Strong Finish Lifts Kansas Women's Basketball To Win 64-42 Vs. New Orleans
Nov. 30, 2008
Box Score in PDF Format
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas outscored New Orleans 25-4 in the final 11 minutes of the game to defeat the Privateers 64-42 in women’s basketball action Sunday afternoon.
Sade Morris matched a career-high with 20 points and pulled down a career-high eight rebounds, while Danielle McCray and Nicollette Smith added double-doubles of 13 points and 12 rebounds and 13 points and 10 rebounds respectively to lead the Jayhawks.
McCray’s 12 rebounds tied a season high and were just one shy of her career high. Smith’s 10 rebounds matched her career high set against Hartford last season.
Kansas improved to 4-0 on the year, while New Orleans dropped to 2-3. The visiting Privateers were led by Brittany Helm, who scored 13 and Nicole Holmes, who added 10 points.
Leading 39-38 with 11 minutes left in the game, Morris and LaChelda Jacobs sparked a 12-0 Kansas run before UNO scored a basket at the 4:52 mark. New Orleans went 6:21 without a point during that stretch. Morris then hit two free throws as KU scored the game’s next 13 points before UNO managed the game’s final basket with just :48 left.
Jacobs, who was 0-of-five shooting in the first half, made all four of her attempts in the second half and scored five straight points to give the Jayhawks a 39-36 advantage.
The junior finished with nine points, a career-high eight rebounds, a career-best seven assists, a career-high tying two blocks. She also had eight turnovers in the game.
The Jayhawks struggled shooting in the first half, making just 25 percent of their attempts to take a narrow 26-22 lead into the lockerrom. KU responded better in the second half, shooting 56 percent from the field to finish at 37.9 percent for the game.
KU was aggressive on the offensive glass, grabbing 20 offensive rebounds en route to a 54-37 rebounding advantage in the game. All five KU starters recorded at least seven rebounds. KU turned all of those offensive rebounds into a 12-0 advantage in second-chance points.
KU’s defense in the second half was also improved, as the Jayhawks limited the visitors to just 22 percent shooting in the half, as New Orleans finished the game making just 26.6 percent from the field.
After opening the game trailing 7-4, Kansas scored 10 straight points to lead 14-7. McCray and Morris combined for the team’s first 11 points before Smith drilled a long three-pointer to put KU up 14-7.
UNO never led after jumping out to the 7-4 lead. KU’s biggest lead in the first half was seven points before the Jayhawks broke the game open in the final 11 minutes of the second half.
Kansas will return to action hosting San Jose State on Thursday, Dec. 4 at 7 p.m. That game will be televised on Sunflower Cablevision in Lawrence.
