Jayhawks Host UT-Arlington To Close Out 2010

Dec. 29, 2010

LAWRENCE, Kan. –

Game Notes in PDF Format

OPENING TIP

Kansas will put its perfect record at home on the line when it hosts UT-Arlington on Thursday, Dec. 30 to close out the 2010 portion of its schedule. The Jayhawks are 11-1 on the season overall, including an 8-0 mark in Allen Fieldhouse. UT-Arlington enters the contest with a 3-8 mark on the season. KU and UTA will be meeting for the third time in program history, with the series tied at 1-1. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.

FAST BREAKS

-At 11-1, Kansas is off to its best start since opening the 2005-06 season with a 12-0 mark.

-Kansas is averaging 81.9 points per game, which ranks fourth in the Big 12 Conference and 11th in the NCAA. KU has three players averaging double digits in points, led by sophomore forward Carolyn Davis with 18.5 tallies per game. Sophomore guard Monica Engelman is pouring in 14.0 points per game, while junior forward Aishah Sutherland is adding 12.2 points per outing. Freshman guard Keena Mays is narrowly missing double figures as she is chipping in 9.5 tallies a game, while six other Jayhawks are turning in 4.4 points or more per game.

-KU ranks ninth nationally (4th in Big 12) in scoring margin as it averages 22.0 more points per game than its opponents.

-The Jayhawks are out-rebounding their opponents by 10.6 boards per game, which ranks second in the Big 12 and 10th in the NCAA. Sutherland leads KU and ranks third in the Big 12 in rebounding as she pulls down 9.6 boards per game. She ranks 40th in the NCAA in rebounding.

-KU is shooting 50.2 percent from the field after 12 games, which is tops in the Big 12 Conference and third nationally. Kansas is led by Davis, who has made 74-of-110 shots from the field, good for a league-leading 67.3 percent. Six other Kansas players are shooting better than 45.0 percent on the season. Senior center Krysten Boogaard is second on the team shooting 65.4 percent. Davis ranks second nationally and first in the Big 12 shooting 67.3 percent.

-Kansas has dished 209 assists through 12 games, good for an average of 17.4 dimes per outing. The Jayhawks have held their opponents to just 122 assists on the season, nearly doubling them up. Freshman guard Keena Mays leads the way with 6.2 helpers per game. Mays ranks second in the Big 12 and seventh nationally. Sophomore guard Angel Goodrich is dishing out 4.5 assists per game, which ranks eighth in the Big 12. KU ranks 20th nationally in assists and also ranks 18th in assist-to-turnover ratio.

A LOOK AT UT-ARLINGTON

At 3-8, UT-Arlington has wins over Southeast Missouri State and Texas-Pan American at home and a road win at UMKC. The Mavericks suffered losses to Cal and Pittsburgh at the Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic in their final games prior to the Holiday break. Senior guard Tamara Simmons leads the way for UTA with 16.3 points per game. Simmons has made 26 threes on the season and earned a spot on the Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic All-Tournament Team for her play. Senior forward Shalyn Martin is the leading rebounder for UTA with 7.4 caroms per contest, while also pouring in 9.5 points per game. Junior forward Jasmine Smith adds 8.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per outing. UT-Arlingon is coached by Samantha Morrow, who owns a 59-45 ledger in her fourth season with the Mavericks. Morrow’s overall mark is the same.

A LOOK AT KANSAS

Kansas is 11-1 on the season after defeating Creighton, 64-58, on the road in its last outing. Kansas is 8-0 at home on the season and 3-1 in road games. The Jayhawks are led by sophomore forward Carolyn Davis’ 18.5 points per game. Davis has already posted five 20-point games on the season, highlighted by a 29-point effort at Wisconsin. Davis is also grabbing 7.3 boards per game. Nine other players are turning in 4.4 or more points per game. Sophomore guard Monica Engelman is averaging 14.0 points per game, while also pulling down 4.6 rebounds per game and dishing 3.3 assists. Junior forward Aishah Sutherland is next with 12.2 points per contest. Sutherland is nearly averaging a double-double as she is also pulling down 9.6 caroms per contest, which ranks third in the Big 12. Davis tops KU in blocks with 1.6 per game, while Sutherland blocks 1.4 and senior center Krysten Boogaard swats 0.9 per game. KU is shooting 50.2 percent from the field, which ranks first in the Big 12. The Jayhawks are holding their opponents to just 35.5 percent from the field. Davis leads the team in field goal percentage as she is knocking down 67.3 percent of her shots, which tops the Big 12. Boogaard is right behind her at 65.4 percent and five other Jayhawks are also shooting 45.0 percent or better. Kansas is out-rebounding its opponents by 10.6 boards per game, led by Sutherland’s 9.6 per game. Senior guard Marisha Brown and sophomore guard Angel Goodrich returned to the lineup versus SIUE after missing eight and seven games, respectively, with injuries. Brown is averaging 6.3 points and 2.3 rebounds per game, while Goodrich is turning in 6.6 points, 4.4 assists and 1.4 steals a game.

A KANSAS WIN WOULD…

Improve the Jayhawks to 12-1 for the first time since the 2005-06 season … Make the Jayhawks 6-1 in December … Improve the Jayhawks to 9-0 in home games … Make the Jayhawks 2-1 all-time versus UT-Arlington … Make the Jayhawks 10-8 all-time versus schools from the Southland Conference … Improve Kansas head coach Bonnie Henrickson to 1-1 against UT-Arlington … Give Henrickson a 108-96 mark at Kansas and a 266-158 overall record … Make Kansas 705-494 all time.

A KANSAS LOSS WOULD…

Drop KU to 8-1 in home games … Move the Jayhawks to 5-2 in December … Make Kansas 11-2 to open the season for the second-straight season …. Move the series to 2-1 in UTA’s favor … Give KU head coach Bonnie Henrickson an 0-2 against UT-Arlington … Move the Jayhawks to 9-9 all-time versus schools from the Southland Conference … Drop Kansas head coach Bonnie Henrickson’s record at KU to 107-97 and her overall mark to 265-159 … Make Kansas 704-495 all time … Be less good than a Jayhawks’ win.