If the Kansas University women’s basketball team wants to get its 300th victory in Allen Fieldhouse tonight, it will have to do so by beating a 4-2 Marquette squad that features a do-it-all guard.
Marquette junior Krystal Ellis enters the game averaging 21.3 points, 4.3 assists, 3.7 rebounds and three steals in three games. She missed three games due to a sprained right knee.
“We hope to slow her down,” KU coach Bonnie Henrickson said of Ellis, adding that she wasn’t sure if the Golden Eagle could be stopped. “I don’t think we’re in a position to do that (stop her). We’ve got to try and slow her up, limit her touches.”
Tipoff will be at 7 p.m., and Sunflower Broadband channel 6 will carry a live telecast.
Henrickson said Ellis is explosive and can drive as well as shoot.
“We’ve got to make sure that we rotate some people, keep some fresh people on her, try to make her work hard and create some fatigue,” Henrickson said. “She’s an awfully special kid. She can just raise up over somebody and shoot it. But she’s got a good mid-range game, and she’s also athletic around the rim.”
The Jayhawks (5-1) will most likely throw multiple defenders at Ellis, but Henrickson said sophomore guard Sade Morris probably will start the game with the toughest defensive assignment. However, Marquette, which went to the NCAA Tournament last season and lost to Oklahoma in the second round, 73-47, isn’t a one-dimensional team, and Henrickson said the Golden Eagles will provide other challenges.
“They’ve got athleticism on the perimeter, they’ve got some skill and size inside, so they’ve got some good balance,” she said. “(Ellis) does a lot for them, but they’ve got some other kids that step up and play and have produced.”
Senior forward Svetlana Kovalenko (10.8 points) is the only other MU player averaging double figures in scoring, but Ellis’ backcourt-mate Angel Robinson has been creating havoc on the defensive end, averaging more than three steals an outing.
“We’ve got to be able to protect the ball and be strong with it,” Henrickson said, adding that although Robinson is just 5-foot-8, she has long arms and plays the passing lanes well. “We’ve just got to make sure we’re not sloppy or soft, be sure we use our dribble to improve our passing angles.”
Tonight’s game is the first of two tough home games for KU this week; Indiana comes to the fieldhouse on Sunday.
“They’re tough. These two teams are from quality leagues (the Big East and Big Ten) and are used to playing tough games on the road,” Henrickson said, noting that her KU team should be ready for the competition because it has improved since its lone loss of the season, a 68-56 setback at SMU. “Hopefully we’ve learned a lesson from down at SMU, and I think we have. I think we’ve shown some growth.”
KU is led by sophomore wing Danielle McCray, who has scored in double figures in all six contests and averages 15.3 points. She has scored in double digits in 10 straight games.
Probable Starters
Marquette
G – Angel Robinson, 5-8, Fr., (8 ppg)
G – Janelle Harris, 6-0, Soph., (6.3 ppg)
G – Krystal Ellis, 5-9, Jr. (21.3 ppg)
F – Svetlana Kovalenko, 6-3, Sr. (10.8 ppg)
F – Paige Fiedorowicz, 6-0, Fr., (8.3 ppg)
Kansas
G – Ivana Catic, 5-8, Jr. (3.7 ppg)
G – Sade Morris, 5-11, Soph. (13.3 ppg)
G – Danielle McCray, 5-11, Soph. (15.3 ppg)
F – Taylor McIntosh, 5-11, Sr. (8.7 ppg)
F – Porscha Weddington, 6-1, Soph. (3.8 ppg)
