Kansas University’s women’s basketball team broke its three-game losing streak on Sunday when the Jayhawks defeated Oklahoma State, 66-46, in Allen Fieldhouse.
KU senior Crystal Kemp led the Jayhawks (13-3, 2-3 Big 12) with 25 points and 13 rebounds. The win marked KU’s most victories since the 1999-2000 campaign. KU’s Erica Hallman added 14 points.
A 35-6 run at the end of the first half and early part of second half broke open KU’s first win since its victory over Texas at the beginning of the month.
“I was really proud of our defensive effort. Our kids did a very good job of contesting shots,” KU coach Bonnie Henrickson said. “I thought we did a good job of executing on offense at times.”
The Jayhawks defense though was stifling, limiting the Cowgirls to 17 field goals and 46 points — both KU opponent season-lows.
Kemp’s double-double was her sixth of the season and 23rd of her career. She also grabbed her 700th career rebound and was a perfect 9-of-9 from the free-throw line, tying a season-high.
“I was taking my time with their zone. It is just a matter of taking my time and not trying to rush anything,” said Kemp, who now sits just two points shy of becoming only the seventh player in KU history to compile 1,400 points and 700 rebounds.
“It feels good to win. We had momentum in the first half, and luckily we were able to maintain it throughout the whole game,” continued Kemp, who vaulted into 10th place on the Jayhawks’ career scoring list with her 25 points, giving her 1,398 in her career, passing Jaclyn Johnson and Lisa Braddy.
In addition to Hallman’s 14 points, the senior guard chipped in seven assists and six rebounds. With her performance, Hallman moved up to third in the KU career lists in assists with 397 — passing Jennifer Jackson, who finished her career with 390 helpers.
Hallman also moved into second place in both three-point field goals (158) and three-point attempts (421).
“I don’t do anything special; I just shoot the ball,” Hallman said. “Sometimes it goes in and sometimes it doesn’t. I’ll just keep shooting.”
Freshman guard Ivana Catic dished out seven assists while scoring 11 points.
Despite a zone defense employed by Oklahoma State, the Jayhawks used an 11-0 run and closed the half on a 23-6 scamper to build a 30-21 halftime lead. Kemp led all scorers at the break with 11 points and nine rebounds.
KU held Oklahoma State without a field goal for nearly 11 minutes while building a 23-point lead with 11:50 remaining in the second half. The Jayhawks also outscored the Cowgirls 25-15 in the paint.
“I want to congratulate Bonnie (Henrickson) and the job she is doing,” OSU coach Kurt Budke said. “I think she understands what we are going through right now. We have got some things we have to change. I don’t think there is any way you jump into the Big 12 and turn a program around in one year.”
Kansas travels to Manhattan on Wednesday to take on Kansas State in the Sunflower Showdown at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on Fox Sports Midwest.
“I think everyone knows how to get there,” Henrickson joked of the short trip to Manhattan. “Left out of Lawrence and right somewhere down the road on I-70.
“They’re a lot like us,” Henrickson said of the Wildcats. “They have some very good seniors and are getting some support from some young kids that are playing very well. It’s good for us to build a little momentum before we go over there.”
A large crowd fueled an even bigger win for Kansas women’s basketball team Tuesday night as the undefeated Jayhawks knocked off No. 23 Texas, 70-61, in front of 5,634 at Allen Fieldhouse.
“It helped us win a game today,” said KU coach Bonnie Henrickson of KU’s season-high crowd, which was the ninth largest in Fieldhouse history for a women’s game — and the biggest contigent since 11,858 showed up to watch the KU-K-State game on Feb. 17, 2002.
“Great energy helps our kids. I know it helps Kansas, playing in Allen Fieldhouse behind a great crowd,” continued Henrickson of Kansas’ first victory over a ranked opponent since a 69-61 win over sixth-ranked Iowa State on Feb. 17, 2001.
The Jayhawks gave KU faithful plenty to be proud of Tuesday night in keeping their record perfect as they improved to 12-0.
“I kind of felt that people weren’t really leaning towards us because of our opponents, but we came in, stepped up and played big and beat Texas,” KU senior guard Kaylee Brown said. “I think that we are going to catch a lot of people’s attention.”
A couple of big three-pointers in the first half fueled a early Kansas run, none was probably bigger than senior Crystal Kemp’s first trey of the season which put KU ahead 18-12, less than 10 minutes into the contest.
“I know I have the green light to shoot it,” said Kemp, who after earlier in the day being named the Big 12’s co-Player of the Week again led the Jayhawks with 21 points and 10 rebounds.
But the green light was also a go for KU’s other two seniors.
Brown (15 points) and Erica Hallman (14) rounded out KU’s senior class’ production of 50 points. Each hit three three-pointers as Kansas shot 40-percent (8-of-20) from long-range.
Meanwhile UT, which was led by Tiffany Jackson’s 18 points, hit just one bomb, despite shooting 42.9-percent from the field.
The Longhorns outscored Kansas 32-24, and UT’s bench outdid KU’s 22-3. But the Jayhawks benefitted from 19 Texas turnovers — seven of which came off of offensive foul calls.
But even longtime UT coach Jody Conradt admitted she was impressed with the Jayhawks improved play this season.
“First and foremost Bonnie has done a really great job,” she said. “They are playing really well and their record indicates that. It is a fact that they are so disciplined and playing so well that they are going to be hard to beat here (at Allen Fieldhouse). I am thinking they are going to be a factor in the Big 12.”
KU point guard Ivana Catic had problems with turnovers herself, commiting eight of the Jayhawks’ 19 miscues. But the freshman did hand out five assists, while scoring nine points.
KU’s other starter, Taylor McIntosh, tallied eight points and grabbed five rebounds.
For the first time all season, Kansas will hit the road for a pair of away games when KUtakes on Nebraska this Saturday at 7 p.m. and Colorado, Jan. 10, at 8 p.m. Henrickson, who jokingly said her team does indeed have blue uniforms, said her squad is excited to take the momentum it has built on the road.
“I think our kids are excited to go on the road together,” Henrickson said. “They have got to be able to dig down and do what we have done well all year and be better at some things. We need to play with confidence, play hard, play smart, and play together, and we’ll live with what happens after that.”
Second Half Action
Kansas started the second half with the same energy that it used to go on a run at the end of the first stanza.
Crystal Kemp, who leads all scorers with 17 points, opened the second period with a pair of free throws.
Senior Erica Hallman followed with a jumper in the lane to give Kansas a 43-31 lead less than a minute and a half into the second half.
The Longhorns, however, answered with a 6-0 run — including four points from forward Tiffany Jackson, who leads UT with 14 points.
But a banked in shot off a drive by Ivana Catic gave KU a 45-37 lead with 15:43 left.
Thanks to a couple of offensive fouls and a few more big jumpers from Hallman — who hit one three-poiner and had another go in and out — KU took a 50-40 lead with 13 1/2 minutes to go.
KU’s Kaylee Brown added to that margin with her third three of the contest.
Texas finally hit its first three-pointer when freshman Erika Arriaran knocked one down from the left side. The Longhorns are 1-of-6 from long range, while KU is 8-of-15.
Back-to-back three-point plays by Kemp and Taylor McIntosh gave Kansas its largest lead of the game at 61-47 with 9:01 left.
Kansas hasn’t scored for four minutes and Texas has close its deficit to 61-54.
Finally Hallman helped the Jayhawks get back on the scoreboard when she drove the lane with the shot clock winding down and fed a wide open Marija Zinic for a lay-in.
Zinic’s basket marked the first points from Kansas’ bench tonight.
Texas’ Erneisha Bailey answered the other way with a jumper. A KU turnover gave UT the ball with 3:44 remaining and trailing by seven.
Kansas caught a break when Nina Norman was called for a charge on a drive that ended with her scoring a basket.
KU added a pair of free throws from Kaylee Brown for the 65-56 lead and got a UT turnover on its ensuing possession.
Jackson added a free throw with 1:39 to play to cut Texas’ deficit to 65-57.
KU’s Zinic fouled out on the play.
With a little over a minute remaining both squads traded turnovers, but on KU’s next possession Hallman hit a free throw to put the Jayhawks ahead 66-57.
Sharita Smith added a free throw for KU a few moments later, but UT’s Jackson stormed in for a lay-in to keep the Longhorns alive.
Brown quickly quieted that notion with two more charities after a hard foul to put Kansas ahead again by double digits, 69-59.
Halftime
The undefeated Jayhawks (11-0) used hot shooting to take a 39-31 halftime lead over perennial conference power Texas.
Senior Crystal Kemp scored 15 first half points, while fellow upperclassmen Erica Hallman and Kaylee Brown each hit two three-pointers.
The Jayhawks shot 55.6-percent in the first 20 minutes on field goals and were nearly as hot from downtown — knocking down 6-of-11 triples.
KU outrebounded UT 18-14, but did have 11 turnovers compared to nine for the Longhorns.
Texas was led by Tiffany Jackson’s 12 points.
First Half Action
Both Kansas and Texas were sloppy in the early minutes Tuesday nigth.
The two squads were deadlocked at 4-all after the first media timeout.
KU’s Crystal Kemp, who earlier in the day was named the Big 12 Conferenece’s co-Player of the Week, scored the Jayhawks first two buckets off nice entry feed.
Texas countered with a pair of jumpers from Nina Norman and Erneisha Bailey.
KU forward Taylor McIntosh doubled the Jayhawks lead to 8-4 with a quick pair of lay-ins.
The Longhorns again came back to knot the game.
But a drive by Kaylee Brown, a three by Brown, a lay-in by Kemp and Kemp’s first three-pointer of the season allowed Kansas to jump out to a 18-12 lead with 11:37 to go in the first half.
The senior forward leads all scorers with nine points.
McIntosh, who has five points, sunk a free throw to put KU ahead 21-14, but the Longhorns cut their deficit to 21-18, before Ivana Catic banked a three-pointer from the left side with 8:55 to go to put KU ahead 24-18.
Texas cut the score to 26-24 on a tough shot by Tiffany Jackson who was fading away.
But the Jayhawks answered with five straight points.
Kemp, who has 15 first half points, hit a pair of free throws. Senior guard Erica Hallman followed with a long three-pointer from the left wing to put KU up 31-24 with 3:42 to go in the first half.
Texas answered with its own five-point run and close the Jayhawks’ lead to 31-29.
But Kansas ended the half with an 8-2 run, capped off by another three-pointer by Hallman to take a 39-31 lead into halftime.
Kansas University’s women’s basketball team defeated Florida International, 73-65, Sunday afternoon at Allen Fieldhouse.
Senior forward Crystal Kemp, the reigning Big 12 Player of the Week, spurred the Jayhawks to the victory with 20 points and a season-high 12 rebounds.
The victory pushes the Jayhawks’ record to 8-0 on the season, only the second time since 1980 that KU has started a season with eight straight victories. Helping Kemp and the Jayhawks fight off the pesky Golden Panthers were senior guards Kaylee Brown and Erica Hallman.
“We are tremendously excited and certainly want to finish 9-0 going home for Christmas,” KU coach Bonnie Henrickson said. “There were spots when we weren’t very good, and there were spots when we played fairly well.”
Brown finished with 16 points and a team-high four assists while Hallman added 10 points and knocked down two three-pointers.
The Jayhawks took a 34-30 lead into halftime. KU jumped out to an early advantage behind a 14-4 run to start the game. Kemp, who led all scorers with 15 points at the break, scored eight of the Jayhawks’ first 13 points and also grabbed six rebounds. Brown chipped in six points and Hallman scored five points and had four rebounds. Kansas also outscored the Golden Panthers 16-12 in the paint in the first half.
In the second half, a pair of freshmen helped KU withstand a late Florida International run. Freshman forward Marija Zinic scored eight of her nine points after halftime and also finished with seven rebounds. Freshman guard Ivana Catic, who entered the game ranked third in the nation in assists per game, scored nine of her 10 points in the second half and dished out three assists, pushing her season average to 7.0 assists per game.
The Kansas defense was especially tough, forcing 18 turnovers FIU that resulted in 21 KU points. Kemp, Brown and Catic each snagged two steals.
“It feels good. It feels really good. We have had some tough games, but fortunately we were able to come out on top,” Kemp said of KU’s undefeated start to the season. “We just have to stay poised especially when things get tough. I have notice that when things get tough we don’t just lay down and die, we continue to push through the game.”
The Jayhawks look to continue their winning ways when they take on the Creighton Bluejays at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 21, at Allen Fieldhouse.
Kansas University’s women’s basketball team overcame a 14-point halftime deficit and escaped two overtimes to record a 90-87 victory over the University of Wisconsin Sunday afternoon at Allen Fieldhouse.
Thanks to a new career-high afternoon from senior forward Crystal Kemp, who tallied 28 points, and senior guard Erica Hallman, who just missed becoming the first Jayhawk to record a triple-double since Lynette Woodard, the Jayhawks improved to 7-0 for the first time since the 1991-92 season.
“It lets us know that anything is possible,” Kemp said of coming back for the win. “We didn’t get down on ourselves and we executed things that we knew that would work and we kept trying to play to their weaknesses. It’s great to come out with a win in double overtime!”
Hallman, who recorded 24 points, 10 assists, and nine rebounds, helped lead the spirited second half comeback along with Kemp.
In addition to her game-high 28 points, Kemp grabbed 11 rebounds. Senior guard Kaylee Brown added 17 points and freshman guard Ivana Catic contributed 12 points and nine assists.
In the second half, the Jayhawks outscored the Badgers 40-26. Hallman went 5-8 from 3-point land in the second half and the two extra frames. She tied the game at 70-all nailing a 3-pointer with 25 seconds left in regulation, sending the game into overtime.
“I’m a shooter. I’m going to keep shooting and eventually it will fall,” Hallman said. “If the first doesn’t fall eventually one will, and fortunately it did late in the game.”
Overtime saw the two teams battle back and forth before Brown nailed two free-throws to put the KU ahead 81-78 with under ten seconds remaining. However, Badger guard Jolene Anderson banked home an off balance 3-pointer as time expired to send the Jayhawks to their first double overtime game since March 18, 2000 against Vanderbilt.
In the second overtime, KU rallied behind clutch free throw shooting to seal the victory. While Brown and Hallman each added buckets during the frame, Kemp and Hallman sunk crucial free throws to secure the victory.
The Jayhawks trailed the Badgers 44-30 at halftime. Brown led the Jayhawks with nine points while Kemp added eight points and Hallman dished out four of her 10 assists.
“They did a great job and we are lucky to get out of here alive. It was a good game for us,” KU coach Bonnie Henrickson said. “Now that we’ve played them, we know where we are at and are ready to get after it again. I think it was good for us.”
KU will take on Florida International Dec. 18 in a 1 p.m. contest at Allen Fieldhouse.
Kansas University’s women’s basketball team moved to 6-0 for the first time since the 1991-92 season thanks to its 73-51 victory over UMKC Wednesday night at Allen Fieldhouse.
Senior forward Crystal Kemp led all players with 16 points and moved into 13th place all-time at KU in career points with 1,174 points. Senior guard Kaylee Brown scored 15 points, including two three-pointers, which moved her into 9th place all-time at Kansas in career three-pointers. Freshman guard Ivana Catic added 13 points and notched a career-best five steals.
“We’re not really thinking about being undefeated,” Kemp said.
In the first half, the Jayhawks successfully broke down the Kangaroos’ zone defense to take a 40-23 halftime lead. Senior guard Erica Hallman dished out five assists in the half on the way to a season- high seven dimes. Kemp contributed 12 points and Catic poured in 10, including two three-pointers. The Jayhawks pulled away from the Kangaroos with a 16-2 run that was punctuated by a three-point play by sophomore forward Taylor McIntosh.
“We got off to a rough start,” KU coach Bonnie Henrickson said. “They played a 2-3 zone, which we haven’t seen a lot of and they play it soft so every catch is about a foot and a half off. I thought without the ball we weren’t ready to take shots. To be ready without the ball and to be a good shooter means being ready on the catch. I didn’t think we were doing that early on but we got a little bit better.”
The second half saw nine different Jayhawks score. Freshman forward Marija Zinic scored six of her eight points in the last 20 minutes and snagged a career-best and game-high 10 rebounds. Junior guard Shaquina Mosley added three steals and sophomore forward Sophronia Sallard tallied four points.
KU also forced 28 UMKC turnovers which resulted in 28 points for the Jayhawks. Kansas, which will take on Wisconsin on Sunday, December 11 at 1 p.m. in Allen Fieldhouse.
“We have a big test coming up on Sunday. Wisconsin is a very good team,” Henrickson said. “They just lost to Notre Dame, who is ranked 11/12 in the country and played them close. It’s a great opportunity for us to play a quality team from a quality conference. Fortunately, we have the opportunity to play at home.”
The Kansas University women’s basketball team improved to 5-0 on the season behind a 100-50 victory over the University of New Orleans Saturday afternoon at Allen Fieldhouse.
Six Jayhawks scored in double-figures in a game that saw 12 different Kansas players score as KU shot a season-best 53-percen. Senior guard Erica Hallman led all scorers, pouring in 20 points as Kansas reached the century mark for the first time since KU tallied 116 against Mississippi Valley State on Dec. 21, 2000.
“It’s a good thing when we can get up and take care of business,” said Hallman, who hit four three-pointers as KU shot 57-percent from down town. “Then we can sit back and watch the younger kids get some experience.”
Sophomore forward Taylor McIntosh tied a career-high with 11 points and freshman forward Marija Zinic set a new career-best with 12 points. Senior guard Kaylee Brown tossed in 12 points while senior forward Crystal Kemp and freshman guard Ivana Catic each added 10 points.
In the first half, the Jayhawks used two large runs to build a 58-27 halftime lead. KU started with a 20-2 run, in which five different Jayhawks recorded baskets, then closed the half with a 24-5 spurt where eight Jayhawks scored. Hallman scored 16 of her points in the half and McIntosh and Brown each added nine.
“I’m pleased on our response to last night,” said KU coach Bonnie Henrickson, whose squad despite easily defeating Birmingham-Southern, 72-50, Friday night wasn’t pleased with its play.
“We came out with energy. I think that this group is learning to take some pride on the defensive end. As good as we are and effective in transition we have to get some deflections, force some tough shots, rebound and run. We have the speed and the playmakers to maximize that.”
The second stanza saw the Jayhawks continue to stifle the Privateers’ offensive attack, limiting the Privateers to 23 points. For the game, KU forced 16 turnovers that resulted in 33 Jayhawk points. Kansas also outscored UNO 44-24 in the paint and notched 20 fast break points.
“We came out today more focused and with a lot more energy,” McIntosh said. “You could tell during warm-ups that everyone was fired up and excited about the game and it showed.”
The Jayhawks return to action Wednesday, Dec. 7 to play UMKC in a 7 p.m. contest at Allen Fieldhouse.
Aquanita Burras made two free throws with less than five seconds remaining, giving the Jayhawks a 65-64 lead, and Crystal Kemp sealed the victory by going 2-of-2 from the line three seconds later.
“We had all the ingredients of what we’ve been working on,” Kansas coach Marian Washington said. “It was a great team win.”
Kemp finished with 26 points, a season-high for the Jayhawks, and eight rebounds. Burras scored 11 points, all in the second half, and grabbed six boards, and Erica Hallman added 10 for the Jayhawks.
Kansas finished 19-of-23 from the free throw line, with Kemp hitting 9-of-11 shots from the stripe. The Jayhawks outrebounded the Cornhuskers, 31-30, after trailing in the rebounding column by eight at halftime.
Kansas led 37-35 at halftime behind a 19-8 run late in the first half. The Jayhawks started the game 9-of-12 from the field and finished the first half at 59.1 percent (13-of-22). Kansas shot 47.8 percent (22-of-46) for the game.
