Women's Basketball Welcomes San Jose State To Allen Fieldhouse Thursday
Dec. 3, 2008
LAWRENCE, Kan. –
Game Notes in PDF Format
OPENING TIP
The University of Kansas women’s basketball team hosts San Jose State on Thursday, Dec. 4. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m., in Allen Fieldhouse, with a live broadcast on Sunflower Cablevision. KU is searching for its fifth-straight win to open the 2008-09 campaign, while SJSU enters the contest with a 1-4 mark. The Jayhawks also look to post their fifth-straight win in Allen Fieldhouse, dating back to last season.
FAST BREAKS
-Bonnie Henrickson has the Jayhawks 4-0 on the season for the second time in her five seasons at Kansas. Henrickson’s 2005-06 team opened the season with an 11-straight wins.
-Junior guard-forward Danielle McCray has been a force for the Jayhawks as she is leading the team in both scoring (21.0), rebounding (9.5) and steals (2.7) through the first four games. McCray has scored in double figures in six-straight games, dating back to last season. She has gone over the 20-point mark in three of those outings, tying her career-high with 29 points in Kansas’ season-opener versus Sacred Heart.
-Kansas currently ranks fourth in the Big 12 Conference in both scoring offense and defense. The Jayhawks are second in the conference in scoring margin at +26 per game. KU is also second in the conference in both field goal percentage (46.6), three-point field goal percentage (36.1).
-Junior guard LaChelda Jacobs continues to be a steady hand at the point guard position for the Jayhawks as she is leading the team with 23 assists. Jacobs is also averaging 11.8 points and 2.5 steals per game.
-The Jayhawks are taking good care of the ball compared to their opponents. KU is averaging 15.5 miscues per outing, while forcing their foes into 21.3 blunders a game. In addition, KU is collecting 8.5 steals per game, compared to just 4.5 for its opponents.
-Kansas’ outstanding junior class is combining to score 78 percent of the Jayhawks’ points through the first four games. The juniors are also collecting 64 percent of KU’s rebounds on the season. Four of the juniors are in the starting line-up with LaChelda Jacobs, Sade Morris and Danielle McCray and Porscha Weddington each earning a nod.
A LOOK AT SAN JOSE STATE
San Jose State arrives in Lawrence with a 1-4 mark, having defeated Sacramento State, 49-48, in its last outing. The Spartans lost a heartbreaker to Oregon, 69-68, to open the season and have also dropped games to Northern Colorado, Long Beach State and Seattle. SJSU is lead on the season by senior guard Natalie White with 15.0 points per game. White, who tallied 15 points in the Spartans’ win over Sacramento State, became the 12th player in school history to eclipse 1,000 point mark. White has knocked down 9-of-29 shots from beyond the arc to lead the Spartans from long range. Sophomore guard Sayja Sumler adds 8.0 points per game and leads the team in steals with seven on the season. Junior forward Shaunna Ridge is the team leader in rebounds with 7.2 per game, while also tossing in 4.2 points per game. Ridge also leads the Spartans with 10 blocks on the season. Former Kansas assistant coach Pam DeCosta is the head coach for San Jose State. DeCosta, who spent 10 seasons at KU under former head coach Marian Washington, owns a 49-95 overall coaching mark in six seasons. She has collected a 4-31 mark in just her second season at SJSU.
KU-SAN JOSE STATE SERIES HISTORY
Kansas leads the all-time series between the Jayhawks and Spartans with a 2-0 mark. Kansas defeated UNO, 100-50, on Dec. 3, 2005, in Allen Fieldhouse. The following is the series history:
Date Result Location
12-30-80 Kansas, 81-72 San Jose, Calif.
12-20-07 Kansas, 59-52 San Jose, Calif.
A LOOK AT KANSAS
Kansas is off to a 4-0 start to the 2008-09 season behind the strong play of its junior class. Led by a trio of guards in Danielle McCray, Sade Morris and LaChelda Jacobs, the Jayhawks are outscoring their opponents by 26.0 points per game. McCray tops the Jayhawk scorers with 21.0 points per game, while Morris adds 16.5 and Jacobs turns in 11.8. In addition, junior Porscha Weddington and sophomore Nicollette Smith are each chipping in 7.5 points per game. KU is shooting 46.6 percent from the field, while holding its opponents to just 32.1 percent field goal shooting. The Jayhawks have recorded 34 steals compared to just 18 for their opponents, led by McCray with 11 pilfers and Jacobs with nine. Jacobs is also the leader in assists with 23 dimes in four games, while McCray is pulling down a team-leading 9.5 rebounds and Weddington is grabbing 6.5 per game. Kansas is also shooting well from the three-point line as it has connected on 22-of-61 shots from beyond the arc, good for 36.1 percent. McCray is leading the way from long distance as she has made 10-of-24 from three-point land.
BOOGAARD OUT WITH A STRESS REACTION
Kansas sophomore center Krysten Boogaard is currently out of action after being diagnosed with a stress reaction in her left femur on Nov. 19. Boogaard, who missed KU’s wins over Saint Louis and New Orleans, was re-evaluated on Wednesday, Dec. 3 by the KU medical staff. The Regina, Saskatchewan, native will not be available for Thursday’s game versus San Jose State, but is listed as questionable for Sunday’s outing at Marquette. Boogaard started the first two games of the season for the Jayhawks, averaging 8.0 points and 4.0 rebounds per game.
