The milestone didn’t come easily, but career win No. 400 came to Kansas women’s basketball coach Marian Washington on Monday night.
Angie Halbleib made two free throws with 14 seconds left, and Houston missed a shot at the buzzer, allowing the 16th-ranked Jayhawks to hold on to a 99-98 victory over Houston at Hofheinz Pavilion.
“I didn’t ask them to get my 400th win this way,” Washington said. “But they handled the pressure from within themselves and the coaching staff well. They stuck together as a team and answered everything we asked of them, but that doesn’t mean it was pretty.”
Kansas led 47-44 lead at halftime, and the Cougars trailed the entire second half until UH’s Jerrie Cooper hit a 17-foot jumper with 59 seconds left for a 96-95 lead.
KU’s Angela Aycock responded with a short jumper to give the Jayhawks a 97-96 advantage, but Rosheda Hopson’s layup with 20 seconds left gave UH its last lead, 98-97.
Then Houston’s Stacey Johnson, the Cougars’ leading scorer, fouled Halbleib. Halbleib canned both free throws, and Houston’s Tanda Rucker missed a baseline jumper as time expired.
“I am thankful that I’ve been able to be in this game so long,” Washington said. “It feels good, but I’ve always said my victories were hard-fought wins. It’s also nice to be a part of a team where you are able to win so many games and to have a team like this year’s to be able to celebrate with you.”
In 21-plus seasons at KU, Washington’s record is 400-223.
Aycock led the Jayhawks (10-2) with a career high-tying 36 points. She also had five assists and five steals. KU’s Shelly Canada added 13 points, Jennifer Trapp had 12 points and a game- and career-high 12 rebounds, Tamecka Dixon added 11 points and Halbleib contributed 10.
Johnson led the Cougars (5-6) with 32 points before fouling out, and Rucker added 28.
The Jayhawks will open their Big Eight schedule on Friday at Iowa State.
