Aaron Lindberg/Journal-World PhotoOne bright spot isn’t going to cut it.
Kansas University’s women’s basketball team fell Saturday, 61-55, to Missouri in front of 2,600 fans at Allen Fieldhouse. Besides Tamara Ransburg’s sensational day, nobody stepped up to give the Jayhawks a shot.
“The team played with good intensity,” KU coach Marian Washington said. “But we had a couple players that we had hoped might have played a little better.”
Washington wasn’t referring to Ransburg. The freshman enjoyed her best game in Big 12 Conference play with 19 points, 12 rebounds, four steals and four blocked shots. A foul-prone Ransburg had just two on Saturday, letting her focus less on hacking and more on production.
Ransburg, though, downplayed the performance.
Aaron Lindberg/Journal-World Photo“It’s not about an individual,” Ransburg said. “It’s about the team.”
The team has lost four straight since posting back-to-back victories against Texas A&M and Nebraska in late January.
A scoring drought late in the first half doomed KU on Saturday. After an Erica Hallman layup cut Missouri’s lead to 22-21 with 8:50 remaining, the Jayhawks went 5:37 without scoring, often not getting a shot off until the shot clock was winding down. The Tigers scored just eight points in the stretch, but the damage was significant.
“Erica was on the floor at the time,” Washington said of the freshman guard. “For whatever reason, I didn’t think she stabilized our team very well. I’m putting that responsibility on her, but it takes everybody.”
“She’s a team leader,” she said, “but she’s not as vocal as she needs to be.”
Missouri (13-9 overall, 7-4 Big 12) benefited from a strong day in three-point range — and a weak effort by KU’s perimeter defense. The Tigers hit seven of 16 from behind the arc, many uncontested. KU, meanwhile, hit just one of six three-pointers.
“It was a lack of focus,” Washington said. “It has hurt us throughout the season. Basically, we didn’t set up correctly and players got open.”
The Jayhawks finished the game on a 12-3 run, but it was too little, too late. Blair Waltz’s layup with three seconds left cut the deficit to six — the closest KU was to the Tigers since the opening minute of the second half.
MU’s Evan Unrau was fouled on the ensuing inbounds play and hit both free throws to ice the game. The junior forward led three Tigers in double figures with 18 points.
Junior forward Stretch James had her second double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds for MU, which won its third game in a row and sixth straight against the Jayhawks.
Kerensa Barr added 11 points for MU.
“For us to play the way we did and still come out with a win is extremely satisfying,” MU coach Cindy Stein said. “We were playing so hard in the first half because we wanted to put them away. In the second half we had to slow down, and we had a hard time knowing at what pace to play. It was a great atmosphere. They had a great crowd, and that’s what this rivalry is all about.”
Kansas (9-13, 2-9) failed to slice into Missouri’s lead in the Border War Series, and trails 13 to 2.5. The teams meet again March 1 in Columbia, Mo.
The Jayhawks travel Wednesday to Lincoln, Neb., to face the Cornhuskers. KU beat Nebraska 67-64 at Allen Fieldhouse Jan. 29.
“They’re really physical,” Washington said of the Huskers. “I think it’s a game that we’ll go in there with a lot of confidence.”
Aaron Lindberg/Journal-World PhotoOne bright spot isn’t going to cut it.
Kansas University’s women’s basketball team fell Saturday, 61-55, to Missouri in front of 2,600 fans at Allen Fieldhouse. Besides Tamara Ransburg’s sensational day, nobody stepped up to give the Jayhawks a shot.
“The team played with good intensity,” KU coach Marian Washington said. “But we had a couple players that we had hoped might have played a little better.”
Washington wasn’t referring to Ransburg. The freshman enjoyed her best game in Big 12 Conference play with 19 points, 12 rebounds, four steals and four blocked shots. A foul-prone Ransburg had just two on Saturday, letting her focus less on hacking and more on production.
Ransburg, though, downplayed the performance.
“It’s not about an individual,” Ransburg said. “It’s about the team.”
The team has lost four straight since posting back-to-back victories against Texas A&M and Nebraska in late January.
A scoring drought late in the first half doomed KU on Saturday. After an Erica Hallman layup cut Missouri’s lead to 22-21 with 8:50 remaining, the Jayhawks went 5:37 without scoring, often not getting a shot off until the shot clock was winding down. The Tigers scored just eight points in the stretch, but the damage was significant.
“Erica was on the floor at the time,” Washington said of the freshman guard. “For whatever reason, I didn’t think she stabilized our team very well. I’m putting that responsibility on her, but it takes everybody.”
“She’s a team leader,” she said, “but she’s not as vocal as she needs to be.”
Missouri (13-9 overall, 7-4 Big 12) benefited from a strong day in three-point range — and a weak effort by KU’s perimeter defense. The Tigers hit seven of 16 from behind the arc, many uncontested. KU, meanwhile, hit just one of six three-pointers.
“It was a lack of focus,” Washington said. “It has hurt us throughout the season. Basically, we didn’t set up correctly and players got open.”
The Jayhawks finished the game on a 12-3 run, but it was too little, too late. Blair Waltz’s layup with three seconds left cut the deficit to six — the closest KU was to the Tigers since the opening minute of the second half.
MU’s Evan Unrau was fouled on the ensuing inbounds play and hit both free throws to ice the game. The junior forward led three Tigers in double figures with 18 points.
Junior forward Stretch James had her second double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds for MU, which won its third game in a row and sixth straight against the Jayhawks.
Kerensa Barr added 11 points for MU.
“For us to play the way we did and still come out with a win is extremely satisfying,” MU coach Cindy Stein said. “We were playing so hard in the first half because we wanted to put them away. In the second half we had to slow down, and we had a hard time knowing at what pace to play. It was a great atmosphere. They had a great crowd, and that’s what this rivalry is all about.”
Kansas (9-13, 2-9) failed to slice into Missouri’s lead in the Border War Series, and trails 13 to 2.5. The teams meet again March 1 in Columbia, Mo.
The Jayhawks travel Wednesday to Lincoln, Neb., to face the Cornhuskers. KU beat Nebraska 67-64 at Allen Fieldhouse Jan. 29.
“They’re really physical,” Washington said of the Huskers. “I think it’s a game that we’ll go in there with a lot of confidence.”
