and six rebounds with eight other Jayhawks chipping in at least two points. Ervin, Kaylee Brown, Larisha Graves and Kandis Bonner made their career debuts in the contest.

The Jayhawks were 0-5 from behind the arc and shot just 33.9 percent from the field. KU outrebounded the Kangaroos 40-36 and outblocked them 7-3 in the loss. The ‘Hawks dominated in the paint, scoring 34 of their 50 points in the post, but committed 22 turnovers. KU scored just 25 points in each half.

The Kangaroos were led by Carlai Moore and Casey Ellis, who posted 16 points each in the win. Moore added 11 rebounds and five steals for UMKC. UMKC shot 42.6 percent from the floor and 50 percent from behind the arc.

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-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)

A Kansas Win Would

Make KU 10-3 all-time against UMKC … Snap a two-game losing streak to the Kangaroos … Make head coach Bonnie Henrickson’s record 2-1 (.667) at KU and 160-63 (.717) in her career … Make the Jayhawks 599-399 all-time.

A Kansas Loss Would

Make KU 9-4 all-time against UMKC … Give the Jayhawks a three-game losing streak to the Kangaroos … Make head coach Bonnie Henrickson’s record 1-2 (.333) at KU and 159-64 (.713) in her career … Make the Jayhawks 597-401 all-time.

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 59 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 (62, 8th), three-pointers attempted (180, 8th) and three-point field goal percentage (34.4 percent, 10th).

– Junior Crystal Kemp is tied for eighth (with Lynn Pride) on the KU all-time free throw percentage list (minimum 50 made). She has connected on 163-of-223 free throws for 73.1 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.

Up Next For KU

After the game with UMKC, the Jayhawks will remain at home for two more games. KU will next play host to Denver on Tuesday at 7:05 p.m., before facing Washburn on Thursday at home. Both games will air on Sunflower Broadband channel 6. Following the Washburn, KU will get its first road test when it heads to Minneapolis, Minn., to face Big Ten power Minnesota on Dec. 5.