Women To Face New Orleans Saturday

Dec. 3, 2005

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Kansas Jayhawks vs. New Orleans Privateers
Game #5 – Sat., Dec. 3, 2005 – 1:05 p.m. – Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)

Live video streaming, Gametracker and post-match results will be available on Kansas Athletics’ official website, kuathletics.com.

Radio
Jayhawk Radio Network. Nate Bukaty (play-by-play), Brenda VanLengen (color).

Television
Sunflower Broadband Channel 6. Kevin Romary (play-by-play), Steven Davis (color).

Records
Kansas is 4-0 to open the season. New Orleans enters the game 2-2, coming off a loss to Nicholls State.

Rankings
Kansas is receiving votes in the Associated Press poll. New Orleans is not ranked.

Coaches
Bonnie Henrickson is 16-16 in her second year at Kansas and 174-78 in her ninth season overall. The Privateers are coached by Amy Champion, who is 4-28 in her second year at UNO and as a head coach overall.

Series History
Kansas and New Orleans have never met in women’s basketball.

Jayhawk Storylines
– Kansas is 4-0 after defeating Birmingham-Southern, 72-50, on Friday. Erica Hallman led the way for the second-straight game with 19 points.
– Crystal Kemp collected five rebounds against BSC to move her career total to 603. She is just the ninth player in KU history to accumulate over 1,000 career points and 600 career boards. She enters today’s game with 1,148 points and 603 boards.
– Ivana Catic dished 10 assists against Birmingham-Southern to establish a new KU freshman single game record.
– Kansas is leading the Big 12 in three-point percentage at 47.4 percent — slightly higher than its overall field goal percentage of 47.0. At the free throw line, KU has shot only 58.0 percent.
– KU was supposed to be on the road in New Orleans this weekend but is playing at home because of Hurricane Katrina. Instead, Kansas is playing its fifth of 12-straight home games.

The Matchup
With four wins already under its belt including a 72-50 victory over Birmingham-Southern yesterday, the University of Kansas women’s basketball team (4-0) hosts the New Orleans Privateers (2-2) on Saturday, Dec. 3, in Allen Fieldhouse. Tip time is 1 p.m.
The game was originally going to be played at New Orleans as part of the three-team Lady Privateer Classic that was scheduled for Dec. 2-3 at UNO’s Lakefront Arena. But when Hurricane Katrina hit, schools around the New Orleans area had to start looking for other options. All three games that would have made up the tournament were moved to Lawrence.
Kansas faces UNO after defeating Birmingham-Southern yesterday, while New Orleans will face BSC on Sunday at noon.
After hitting a career-high six three-pointers en route to 19 points against BSC, senior Erica Hallman leads Kansas with 18.5 points per game. Senior Crystal Kemp is second with 17.0 points to go with 7.0 rebounds per game. Senior Kaylee Brown (12.3 ppg) and freshman Ivana Catic (11.5 ppg) round out the double-figure scorers. Catic passes out 8.0 assists per outing.
Kansas has averaged a steady 72.2 points and 40.8 rebounds per game, while allowing just 59.0 points and 32.0 boards per contest. KU leads the Big 12 in three-point shooting accuracy at a clip of 47.4 percent.
New Orleans is picked to finish sixth in the West division of the Sun Belt Conference. The Privateers return four letterwinners who all started a year ago to a team that went 2-26 overall and 2-13 in the Sun Belt to finish sixth in the West division in 2004-05.
The top returning scorer is sophomore guard Le’Della English. Last year, English averaged 12.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. Other returners include sophomore guard April Eason, sophomore forward Andrea Williams and sophomore guard Kori Bledsoe.
UNO is led by sophomore forward Ashley Sentimore with 16.0 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. Freshman guard Jada Frazier is second with 11.3 points per game to go with 4.5 boards per outing. As a team, the Privateers score 61.2 ppg and grab 40.2 rpg, while giving up 66.2 ppg and 34.5 rpg. UNO has outshot its opponents 46.3 percent to 37.4 percent from the field.
UNO is coached by Amy Champion, who is in her second season with the Privateers.
Kansas and New Orleans have never met in women’s basketball.

Game Promotions
Promotions for the game include Edwards Campus Day ($2 ticket for Edwards Faculty & Staff) and a Giant BMX Bike Show at halftime.

More From The Last Game
Kansas defeated Birmingham-Southern 72-50 Friday night at Allen Fieldhouse in a game the Jayhawks never trailed. KU employed a suffocating defense to hold the Panthers to 32 percent from the field, a season-best for the Jayhawks.
Senior guard Erica Hallman led all scorers with 19 points and set a career-high with six three-point field goals. She was six-of-eight from behind the arc and moved into a tie for third place all-time in three-pointers made in school history.
Freshman guard Ivana Catic dished out 10 assists to break a school record for assists by a freshman. Senior forward Crystal Kemp chipped in 12 points and senior guard Kaylee Brown rounded out the Jayhawks’ top scorers, finishing with 10 points. Kemp also recorded her 600th career rebound during the game becoming the ninth player in KU history to record 1,000 career points and 600 rebounds.
In the first half, sophomore forward Taylor McIntosh scored seven points and grabbed six boards to spur KU to a 37-25 halftime lead. Hallman scored 13 of her 19 points in the stanza.
The second half saw junior guard Sharita Smith score all seven of her points, establishing a new career-high. Freshman forward Marija Zinic also set a career-high with six points. The Jayhawks shot a season-best 50 percent from the field on 28-for-56 shooting and also drained nine three-pointers, a season high as well.

Head Coach Bonnie Henrickson
Kansas head coach Bonnie Henrickson, one the top young coaches in the nation, is in her second season at the helm of the Jayhawks. In her first year on the Kansas sidelines, Henrickson led KU to its best record in five seasons and highest Big 12 finish in six campaigns. Following the season, Henrickson was honored with the Carol Eckman Award — given by the WBCA to a coach who exemplifies spirit, integrity, and character through sportsmanship, commitment to the student-athlete, honesty, ethical behavior, courage and dedication to purpose. Henrickson came to Kansas after seven successful seasons at Virginia Tech 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. Overall, the Willmar, Minn., native has been a part of postseason play in 11 of the last 12 seasons. She is 16-16 (.500) at KU and 174-78 (.690) in her career.

Jayhawk Starters
Kansas has used three different starting lineups in four games with sophomore forward Taylor McIntosh, senior forward Crystal Kemp, freshman point guard Ivana Catic and senior guard Kaylee Brown starting every game. Junior Shaquina Mosley (2 starts), junior Sharita Smith (1) and senior Erica Hallman (1) have all received starting nods at the third guard spot. Hallman started the last game versus Birmingham-Southern.

Today’s Opponent – New Orleans
New Orleans (2-2) will face Kansas on Saturday, Dec. 3. The Privateers own wins over Centenary (77-70) and versus Yale (54-50). UNO has lost to Miami (Ohio) (63-90) and last game against Nicholls State (51-55).
New Orleans is picked to finish sixth in the West division of the Sun Belt Conference. The Privateers return four letterwinners who all started a year ago to a team that went 2-26 overall and 2-13 in the Sun Belt to finish sixth in the West division in 2004-05.
Last time out against Nicholls State, UNO had a pair of players record double-doubles. Sophomore forward Ashley Sentimore posted 21 points and 10 rebounds, while freshman forward Talishia Young added 11 points and 14 boards. The Privateers won the battle of the boards 39-26, and outshot Nicholls State 44.4 percent to 31.6 percent from the floor, but turned the ball over 23 times and were unable to pull out the win.
Sentimore leads all players with 16.0 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. Freshman guard Jada Frazier is second with 11.3 points per game to go with 4.5 boards per outing. As a team, the Privateers score 61.2 ppg and grab 40.2 rpg, while giving up 66.2 ppg and 34.5 rpg. UNO has outshot its opponents 46.3 percent to 37.4 percent from the field.
UNO is coached by Amy Champion, who is in her second season with the Privateers.

Kansas/New Orleans Notes
KU and Birmingham-Southern have never played one another. Kansas has played five teams from the Sun Belt before — Arkansas State (3-2), Denver (2-1), Florida International (1-0), Middle Tennessee State (2-0) and New Mexico State (0-1). The most recent KU game against the Sun Belt was a 67-44 win over Denver last year in Allen Fieldhouse on Nov. 30, 2004. KU also plays Florida International of the Sun Belt later this season.

Free Admission To UNO vs. Birmingham-Southern On Sunday
New Orleans and Birmingham-Southern will face off at noon on Sunday, Dec. 4 in Allen Fieldhouse. Admission is free to the public.

Kansas Inks Seven For `06-’07
Kansas signed seven recruits to National Letters of Intent during the early signing period. Below is a quick look at those seven commitments for next season.
Player (position, height, hometown – high school)
Lindsay Ballweg (guard, 5-10, Overland Park, Kan. – St. Thomas Aquinas HS)
Rebecca Feickert (forward/center, 6-2, Goodrich, N.D. – Sheridan County HS)
LaChelda Jacobs (guard, 5-10, Mansfield, Texas – Mansfield Summit HS)
Kelly Kohn (guard, 5-9, Adrian, Mich. – Adrian HS)
Danielle McCray (forward, 6-0, Olathe, Kan. – Olathe East HS)
Sade Morris (forward, 6-0, Norman, Okla. – Norman HS)
Porscha Weddington (forward, 6-1, Temple, Texas – Temple HS)

A Kansas Win Would
Make the Jayhawks 5-0 to start the season for the first time since 1999-2000 … Give the Jayhawks their first five-game winning streak since winning five-straight between the third and seventh games in 2003-04 … Make KU 1-0 all-time against New Orleans … Improve the Jayhawks all-time record against the Sun Belt Conference to 9-4 … Make the Jayhawks 5-0 at home … Improve head coach Bonnie Henrickson’s record to 17-16 at Kansas and 175-78 in her career … Make the Jayhawks 614-414 all-time.

A Kansas Loss Would
Make the Jayhawks 4-1 to start the season for the first time since the 2002-03 season … Snap KU’s four-game winning streak … Make KU 0-1 all-time against New Orleans … Make the Jayhawks all-time record against the Sun Belt Conference 8-5 … Make the Jayhawks 4-1 at home … Make head coach Bonnie Henrickson’s record 16-17 at Kansas and 174-79 in her career … Make the Jayhawks 613-415 all-time.

Big 12 Preseason Coaches’ Poll
In the only official poll conducted this season, Baylor was picked by the Big 12 Conference coaches to win the Big 12 Championship again in 2005-06. The Lady Bears received six first place votes, while Texas received two first place nods and Texas Tech got four votes for first place. The coaches believe Kansas will be better this season as the Jayhawks were selected to finish sixth (after finishing eighth last season). The only Big 12 North team picked higher than KU was Nebraska, who was picked fifth.

No Place Like Home
Kansas plays an unprecedented 21 games in Allen Fieldhouse this season including two exhibition contests, all 11 non-conference matchups and eight Big 12 games. The Jayhawks will not play away from Lawrence until after the new year when KU plays at Nebraska on Jan. 7. KU was originally scheduled to play in the UNO Lady Privateer Tournament in New Orleans on Dec. 2-3, but those games were moved to Lawrence as a result of Hurricane Katrina.

Kemp Among KU’s All-Time Elite
Junior Crystal Kemp became the 18th player in KU history to reach 1,000 career points when she hit a jumper from the right wing with 18:13 on the clock in first half against Texas Tech last season. Against Birmingham-Southern this year, the Topeka, Kan., native collected her 600th career rebound. She is just the ninth player in KU history to accumulate over 1,000 career points and 600 career boards. She continues to move up both career lists as she ranks among the top players to ever don the Crimson & Blue.

An All-Star Staff
Joining Bonnie Henrickson on the sidelines are assistant coaches Karen Lange, Kyra Elzy and Katie O’Connor. Also on staff is director of operations Trena Anderson and administrative assistant Katie Capps. Lange, O’Connor and Anderson followed Henrickson from Virginia Tech, while Elzy and Capps both joined 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 29 years old, Henrickson’s three assistant coaches (Lange, Elzy, O’Connor) have already been part of a combined 19 NCAA tournaments, eight Sweet 16s, five Elite Eights, four Final Fours and two National Championships, combined.

Serbian Sensations
Kansas welcomes the addition of two international players in 2005-06 with the addition of freshmen Ivana Catic and Marija Zinic — both natives of Serbia & Montenegro. The duo has extensive experience playing together on various teams in their home country. The pair bring Kansas’ all-time list of international players to eight. Other international players to suit up for KU include Bente Dahl (Oslo, Norway – 1985), Sandra de Bruin (Beetgum, Holland – 1990), Suzi Raymant (Melbourne, Australia – 1996-2000), Fernanda Bosi (Americana, Brazil – 2000-01), Leila Mengüç (Stockholm, Sweden – 2000-04) and Valerie Migicovsky (North Bay, Ontario – 2001-03).

Mosley Tabbed Preseason Big 12 Rookie of the Year
Junior transfer Shaquina Mosley was named the Preseason Newcomer of the Year in a vote of the Big 12 women’s basketball coaches released Oct. 18 by the conference office. A 5-6 junior guard, Mosley transferred to Kansas from Central Arizona Community College. She led her team to the NJCAA national championship last year while being named the 2005 WBCA Junior College/Community College Player of the Year.

Kemp Chosen Preseason All-Big 12 Honorable Mention
Senior Crystal Kemp was selected as a preseason All-Big 12 Honorable Mention pick by a vote of the league coaches as released on Oct. 18. Last season, Kemp was named postseason All-Big 12 Honorable Mention after leading the Jayhawks with 13.8 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. She is just the 11th player in KU history to have amassed over 1,000 career points and 500 career rebounds.

27 Games On TV
With 27 games on the tube, KU’s television package in 2005-06 is the finest in school history and among the very best in the nation for any men’s or women’s team. In fact, other than the Kansas men, no other Big 12 team will play more games on television this season. The next closest team in the league is Texas Tech with 21, followed by Texas (16), Oklahoma (13), Baylor (11), Nebraska (10), Kansas State (9), Colorado (9), Iowa State (7), Missouri (6), Texas A&M (5) and Oklahoma State (4). The only two KU games not on TV are at Texas Tech and at Oklahoma. Overall, KU plays two games on Fox Sports Net, three games on FSN regional television and three contests on CSTV. Locally, 14 games will be produced and aired by Sunflower Broadband in Lawrence, and five contests will be produced by Metro Sports of Kansas City.

Increased Radio Coverage
The Jayhawk Radio Network has improved its coverage over the past two seasons. Stations carrying the Jayhawks include KLWN 1320-AM in Lawrence, KWIC 99.3-FM in Topeka, KFH 98.7-FM in Wichita and KXTR-1660-AM in Kansas City.

Up Next For KU
Kansas returns to Allen Fieldhouse for its sixth-straight regular season home game when it hosts UMKC on Wednesday, Dec. 7 at 7 p.m. The game will be aired live by Metro Sports television out of Kansas City. The game marks the fourth straight year the Jayhawks and Kangaroos will meet. Kansas owns the overall series 10-3, but UMKC has won two of the last three. Last year, KU won 47-36 on Nov. 27 in Lawrence.