Wildcats control KU

By Joel Mathis Feb 18, 2002

Fans of Kansas University’s men’s basketball team like to refer to Kansas State’s Bramlage Coliseum as Allen Fieldhouse West.

It’s an appropriate nickname because the KU men haven’t lost a game in the arena since it was built 13 years ago. But the Jayhawks never have received the kind of support in Bramlage as the Wildcats’ women’s team did Sunday afternoon at Allen Fieldhouse.

An estimated 10,000 people of the announced 11,858 in attendance the second highest total ever at Kansas wore purple. Chants of “K-S-U-Wildcats” drowned out the Rock Chalk chant. One man even played the K-State fight song on a trumpet, which nearly brought KSU coach Deb Patterson to tears, she said.

After K-State’s 65-40 rout of Kansas, the Wildcats ran a victory lap around the court, waving at the fans roaring as loud as any crowd at a KU men’s game.

“When we ran on the court it was like we were at home,” KSU sophomore center Nicole Ohlde said. “It was just amazing. It’s beyond description.”

Slightly less spectacular as the showing of K-State’s supporters was the way the No. 12 Wildcats (22-5 overall, 10-4 Big 12) dominated the Jayhawks (5-22, 0-14) in every aspect of the game. They outscored Kansas 22-0 in the paint and 38-12 overall. The Wildcats outrebounded the Jayhawks 46-29.

Kansas shot 29.8 percent (17 of 57) from the field, while K-State made 46.6 percent (27 of 58).

Ohlde led all players with 19 points and Marysville freshman Kendra Wecker had 18. KU freshman Blair Waltz and senior Nikki White led the Jayhawks with eight points each, the first time all season no KU player reached double-figures.

“We were not ever in the ball game as far as I’m concerned,” KU coach Marian Washington said. “Kansas State did a great job. We obviously didn’t score well in the first half and struggled throughout the ball game defensively. We were simple not ready tonight.”

Twelve minutes into the first half the Wildcats led 19-4 and held a 30-14 advantage at halftime. The Jayhawks made just six of 28 attempts before intermission and their two leading scorers Waltz and senior KC Hilgenkamp combined for four points.

But Kansas was not without its chances. The Jayhawks forced two K-State turnovers before the Wildcats even had attempted a shot, but they gave the ball away on the ensuing possession both times.

“We had opportunities to stay in the game early,” Washington said. “We missed layups, missed free throws and really what hurt us defensively is they got second and third chances. You can’t give a team more than one shot when you’re trying to stay in the game.”

Washington said before the game that she thought her team could beat Kansas State and get its first conference win of the season. The Wildcats had dropped three of their last four games before Sunday’s win, and K-State hadn’t won in Lawrence in 10 years.

But two of the Wildcats’ losses came against No. 4 Oklahoma and No. 16 Iowa State, and this Kansas squad doesn’t compare to any of the 20-plus-wins teams Washington had in the last decade.

“We tried to work through that this is just another game, but obviously it’s not,” she said. “Especially this year, its not just another game.”

Kansas State (65)	FG	FT	REB	PF	TP
	m-a	m-a	o-t
Megan Mahoney	2-4	0-0	2-5	3	4
Kendra Wecker	8-14	2-2	3-7	2	18
Nicole Ohlde	9-12	1-2	3-11	0	19
Laurie Koehn	2-8	2-2	0-3	2	6
Chelsea Domenico	1-4	0-0	2-5	1	3
Andrea Armstrong	0-3	0-0	1-1	1	0
Kimmery Newsom	1-1	0-0	0-0	1	3
Shalondra Booker	0-1	0-0	0-3	2	0
Kristin Rethman	3-8	0-0	1-2	0	8
Kari Hanson	0-1	2-2	0-1	0	2
Brie Madden	1-2	0-0	2-7	0	2
team			0-1
Totals	27-58	7-8	14-46	12	65

Three-point goals: 4-18 (Rethman 2-7, Newsom 1-1, Domenico 1-3, Koehn 0-4, Mahoney 0-1, Wecker 0-1, Booker 0-1). Assists: 13 (Mahoney 6, Domenico 3, Wecker, Booker, Rethman, Madden). Turnovers: 19 (Mahoney 4, Domenico 4, Ohlde 4, Koehn 2, Madden 2, Wecker 1, Booker 1, Rethman 1, Madden 1). Blocked shots: 5 (Madden 2, Wecker 1, Ohlde 1, Newsom 1). Steals: 8 (Wecker 3, Ohlde 3, Domenico 2).

KANSAS (40)	FG	FT	REB	PF	TP
	m-a	m-a	o-t
KC Hilgenkamp	2-11	1-2	2-3	1	5
Chelsey Thompson	3-8	0-0	1-2	1	6
Nikki White	4-10	0-0	0-3	4	8
Blair Waltz	4-9	0-0	1-1	0	8
Selena Scott	0-8	1-2	0-3	1	1
Sharonne Spencer	0-1	0-0	0-0	0	0
Kristin Geoffroy	0-2	0-0	0-1	0	0
Katie Hannon	0-1	0-1	0-2	0	0
Keila Beachem	0-0	0-0	0-2	1	0
Valerie Migicovsky	2-3	0-1	2-4	2	4
Leila Menguc	2-3	0-0	1-1	2	6
Brandi McGinest	0-1	2-2	0-2	0	2
team			4-5
Totals	17-57	4-8	11-29	12	40

Three-point goals: 2-9 (Menguc 2-2, Hilgenkamp 0-3, Waltz 0-2, Scott 0-2). Assists: 14 (Scott 8, Thompson 3, Menguc 2, Hilgenkamp 1). Turnovers: 16 (Thompson 3, White 3, Hilgenkamp 2, Waltz 2, Scott 2, Hannon 1, Beachem 1, Migicovsky 1, Menguc 1). Blocked shots: 3 (Geoffroy 2, Migicovsky 1). Steals: 12 (Hilgenkamp 3, Thompson 3, Migicovsky 3, Scott 2, Migicovsky 1).