LINCOLN, NEB. ? Four times Marian Washington has tried for her 550th win as Kansas University’s women’s basketball coach, and four times she has remained at 549.
Not that Washington is worrying about numbers in her 30th year on Mount Oread.
“I haven’t even thought about, it,” Washington said Tuesday. “Obviously, it is a milestone, but I am so focused on this young club. It will be nice when I get it, but it won’t be the most important thing on my mind.”
Washington’s squad will try to snap its four-game losing streak tonight against Nebraska. Tipoff is 7:05 p.m. The game will be broadcast on the Jayhawk Radio Network, including KLWN 1320.
Washington’s 549th victory came against Nebraska three weeks ago in Allen Fieldhouse. Kansas edged the Cornhuskers, 67-64, as Aquanita Burras hit a couple of clutch free throws in the last minute and freshman Crystal Kemp scored a career-high 26 points.
Since then, Kansas has dropped games at Colorado and Texas and bowed at home to Texas Tech and Missouri while falling to 2-9 in Big 12 Conference play and to 9-13 overall.
Nebraska is struggling, too, under first-year coach Connie Yori. The Huskers are 1-10 in the league, sharing last place with Oklahoma State, and 8-14 overall.
Saturday against Missouri, the Jayhawks staged a stirring late rally, only to fall short, 61-57. Freshman center Tamara Ransburg had her best game of the season with a career-high 19 points to go with 12 rebounds for her fourth career double-double. Ransburg added four blocks and four steals in a career-high 36 minutes.
The Jayhawks outshot the Tigers from the field, but Missouri made seven of 16 three-point attempts while Kansas made just one of five.
KU ranks dead last in the Big 12 in three-point percentage defense at .383, but the Jayhawks’ most glaring problem has been turnovers.
Kansas is averaging 21.3 turnovers a game — the highest number in the conference — while ranking last in assists at 11.45 per game. Those numbers also combine to give KU the worst assist-to-turnover ratio among Big 12 teams.
Another category where the Jayhawks rank last in the league is in attendance. KU is averaging 1,298 fans a game.
The Jayhawks will meet Baylor in their penultimate home game Saturday. Tipoff is 2:05 p.m. KU’s home finale is March 5 against Iowa State, but it won’t be Senior Night because Washington has no seniors on her roster.
