October 28, 2013

KU Women's Hoops Welcomes Pittsburg State

Exhibition 1: Kansas vs. Pittsburg State
Time	8 p.m.
Location	Lawrence, Kan.
Arena	Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)
Series	Kansas leads, 8-1
Television	Jayhawk Television Network/ESPN3 Nate Bukaty (Play-by-Play) Brenda VanLengen (Analyst)
Radio	Jayhawk Radio Network Affiliate List Online: Jayhawk Digital Passport
Live Stats	Kansas Sidearm Stats
Notes	Kansas

Stats at a Glance *2012-13	KU	PSU
Record	20-14	17-11
Rankings	NR	NR
Points/GM	69.9	67.8
Points Allowed/GM	67.6	59.9
FG%	.438	.437
Rebounds/GM	38.7	38.7
Assists/GM	16.3	11.9
Blocks/GM	4.0	4.2
Steals/GM	7.9	4.7

LAWRENCE, Kan.- On the heels of back-to-back NCAA Sweet 16 appearances,Kansas women’s basketball opens exhibition play on Wednesday, Oct. 30 against Pittsburg State in Allen Fieldhouse. The game will be televised on the Jayhawk Television Network/ESPN3 and can be heard on the Jayahwk Radio Network.

The match up with the Gorillas is the first of two exhibition games prior to the start of the 2013-14 campaign. KU is coming off a 20-14 season and is looking for its 17th consecutive exhibition win under 10th year head coach Bonnie Henrickson.

SCOUTING REPORT
Pittsburg State finished the 2012-13 season 17-10 and with an 11-7 record in Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) action for a seventh-place finish. The Gorillas return eight letterwinners from last season’s roster including three starters. Among the starters returning is junior Lizzy Jeronimus. She led the team in points (18.4), assists (8.1) and steals (1.0) per game in 2012-13. Lauren Brown returns for her senior campaign. As a junior, Brown grabbed a team-high 8.1 rebounds per game and tallied 2.0 blocks per game.

KANSAS VS. PITTSBURG STATE: THE SERIES
Kansas and Pittsburg State have met on the hardwood a total of nine times prior to Wednesday, five times in regular season play and the last four have been exhibition match ups. The Jayhawks lead the regular season series 4-1 and are a perfect 4-0 in exhibition games against the Gorillas. KU has won the last seven meetings and under head coach Bonnie Henrickson is 4-0.

LAST TIME OUT
The Jayhawks last faced Pittsburg State on Nov. 6, 2011, in Allen Fieldhouse and KU won 68-43. Monica Engelman led all scorers with 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting. Carolyn Davis and Angel Goodrich each added 12 points. For the Gorillas Brooke Conley finished with a team-high 12 points. Kansas scored 46-of-68 points in the paint against Pittsburg State and shot 51% from inside the arc.

ABOUT THE JAYHAWKS
The Jayhawks have reloaded for the 2013-14 season with a mixture of returning talent and young faces after graduating Carolyn Davis, Angel Goodrich and Monica Engelman, who were all 1,000 point scorers. KU returns two starters in juniors Chelsea Gardner and Natalie Knight and a total of seven letterwinners from last year’s squad that advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16. Kansas brought in five freshmen adding depth to both the front and back court.

CRIMSON & BOO
The Jayhawks will be hosting Crimson & Boo at their first exhibition game which is the day before Halloween. All children 13 and under who dress in their costumes will get free admission to the game against Pittsburg State and a chance to participate in a costume parade.

HOW SWEET IT IS
Kansas women’s basketball advanced to back-to-back NCAA Sweet 16’s for the first time in program history in 2012 and 2013. KU is one of nine women’s programs in the country to play in the round of 16 in the past two seasons. The Jayhawks are also one of two Big 12 schools to advance to the last two Sweet 16’s. The Baylor Bears have also appeared in the last two Sweet 16 rounds. Kansas has appeared in seven of the last nine postseasons under head coach Bonnie Henrickson.

THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
Kansas is set to play 19 games in the comfort of Allen Fieldhouse in 2013-14 and eight of those home games come during the non-conference slate. KU has a 36-9 record in exhibition games played in Allen Fieldhouse. Last season, the Jayhawks were 13-4 at home and has a home record of 114-49 under head coach Bonnie Henrickson.

THE COME BACK KID
Junior Natalie Knight makes her return to the hardwood in the first exhibition game of the season. The Olathe, Kan., native was sidelined by a season-ending knee injury halfway through the 2012-13 season. Knight averaged 8.3 points per game and made 22-of-25 free throw attempts in 19 games. She also contributed 56 assists in her limited appearances.

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