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Women's Basketball

Thursday, March 6, 2008

Little ‘Cat puts hurt on KU

Point guard propels K-State to 61-50 victory over Kansas women

By Chuck Woodling

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KU falls to KSU on senior night

The KU women's basketball team took on KSU on senior night.

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KU vs. K-State women's basketball

You look at a basketball box score and you notice a someone scored 29 points and grabbed 17 rebounds, and what do you think?

A big night for a big inside player, of course.

Not Wednesday night. Kansas State's Shalee Lehning posted those huge numbers in a 61-50 victory over Kansas University in Allen Fieldhouse, and Lehning is a point guard. Her listed roster height is 5-foot-9.

Against the Jayhawks, however, the bouncy junior from tiny Sublette in Southwest Kansas played at least a foot taller.

"That kid tore us up," KU coach Bonnie Henrickson said. "We didn't have any answer defensively."

Kansas didn't need an answer for Lehning in the first meeting between the two schools last month in Manhattan. Lehning took only six shots and scored just six points. This time, however, instead of penetrating and dishing like most point guards do, Lehning went to the hoop, scooping in layups with either hand again and again.

"I guess she smelled blood when she got that first layup," said LaChelda Jacobs, the KU guard most victimized by Lehning's assault on the basket.

Jacobs, a sophomore, made her first start of the season, replacing junior Ivana Catic who had started on the point in the first 28 games. Jacobs logged 35 minutes and scored 14 points.

"I liked LaChelda's aggressiveness and her fight," Henrickson said. "I didn't like her defense, but I don't regret making the move."

Despite Lehning's monster night - she eclipsed her previous career high by eight points while falling three shy of her rebounding high - the Jayhawks were in the thick of things with four minutes remaining.

Kansas had sliced K-State's 13-point lead to two with 4:12 left on a Jacobs' basket, and the Jayhawks were riding a wave of momentum.

Then the wave flattened out. The Jayhawks failed to score the rest of the way, wasting six trips down the floor with four bricks and two turnovers. Meanwhile, K-State regained control as Kimberly Dietz drilled a three-pointer, and Lehning wrapped up her tour de force with a traditional three-point play.

"I'd say that was more us than them," Henrickson said of the Jayhawks' late swoon. "We score 50 points. We're just a better offensive team than that."

Mostly, Kansas has struggled to score because of reduced possessions caused by excessive turnovers. But Wednesday night, the Jayhawks' 13 giveaways were about seven under their average.

"We got more shots," Henrickson said. "But we didn't make shots."

Kansas shot 39.2 percent (20 of 51). Danielle McCray (17 points) and Jacobs took 31 of those shots and made 13 combined. No other KU player scored more than six.

K-State also took 51 shots and made 22 (43.1 percent). Curiously, the Wildcats' offense was also a two-woman show, with Lehning and Dietz taking 34 of the 51 shots and converting 15. Dietz finished with 16 points.

Yet it was Lehning, averaging 10.8 points and 7.2 rebounds a game, who did the most damage.

"She saw she could beat us off the dribble," McCray said, "so she went one-on-one all night."

Of Lehning's 10 baskets, nine were in the paint.

"I take the blame," Jacobs said. "If I would have stopped her, we would have won the game."

Kansas State clinched a share of the Big 12 Conference title after sharing the league basement with Kansas last season. KU, meanwhile, finished in a tie for 10th with Texas Tech, but will be the 11th seed in next week's Big 12 Tournament.

The Jayhawks will meet No. 6 seed Nebraska at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday in Kansas City's Municipal Auditorium.

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Comments

jayhawker_97 (anonymous) says...

sad, sad, very sad.. coach Bonnie, let's not giving up..
twice bitten is pretty much a dead meat awaiting to be eaten by the stray cat at the tournament..
be strong and focus on the "D" more..

good thing is the men's has taken care of the stinky cat, or at least even the matchup for now..

Jayhawks' ladies, good luck for the rest of the season..
thanks Boyd & McIntosh, you two are cool! wishing you the best out there..

i wonder if we ever get to spend just a little more attention to some details on our women's b-ball program, perhaps stats like:
http://www.utladyvols.com/basketball/...

i'm really interested in seeing a change, God forbids, after decades, in KU's women b-ball program - such as: more spending by KU Athletics Director & crew?

where does all the univ's money go?
i challenge Chuck Woodling, or any members of KUsports.com journalist to keep writing about attention, $$$, that the women's program deserves..
i think KU's women's has good prospects to be at the top, just like the men's..

go Jayhawks!!

March 6, 2008 at 3:54 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

okjhok (anonymous) says...

I think it's doubtful that the AD will just pile money on a program that consistently loses, and honestly, as an alumni member, I'd prefer if they didn't. If Bonnie can prove over the next two years that she has the ability to recruit the type of talent that can win in the B12, then it's an issue that deserves to be looked at. Until then, I don't see how taking MORE money from those that earn it (MBB & FB) is going to solve any problems.

March 6, 2008 at 6:18 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

sevenyearhawk (anonymous) says...

We NEED women's basketball to be successful here ... at ANY cost because of the sports' heritage and our legacy.

Dr. James Naismith invented the game, and it is disheartening to see our women's program floundering!

Let me remind everyone: the first group to play basketball at the University was not men, but women!

We Jayhawks have a reputation of supporting basketball, and that should encompass BOTH programs ...

That said, I don't see a quick resolution to this problem, I think Coach Henrickson gets one more season, and if it is a repeat of this one - sadly, I cannot see Lew giving her much more opportunity.

Students ... I'm really disappointed that more of you did not show up last night, it was 60/40 Jayhawks, barely ...

I played in the women's basketball band for two years: 1993 and 1994, before anyone asks. I've supported the program for a long time, and plan on that continuing!

March 6, 2008 at 6:54 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

Dr_Hawkenstein (anonymous) says...

Give Bonnie another year? Would you be saying that about a mens coach who produces the same results? This should be the last year for Henrickson. She seems like a nice person and all but the team hasn't shown any improvement since she took the job.

Frankly, it's embarrassing. How can you have two programs with the same resources at complete opposite ends of the spectrum? What does money have to do with it? Last I checked, the women play in the same $10M newly renovated arena the men do, they share the same facilities, and they have the same name on the front of their jerseys.

The major difference is the women's coach is not named Brown, Williams, or Self.

March 6, 2008 at 9:32 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

sevenyearhawk (anonymous) says...

Coach Bonnie had a lot less to work with than Coach Self ...

I believe this was her first year with all of her own players.

March 6, 2008 at 9:49 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

FlaHawk (anonymous) says...

I would like to say that Coach Bonnie has been a major disappointment. Yes, it is her first year with her own players, but the team is NO better than when she started. This shows she can not coach these kids. Secondly, she could have cleaned house long ago, but at $500K a year why do this. Thirdly, KSU has had the best woman's program in Big XII for last decade. They have done this with in-state talent.

Coach Bonnie has NOT proven she can recruit (in or out of state) or motivate what little talent she has on hand. She is a total flop for her salary. She makes almost twice what KSU coach was making at end of last year.

I say give her one more year and anything less than 2nd round NCAA she is toast!

Come on Lew put some heat on her arse!

Go Hawks!

March 6, 2008 at 12:07 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

sevenyearhawk (anonymous) says...

Heat?

if there were more than a handful of us discussing this ...

then maybe there would be some heat, unfortunately most folks are ambivalent! :/

They must finish in the top half of the conference and make the NCAA tourney next year, or there needs to be a major shakeup ...

March 6, 2008 at 12:22 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

jayhawker_97 (anonymous) says...

now you gals/guys are making more sense..
if CBonnie is the culprit (which i totally agree!), then the department has to make a decision NOW.
if that means recruiting a top-notch coach, then the department better be prepared to spend $$$$.
on top of that, how many good players did the program manage to recruit so far? anyone in the WNBA?
how can we attract more talents? did we spend enough on the scholarship quotas?
perhaps they want to be coached by a known outstanding coach, too..
we could do all the talking here, but who's going address these concerns to the appropriate channel?
what's the process? let's make it happen this year.
i agree with the above facts that: Naismith was here, women played the first time, etc..
let's all bring these facts together and wake the whole department up - open their eyes and make the right decision..
it's about time to see a successful women b-ball program in da house, ladies and gents...

go Jayhawks!!!!!!!!

March 6, 2008 at 12:31 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

easyfive (anonymous) says...

Why don't you people go get a life.
Isn't Mark and Bill fun enough???
I still have this smile on my face from the football season. The Men's bb team is one of best ever.

You all sound like a bunch of two year olds wanting some more nu/nu. Why don't you all grow up!!!
Bonnie is doing fine. Lew knows when to say when.
If Lew says she's the girl for the job. That's is all I need to know.

So, go straighten your underware and be happy.

March 6, 2008 at 3:09 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

jayhawker_97 (anonymous) says...

obviously easyfive don't get it.. life gets too easy for you..

March 6, 2008 at 5:01 p.m. ( | suggest removal )