The University of Kansas women’s basketball team defeated La Salle, 75-73, Friday night at Allen Fieldhouse to remain undefeated at 11-0. A crowd of 4,025 – the second most ever to watch a non-conference game in Allen Fieldhouse – witnessed the Jayhawks secure its school record 11th straight victory to open the season.
“It sounded a little bit too good to be true about twenty minutes ago, but great energy from the crowd helped our kids come back,” KU coach Bonnie Henrickson said. “I’m just excited to be a part of history here and try to share it with these kids.”
Trailing by seven points with under four minutes remaining in the game, Kansas seniors Erica Hallman and Crystal Kemp carried the Jayhawks to victory, scoring 11 of KU’s final 13 points. Hallman gave the Jayhawks the lead for good when she knocked down a 3-pointer with 1:01 remaining.
“I just let it go. It was the same play that we ran against Wisconsin,” Hallman said. “I got open on a screen and I took it (the shot), no hesitation.”
After LaSalle missed a jumper, Kemp was fouled and drilled two free-throws with 1.2 seconds remaining to seal the victory.
Kemp finished the game with 25 points and nine rebounds while shooting a perfect 9-of-9 from the free throw line. Hallman scored two points and played only seven minutes in the first half after picking up two quick fouls. The Covington, Ky., native responded in the second half to finish with nine points, including the go-ahead trey.
“We were all right. We had a minute left in the game, anything can happen,” Hallman said. “We got a few stops, came down and made a few buckets. Crystal (Kemp) knocked her free throws down, and fortunately we came out with a win. It (coming from behind) says we have a lot of poise and a lot of experience coming back from last year. That is the difference between last year and this year.”
Freshman guard Ivana Catic tied a career high with 16 points including 6-of-6 from the charity stripe while also dishing out five assists and pulling down four rebounds. Catic and Kemp played all 40 minutes of the game.
After trailing by as many as 10 points, La Salle battled back to take the lead with 3:05 remaining in the half. KU eventually went into the locker room leading 38-37.
The Explorers shot 6-of-8 from behind the 3-point arc and 47 percent from the field during the game. Four La Salle players scored in double figures, led by Crista Ricketts’ 19 points. After scoring 13 points in the first half, KU held Ricketts to just six in the second stanza.
“I thought (Erica) Hallman really took over late in the game,” LaSalle coach Tom Lochner said. “She took the team on her back and made some tough shots, including that three late in the game. I thought she was the difference.
KU will get its first Big 12 test Tuesday when it takes on Texas Longhorns at 6 p.m. in Allen Fieldhouse.
“We will start with the same team that we started with last year and know that we have a chance to play them at home this year,” Henrickson said. “They’ve got speed, size and athleticism, and we’ve got some time to get ready and prepare and we’ll need that.”
Adam Buhler/Journal-World PhotoKansas University women’s basketball coach Bonnie Henrickson would have liked to have had her first Big 12 Conference victory sooner.
But if she had to wait, getting it against Missouri would suffice.
Henrickson said she was excited for her players to defeat a conference foe — especially against the Tigers, their biggest rival — 63-61 on Saturday at Allen Fieldhouse.
“They’ve worked long and hard to get on the right end of one of these, and the emotion and energy in Allen Fieldhouse would indicate it wasn’t a better one than this one,” Henrickson said.
KU (8-8 overall, 1-4 Big 12) outlasted Missouri (7-10, 1-5) in an evenly played Border Showdown that featured 18 lead changes.
Adam Buhler/Journal-World PhotoGuard Aquanita Burras broke a 61-all tie with just over a minute remaining when she intercepted a pass in KU’s defensive zone, tip-toed down the left sideline and drove for a lay-up to put the Jayhawks up by two.
It was all the scoring KU would need to stay ahead because its defense stopped Missouri on its last three possessions.
Guard Erica Hallman followed Burras’ example on the Tigers’ next trip up-court with a clean steal that Hallman said actually was an attempt to hack guard LaToya Bond and put her on the free-throw line.
“(Henrickson) told us to foul, so I was going to, but I tried to get a steal before I fouled,” Hallman said. “It was kind of a gamble, but it worked out.”
Hallman’s steal allowed KU to run several seconds off the clock before a Missouri trap coerced Hallman into a double-dribble.
Missouri then cycled the ball to guard Tiffany Brooks for an open three-point shot, which missed, and it was the last serious threat the Tigers could muster.
There were other standouts for the Jayhawks, especially forward Crystal Kemp. Kemp faced a daunting task against a bigger Missouri lineup.
Despite the size disadvantage, Kemp exploited Missouri’s forwards for 22 points, many of which came from second-chance points from her seven offensive rebounds.
Missouri coach Cindy Stein said her team couldn’t solve Kemp’s presence.
“She was incredible,” Stein said. “She has great hands. It is like she has suction cups on her hands for rebounds.”
But Kemp wasn’t after any compliments for her play. Instead, Kemp credited Hallman’s three-point shooting — she made four of seven attempts — for forcing Missouri’s defense to keep an eye on the perimeter and allowing her good shots and positions for rebounds.
“Once Erica started hitting the outside shot, it really opened it up for me,” Kemp said.
Henrickson said the victory was the result of her players treating the rivalry with Missouri as motivation to play harder and better in search of its first conference victory.
“We said, ‘The emotion and passion you feel from this rivalry, let it help you,'” Henrickson said. “Don’t turn a great rivalry into anything negative as you go through a 40 minute game.”
KU plays its next game Tuesday at Colorado.
