Dallas ? Kansas University women’s basketball coach Bonnie Henrickson – an avid golfer when not engulfed in work – merged her two loves into one perspective.
“I don’t know how many times you get a mulligan,” Henrickson said, “but we get to get back on the tee and hit it again.”
Just five days after an 18-point loss to Kansas State, the teams will attempt to tee off on each other again today in the Big 12 Conference tournament. Tipoff is 6 p.m. from Reunion Arena.
Five days is a little more than normal between games, and, considering the last opponent and the next opponent is the same opponent, Henrickson and her staff approached game preparation a little differently.
For one, instead of editing out parts of game tape, KU’s players spent several hours watching the whole tape from last week’s 62-44 KSU victory. Henrickson cited a need for better defense inside, better aggressiveness on offense and perhaps a better mental approach to part three of the in-state battle.
That might put senior-leadership heat on Crystal Kemp, an All-Big 12 forward who’s averaged 19.0 points and 8.3 rebounds per game this season. She’s nearly nailed her typical totals by averaging 19.5 points and 8.5 rebounds in two games against K-State this season, both KU losses.
Still, the 6-foot-2 Topeka native, who’s taller than every KSU starter, blamed herself for failing to consistently get good position last week.
The lack of punch really was team-wide, though. Kaylee Brown failed to score in 35 minutes. Erica Hallman had eight, almost half her season average. The Jayhawks missed all nine of their three-point attempts.
Kansas State (18-9 overall, 8-8 Big 12), meanwhile, hit 51 percent from the field and nailed seven treys.
“We’ve got to get their numbers down,” Henrickson said.
Doing so would give KU its best shot at advancing to Wednesday’s 6 p.m. quarterfinal, where second-seeded Baylor lurks. A victory against K-State also would boost the Jayhawks’ resume for a potential WNIT berth. A 16-11 record is a positive, but a 5-11 mark in Big 12 play might mean the Jayhawks have more work to do if they want to keep playing.
“It has implications as far as enhancing our resume,” Henrickson said of today’s game. “To get the opportunity to win against a (K-State) team that’s on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament, it’d be nice to have.”
