Despite giving the Jayhawks more than a handful of opportunities to tie or even win the game in the final five minutes, the All-Stars managed to hang on for a 60-58 victory.

“That’s incredible, how both teams didn’t seize the moment,” said West Coast coach Jerry Gatewood, whose previously winless team had been losing by an average score of 87-51.

The Jayhawks had their chances to make it seven straight losses for the team made up of former college players, mostly from the West Coast.

“It was completely our fault,” said junior guard Kaylee Brown, who scored 13 points but struggled down the stretch by missing four three-pointers and committing two costly turnovers. “We should have won that game.”

Scott McClurg/Journal-World Photo

After the All-Stars went ahead 55-53 with 3:30 left, it was as if the Jayhawks became scared to have a quality possession.

KU’s next nine possessions resulted in: missed three-pointer, turnover, turnover, missed three-pointer, turnover, missed jumper, missed three-pointer, missed three-pointer and missed free throw.

Still, the Jayhawks had an opportunity to tie the game on their final possession.

With only three-tenths of a second showing on the clock, Alicia Rhymes, who was fouled right before time expired, nailed a free throw to cut KU’s deficit to two.

Rhymes intentionally tried to miss her final shot from the charity stripe, hoping a Jayhawk could tip the ball in because that was the only option Kansas had.

Scott McClurg/Journal-World Photo

But Rhymes’ missed shot ricocheted off the backboard straight down, allowing the All-Stars to escape.

Rhymes’ miss was on purpose, but Kansas didn’t fare much better when it was trying to hit its free throws Tuesday, connecting on just 11-of-25 — a paltry 44 percent.

“I would venture to guess the definition of beating yourself is going 11-for-25 from the free-throw line in a two-point loss,” first-year KU coach Bonnie Henrickson said. “That’s about as telling as it gets.”

Going 3-for-21 from the three-point line (14.3 percent) certainly didn’t help the Jayhawks nor did 21 turnovers.

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Yet, Kansas looked crisp passing the ball early when it built a 15-4 advantage five minutes in.

But then the All-Stars began to pick up the defensive pressure, utilizing both a full-court press and zone defense that quickly seemed to take the Jayhawks out of rhythm.

“Once we started turning the ball over, we got a little bit frustrated,” said KU’s Crystal Kemp, who led Kansas for the second straight game with 20 points and 14 rebounds.

“We were trying to force things that weren’t there, and then it was just downhill from there.”

While Kansas had a three-point lead at halftime, thanks to point guard Erica Hallman’s off-balance jumper just before the buzzer, the Jayhawks were horribly slow starting the second half.

KU not only allowed the All-Stars to take the lead, but the Jayhawks went more than five minutes without a bucket of their own.

Kansas — which had overwhelmed a less athletic Fort Hays State squad, 88-49, a week ago — never could regain a lead larger than two points the rest of the way and found itself trailing 58-53 with 2:59 to go.

Two separate free throws and a jumper by Aquanita Burras pulled the Jayhawks to within one with 22 ticks left.

But two free throws by All-Star Denise King, who led West Coast with 20 points, would eventually seal the deal.

“It’s sort of a devastating loss because we know we should have won it,” said Burras, who tallied nine points and grabbed 13 rebounds.

“We’re trying to take every game serious, and even though it was an exhibition game, we were very serious.”

Henrickson, on the other hand, while upset by her squad’s mistakes, said the setback actually could provide a good lesson if her players were willing to take it that way.

“They were trying to let us have it, weren’t they,” said Henrickson, whose team starts the season for real at 1 p.m. Sunday against Texas-Arlington in the fieldhouse.

“The only good thing there is, it is a great late game situation that you can’t create in practice. It’ll be great if we learn and don’t make the same mistakes — then, at least, it’s not for nothing.”