Kansas Hosts Wisconsin In Major Non-Conference Action

Dec. 9, 2005

Game Notes in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

Kansas Jayhawks vs. Wisconsin Badgers
Game #7 – Sun., Dec. 11, 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. Brian Hanni (play-by-play), Patti Phillips (color).

Television
Metro Sports. Nate Bukaty (play-by-play), Brenda VanLengen (color).

Records
Kansas is 6-0 to open the season. Wisconsin is 4-4, and has lost its last four games.

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

Coaches
Bonnie Henrickson is 18-16 in her second year at Kansas and 176-78 in her ninth season overall. The Badgers are coached by Lisa Stone, who is 26-37 in her third year at UW and 401-155 in her 21st year as a head coach overall.

Series History
Wisconsin leads Kansas 1-0 overall. The Badgers upset No. 23 Kansas, 73-72, on March 16, 1995 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Lubbock, Texas.

Jayhawk Storylines
– Kansas is 6-0 after defeating UMKC, 73-51, on Wednesday. The Jayhawks are off to their best start since 1991-92 when KU went 10-0 to begin the year.
– KU has scored at least 70 points in every game this year, and averages 77.0 per game. Last year, the Jayhawks reached 70 points only four times.
– Kansas leads the Big 12 in scoring defense, holding opponents to 56.2 points per game.
– KU’s 20.67 assists per game lead the Big 12. The Jayhawks are passing out assists at a rate of one per every 1.42 field goals. Ivana Catic is the top distributor with 7.3 assists per game which ranks among the national leaders.
– After playing four games in 10 days, Kansas will get a week off for final exams before taking on Florida International next Sunday, Dec. 18 in Allen Fieldhouse.

The Matchup
Kansas and Wisconsin will face each other for the second time in history on Sunday, Dec. 11, at Allen Fieldhouse in a game televised by Metro Sports. The Jayhawks enter the game with a 6-0 record — Kansas’ best start since 1991-92 when KU went 10-0. UW is 4-4 overall.
The Badgers are visiting Lawrence for the first time. UW opened the 2005-06 campaign with four-straight wins and then four-straight losses. After picking up wins over Idaho State and Hawaii in the Hawaii Tournament, Wisconsin fell to No. 17 DePaul in the championship game. UW lost its next three — to Marquette, No. 11 Notre Dame and South Dakota State.
The Jayhawks are coming off a 73-51 win over UMKC on Wednesday. After five early lead changes, KU turned up the heat on the offensive end, sparked by freshman Ivana Catic who finished with 13 points and three assists. Seniors Crystal Kemp and Kaylee Brown posted 16 and 15 points, respectively.
For Wisconsin, sophomore guard Janese Banks ranks fifth in the Big 10 and leads the team in scoring with 17.3 points per game. She also leads the team in assists (4.0) and steals (2.8). The 2005 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, Jolene Anderson is the second leading scorer for the Badgers averaging 14.9 points per game. The team’s leading scorer last season with 17.8 points per game, Anderson set freshman scoring records for points (497), scoring average (17.8), 3-point goals made and attempted (53-165), and free throw percentage (85.2 percent). She recorded her first double-double (fifth career) of the season against Marquette with 11 points and 14 rebounds.
The only other meeting between the two teams came on March 16, 1995, when Wisconsin upset No. 23 Kansas, 73-72, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Lubbock, Texas.
UW is coached by Lisa Stone, who is in her third season with the Badgers.

Game Promotions
Promotions for the game include “Student Success Day” with the Provosts Office, a performance by an acrobatic team, a $25,000 sponsored contest and a Hardwood Club gathering.

More From The Last Game
Kansas defeated UMKC, 73-51, Wednesday, Dec. 7 at Allen Fieldhouse. With the victory, the Jayhawks moved to 6-0 for the first time since the 1991-92 season.
Senior Crystal Kemp led all players with 16 points and moved into 13th place all-time at Kansas in career points with 1,174 points. Senior Kaylee Brown scored 15 points, including two three-pointers, and moved into ninth place on Kansas’ all-time career three-pointers list. Freshman Ivana Catic chipped in 13 points and notched a career-best five steals.
In the first half, the Jayhawks were successful breaking down the Kangaroos’ zone defense and took a 40-23 lead into halftime. Senior Erica Hallman dished out five assists in the half on her way to a season-high seven dimes. Kemp contributed 12 points and Catic poured in 10, including two treys. The Jayhawks pulled away from the Kangaroos with a 16-2 run that was punctuated by a three-point play by sophomore Taylor McIntosh.
The second half saw nine different Jayhawks score. Freshman Marija Zinic scored six of her eight points in the half and snared a career-best and game-high 10 rebounds. Junior Shaquina Mosley added three steals and sophomore Sophronia Sallard tallied four points.
KU also did a good job on the defensive end, forcing 28 UMKC turnovers that resulted in 28 points for the Jayhawks. Kansas recorded 16 steals, one off its season high.

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 KU 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 18-16 (.529) at KU and 176-78 (.693) in her career.

Jayhawk Starters
Kansas has used three different starting lineups in five games with sophomore forward Taylor McIntosh, senior forward Crystal Kemp, freshman point guard Ivana Catic and senior guard Kaylee Brown starting every game. Senior Erica Hallman (3), junior Shaquina Mosley (2 starts) and junior Sharita Smith (1) have all received starting nods at the third guard spot. Hallman has started the last three games.

Today’s Opponent – Wisconsin
Wisconsin (4-4) will face Kansas on Sunday, Dec. 11. The Badgers started the season strong with four straight victories before falling in the last four outings. Two of four losses have come against ranked opponents.
The Badgers are coming off a narrow 68-65 loss to South Dakota State on Thursday. Contributing to the loss were 26 UW turnovers. Wisconsin was outshot from the three-point line six to one, and 20 to 14 at the free throw line. UW outshot SDSU 44.6 to 32.3 percent from the field and outrebounded the opposition 44-39. Four Badgers notched double figures including Janese Banks with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Caitlin Gibson scored 11 points and Jolene Anderson added 10 points and six boards. Off the bench, the Badgers were sparked by Danielle Ward with 12 points.
As a team, UW is averaging 72.0 points and 43.0 rebounds while giving up 68.1 points and 36.1 rebounds per game. Wisconsin shoots a solid 42.1 percent from the floor, but struggles from behind the arc hitting only 28.9 percent from the arc.
Wisconsin is coached by Lisa Stone, who is 26-37 in her third season with the Badgers, and 401-155 in her 21st year as a head coach overall.

Kansas/Wisconsin Notes
Kansas and Wisconsin are meeting for the second time in history. UW took the first meeting, 73-72, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on March 16, 1995 in Lubbock, Texas. Wisconsin women’s basketball media relations contact Tam Flarup, winner of the 2004 Mel Greenberg national media award presented at the Final Four, was the women’s sports information director at Kansas in 1976-77. Wisconsin is making its first-ever trip to Lawrence. KU is 20-12 all-time against teams from the Mid-Continent Conference.

Offensive Explosion
Kansas has scored 70 or more points in every game this season with an average of 77.0 points per outing. Last year, the Jayhawks reached 70 points just four times all season. The last time KU averaged 70 or more points for a season was 1999-2000 when the team averaged 70.4. KU’s high scoring game this year came when the squad scored 100 points against New Orleans on Dec. 3. It marked the first time since Dec. 21, 2000 — when KU outscored Mississippi Valley State 116-34 — that the Jayhawks reached the century mark in scoring.

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 7-0 to start the season for the first time since 1991-92 when KU went 10-0 to begin the year … Give the Jayhawks their first seven-game winning streak since winning eight-straight between Dec. 4 and Jan. 5 in the 1998-99 season … Make KU 1-1 all-time against Wisconsin and 1-0 against the Badgers in Lawrence … Improve the Jayhawks all-time record against the Big Ten Conference to 21-12 … Make the Jayhawks 7-0 at home this season … Improve head coach Bonnie Henrickson’s record to 19-16 at Kansas and 177-78 in her career … Make the Jayhawks 616-414 all-time.

A Kansas Loss Would
Make the Jayhawks 6-1 to start the season … Snap KU’s six-game winning streak … Make KU 0-2 all-time against Wisconsin and 0-1 against the Badgers in Lawrence … Make the Jayhawks all-time record against the Big Ten Conference 20-13 … Make the Jayhawks 6-1 at home this season … Make head coach Bonnie Henrickson’s record 18-17 at Kansas and 176-79 in her career … Make the Jayhawks 615-415 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 ninth player in KU history to have amassed over 1,000 career points and 600 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 eighth-straight regular season home game when it hosts Florida International on Sunday, Dec. 18 at 1 p.m. The game will be aired live by Sunflower Broadband Channel 6 in Lawrence. The only other time the two teams met was Jan. 4, 1992, when the Jayhawks defeated the Golden Panthers 99-53 in Miami, Fla.