Shaquina Mosley may not be able to play in Kansas University’s regular-season women’s basketball finale Thursday night at Missouri.
Mosley, a 5-foot-6 senior point guard, suffered a first-degree concussion and facial contusions after being elbowed by Colorado’s Aija Putnina in Saturday’s night’s 59-50 loss to the Buffaloes in Boulder, Colo.
The Big 12 Conference on Monday suspended Putnina for today’s game against Nebraska.
Mosley was taken to a hospital as a precautionary move. She was treated, released and able to return to Lawrence after the game. Putnina, a 6-3 freshman from Riga, Latvia, was ejected with about a minute remaining after throwing the elbow into Mosley’s face
It was Putnina’s second technical foul. Earlier in the second half, she had received another technical, also for swinging elbows.
“We recruited Aija,” KU coach Bonnie Hendrickson said. “She’s not a bad kid, but she made two really bad decisions.”
Putnina ran off to a standing ovation after the ejection.
Mosley had fouled earlier so Kansas could get the ball back.
“That’s what happens late in a game,” Henrickson said. “You get fouled and you go make free throws. That’s what you do. She didn’t need to retaliate. Shaq is 5-6, for God’s sake.”
Afterward, Putnina, a reserve who recorded personal highs of eight points and 14 rebounds, described herself as a physical player.
“When I play, I play hard,” she said. “You play hard or you don’t play at all. I think it was an intentional foul, but I don’t know about a technical.”
Mosley, who has been the sparkplug in KU’s late-season victories, is listed as day-to-day.