No. 17 Kansas Looks to Get Back on Track; Hosts Newman
Dec. 7, 2012
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Game Notes in PDF Format
QUICK HITS ABOUT KANSASWBB
Kansas enters the game against Newman with a 49-game win streak in non-conference, regular-season home games. The last time the Jayhawks lost to a non-conference foe at Allen Fieldhouse during the regular-season was Xavier on Dec. 31, 2006. Under head coach Bonnie Henrickson, KU is 59-62 (.488) in games coming off of a loss. Carolyn Davis and Angel Goodrich are both on the watch lists for the Wade Trophy, the Wooden Award and the Naismith Award, as two of the top players in the nation. Goodrich is also one of 30 finalists for the Senior CLASS Award. Sophomore Chelsea Gardner is averaging 16 points and 6.3 rebounds per game over her last three contests, while shooting a combined 22-for-29 (.759) from the field. For the third-straight week, Kansas is ranked in the Associated Press Top-25 Poll. The Jayhawks are ranked No. 17, which is the highest KU has been ranked in the AP poll since Dec. 6, 1999. The Jayhawks have been ranked each week this season in the USA Today Coaches Top-25 Poll, and are also No. 17 this week. Davis enters the game with 1,432 career points and stands in 11th place in school history for career scoring. Davis needs 87 points to surpass Angie Snider and crack the top-10. Sophomore Natalie Knight understands ball security. Over the last four games combined, Knight has 15 assists and only one turnover. On the season, she has only surrendered five turnovers in 259 minutes of action, or 0.6 turnovers per game. Goodrich led the nation in assists per game with 7.4 last season and is currently averaging 6.4 assists per game this year. Goodrich was named to the preseason First Team All-Big 12 and was tabbed as a 2012 Associated Press Preseason All-America honorable mention selection. Following the Newman game, KU will not have a game for a week to focus on class finals on campus.
ABOUT NEWMAN
Newman is located in Wichita, Kan., and has an enrollment of 3,012. The Jets, an NCAA Division II program, compete in the Heartland Conference. The Jets don’t return a single starter from a team that went 23-6 last season and won both the Heartland Conference regular season title and tournament championship. Newman earned a spot in the NCAA Division II National Championship, but fell in the first round to Northeastern State, 53-45. Newman was tabbed to finish fourth in the Heartland Conference Preseason Poll, as voted on by the league’s head coaches and sports information directors. The Jets did receive one first-place vote.
NOT IN OUR LEAGUE
The Jayhawks have compiled an impressive record outside the Big 12 Conference in regular-season play. KU owns a 322-148 (.685) record versus non-conference opponents. The Jayhawks are currently riding a 49-game win streak against non-conference foes at Allen Fieldhouse in the regular season. KU has not lost a regular-season, non-conference home game since falling, 72-63, to Xavier on Dec. 31, 2006.
DECEMBER DOMINANCE
Despite the loss at Arkansas, Kansas head coach Bonnie Henrickson has fared well in the month of December. The Jayhawks have posted a 43-15 (.741) record during the calendar’s final month during her tenure.
O CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN
For the third-straight season, seniors Carolyn Davis and Angel Goodrich will serve as team captains for the Jayhawks during the 2012-13 campaign.
HELLO, NEWMAN
If this game caught people off guard, it is because it was the last game added to the 2012-13 Kansas schedule this season. The game was added after many of the promotional items, i.e. schedule cards and posters, were printed. By scheduling it, Kansas has a full slate of games for this season, based on what the NCAA allows.
KEEPING FOCUS
As the Kansas campus community heads into another “finals week,” head coach Bonnie Henrickson has to be pretty pleased with how her KU teams over the years have also kept their focus on the court before and after the week-long testing period. During her tenure, the Jayhawks sport an identical 7-1 record in games prior to “finals week” and in contests following for a combined 14-2 (.875) mark.
CHELSEA LATELY
Sophomore Chelsea Gardner became the fourth player on the Kansas roster to post 20 or more points in a collegiate game when she tossed in a career-best 26 points against Grambling State. Gardner also added 10 rebounds to record the second double-double of her career. Against Minnesota, Gardner came off the bench and scored 14 points. In her last three games combined, Gardner is averaging 16 points per contest, along with 6.3 rebounds per game. She also shot a combined 22-for-29 (.759) from the field.
A KNIGHT’S TALE
Sophomore Natalie Knight does all the little things that often go unnoticed, but one thing is for sure, Kansas is at its best when she is on the floor. Through eight games, Knight leads the Jayhawks with a +13.62 plus-minus rating, which means that KU scores nearly 14 more points than its opponent per game when Knight is playing.
HOME SWEET HOME
Kansas is now in its 45th season playing at Allen Fieldhouse and head coach Bonnie Henrickson has built the venue into a home-court advantage for the Jayhawks. Since 2004-05, KU has posted a 105-45 record (.700) at home. Kansas owns a 393-210 (.652) all-time record on James Naismith Court at Allen Fieldhouse.
ACTION JACKSON
Since the third game of the season, junior Tania Jackson has been in the Kansas starting lineup. She doesn’t appear to be leaving the starting five anytime soon either, as Jackson leads the Jayhawks in rebounding with 7.4 boards per game. She is also averaging 7.6 points per contest.
MY, MY MONICA
Senior Monica Engelman has been hitting the glass so far this season. Engelman is averaging 5.4 boards per game this season which is second-best on the team. She also has hauled in 20 offensive caroms, which is tied for the best on the squad.
POINT OF EMPHASIS
Last season, Kansas ranked last in the Big 12 Conference for defensive field goal percentage at 40.6 percent. Through early season interviews and media days, head coach Bonnie Henrickson and the Jayhawks talked about team defense being a point of emphasis. KU has had solid defensive efforts this season and has held its opponents to 35.4 percent shooting from the field, which ranks No. 6.
SHE GIVETH and SHE TAKETH AWAY
Angel Goodrich led the Jayhawks against Arkansas with six assists and four steals. That effort marked the 40th game in her career where she posted the team high in assists and steals in the same game.
FIRST WADE, THEN WOODEN, NOW NAISMITH
Kansas seniors Carolyn Davis and Angel Goodrich are two of the 25 NCAA Division I women’s basketball student-athletes to be named to the 2012-13 State Farm® Wade Trophy Watch List. The Kansas duo has also been tabbed for John R. Wooden Award Women’s Preseason Top-30 List, and are both on the 50-player list for the 2012-13 Naismith Women’s College Player of the Year presented by AT&T early season watch list.
PULLING RANK
Kansas is ranked in Associated Press Top-25 Poll for the third-straight week, coming it at No. 17. KU has also been ranked in the USA Today Coaches Poll each of the five previous weeks this season, including a No. 17 ranking in this week’s poll.
GIMMIE FIVE
Eight games into the season it’s not a surprise, but Kansas is getting the bulk of its offensive production from its starting five. KU’s starters have scored 380 points, among the 540 total points, or 70.4 percent. The bench has then accounted for 160 total points, including 69 from sophomore Chelsea Gardner alone, meaning the other five bench players have scored a combined 91 points, or 16.9 percent.
MASTERS OF THEIR CRAFT
The senior writers of espnW collaborated and came up with the top-five players in the nation by position. Once again, Angel Goodrich and Carolyn Davis found themselves among the nation’s elite. Goodrich was classified as one of the country’s top-five point guards, while Davis was tabbed as one of the nation’s best five centers.
SHOWING A LOT OF CLASS
Prior to the start of the regular season, senior Angel Goodrich was named one of 30 national finalists for the prestigious Senior CLASS Award. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition.
JOIN THE CLUB
Another milestone to watch for is that of Monica Engelman. The Kansas senior now has 969 career points scored and with 31 more tallies will become the 25th player in Kansas history to join the 1,000-point club. Since the table is set, also keep an eye on Angel Goodrich, who now needs 123 points to join the club.
A NATIONAL LEADER
Senior Angel Goodrich entered this season as the reigning national champion in assists-per-game. Goodrich paced the Jayhawks with a school and Big 12 record 250 assists last season, or 7.4 per game. Goodrich currently averages 6.4 assists per game.
THAT 70’s SHOW
Kansas’ success during the Bonnie Henrickson-era has been pretty much based on 70 points. When the Jayhawks score 70 or more points, Kansas owns a 92-9 record (.911) in her eight previous seasons. When KU opponents score less than 70 points, the Jayhawks are 126-68 (.649) during that span.
TWENTY SOMETHING
When Carolyn Davis scores 20 or more points in a game, the Jayhawks usually come out on top. Davis has 30 20-point efforts in her career and KU boasts a 25-5 (.833) record in those contests.
WHAT DOES FIVE DIMES EQUAL?
In addition to being 50 cents, five dimes from Angel Goodrich in a game also equals a good chance for a Kansas victory. Goodrich has collected five or more assists 70 times in her career with the Jayhawks and KU was victorious in 49 of those games for a .700 winning percentage.
HOW SWEET IT IS
Kansas returned to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 last season for the first time since 1998. It marked the third time in school history that the Jayhawks advanced to the Sweet 16 and was Kansas’ 12th NCAA Tournament appearance.
PLAN FOR POSTSEASON
Faithful followers of the Kansas women’s basketball program have learned to plan for postseason play. In Bonnie Henrickson’s eight previous seasons with the Jayhawks, KU has advanced to postseason play six times, including five straight. In fact, in Henrickson’s head coaching career, she has led her team to postseason play 13 times in 15 seasons.
RELOADING
How does a top-25 program stay in the national polls? Sign a top-25 recruiting class. That’s exactly what head coach Bonnie Henrickson and her staff did during the early signing period, inking the No. 14-ranked recruiting class in the nation, according to Collegiate Girls Basketball Report, and the top among Big 12 Conference schools. The class also ranked No. 25 nationally by Blue Star Basketball. The Jayhawks signed Jada Brown (6-0, F, Las Vegas, Nev.), Dakota Gonzalez (6-0, G, Pocatello, Idaho), Dylan Gonzalez (6-0, G, Pocatello, Idaho), Caelynn Manning-Allen (6-4, F, Chicago, Ill.) and Keyla Morgan (5-8, G, Rancho Dominguez, Calif.).
