KU women hope to extend season in Oklahoma City

By Ryan Greene     Mar 6, 2007

Update #11: Final, KU wins 71-62

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. –The free throw line was what sealed the deal as No. 11-seed Kansas upset No. 6 seed Oklahoma State, who desperately needed one win in Oklahoma City to secure an NCAA Tournament berth after going 0-16 in conference play a year ago.

Taylor McIntosh calmly put away two free throws, making it a 17-point, 13-rebound night for the junior from Wichita. OSU then lost the ball in a scramble, and Kelly Kohn emerged with it. The first one made her the fourth Jayhawk in double figures, and the second punched the final ticket to the upset, with KU leading 66-57 with less than 50 seconds to go.

McIntosh’s double-double, which finished at 19 points and 13 rebounds thanks to two more free throws, came after she had just three points to go with seven rebounds in the first half. McCray scored 13 of her 16 points in the first half, while Mosley led the Jayhawks with 18. Kohn finished with 14.

Update #10: 1:01, second half, KU leads 62-57

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – Danielle McCray picked a perfect time to score her first points of the second half, hitting a three from the corner out of the timeout to put KU up 61-55 with less than three minutes to go. Andrea Riley was then whistled for a charge, forcing Kurt Budke to bring his team in for a timeout, with their NCAA Tournament hopes depending on the final 2:39.

Christian Hood hit one of two free throws, with the second one missing and getting torn down by Danielle McCray. Kelly Kohn went hard to the rim on the other end, earning her second trip to the free throw line with less than two minutes to play. Kohn hit one of two, pushing the lead back to six points.

After a 30-second timeout, Taylor McIntosh took down her 13th rebound of the game off of an Andrea Riley miss, but Danielle McCray had a shot blocked on the way up and taken back by OSU. The Cowgirls’ Christian Hood drew a foul call under the hoop, fouling out Danielle McCray on a whistle blown as Hood was crashing to the floor. She finished with 16 points. Hood hit one of two free throws.

Update #9: 3:15, second half, KU leads 58-55

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – Taylor McIntosh put KU up by one with two points while falling through the lane, and after a pair of OSU misses, she put KU up by three with just under four minutes to play.

After an Andrea Riley missed three, Mosley and Danielle Green crashed to the floor, but Mosley got back up to head to the other end to rebound another OSU miss from three, as the Cowgirls have converted just three field goals in the second half.

Update #8: 6:23, second half, OSU leads 55-54

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – Rashidat Sadiq hit two free throws to pull Oklahoma State within one, and Christian Hood took down a Kelly Kohn jumper on the defensive end. She poured in two on the opposite side of the floor to give the lead back to Oklahoma State. Kohn followed it with a whistle for an offensive foul – her third of the game.

OSU had three chances to give KU a big blow from three-point range, coming up wrong each time. After McCray finally took down a defensive board, Sade Morris scored for the second time on the night to put KU up 52-51 with just over nine minutes to go.

Danielle Green scored the first two points out of the timeout after KU was called for stepping on the end line under the OSU hoop. Riley then forced a turnover and went the other way for two to put the ‘Pokes up by three. Taylor McIntosh came back with a deuce inside to give her 11 points on the night and quiet a surging OSU crowd.

Update #7: 11:38, second half, KU leads 50-47

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – After Dominique Chism missed a pair of free throws following a television timeout, Taylor McIntosh, who was elbowed just under her left eye moments before the break, registered her fist field goal of the day, putting KU up one. Andrea Riley tied it with a free throw for the ‘Pokes.

McIntosh scored again, putting KU up a pair. After Marija Zinic had a ball spin out of the rim, Riley was called for a charge on the other end. OSU got the ball back, and Green got to the free throw line. Hitting two more tied the game, 45-45.

Shaq Mosley bumped her point total to 15 with a jumper from the wing, keeping KU ahead by two points, but Green came back once again for OSU, this time with a baseline jumper to give her 14 points on the night. Mosley kept the battle going, coming back with a three from the corner. It was followed by an OSU charge heading into a full timeout.

Update #6: 15:55, second half, OSU leads 42-41

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – Taylor McIntosh followed a Kelly Kohn partially-blocked three to start the half, pulling KU within three points right out of the break.

After a Danielle Green free throw, Shaq Mosley and OSU’s Andrea Riley went back and forth at midcourt, until Mosley stripped the ball for good and took the ball in for a layup while being fouled. The free throw pulled KU within a point at 42-41.

Update #5: Halftime, OSU leads 41-36

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – Mosley tied the game again by using her headfake. This time it netted her her fifth field goal of the game on a leaning 10-foot jumper, tying the contest 35-35.

Andrea Riley scored two on an up-and-under layup off of a pair of KU misses, forcing Bonnie Henrickson to call a timeout with just under two minutes to go in the first half.

Danielle Green hit one of two free throws to extend OSU’s lead to three points with less than 40 seconds to go in the half. Taylor McIntosh got to the line on the other end for KU. She hit one of two, but OSU got the momentum going into the half when Big 12 Freshman of the Year Andrea Riley hit a step-back three, giving her 11 points on the night and OSU a 41-36 halftime lead. Danielle McCray leads KU with 13 points, inlcuding three three-pointers, while Shaq Mosley has 10 points.

Update #4: 3:55, first half, OSU leads 35-33

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – Sadiq continued to tear it up from the field, hitting a baseline jumper right out of the timeout, putting the Cowgirls back on top. KU was whistled for a travel on the ensuing possession.

Taylor Hardeman gave OSU a four-point lead by trickling in a pair of free throws, but Kohn came back hard, getting herself to the line for the first time on a drive between two OSU defenders. Kohn sank the pair of charities, cutting OSU’s lead back down to two.

McCray put KU back on top with her third trifecta of the evening, giving her a game-high 13 points. But Okie State’s Christian Hood completed an old-fashioned three-point play to put the Cowgirls quickly back in command. Hood scored again after a Shaq Mosley miss.

Sade Morris, a Norman, Okla., native scored her first points of the night on a long two to pull KU back within a deuce.

Update #3: 7:45, first half, KU leads 26-25

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – Danielle Green stroked a pair of free throws after drawing a foul out of the timeout, making it an 11-2 OSU run. Kelly Kohn finally ended KU’s drought, driving for a layup to tie the game, 18-18.

KU had a chance to extend the lead, but a turnover resulted in two more points in pull-up fashion for Andrea Riley, giving her seven points in the early going.

Mosley tied the game up for KU with her fourth field goal, head-faking a three look and pulling up for a 12-foot jumper, giving her eight points so far. The Jayhawks then drew an offensive foul to give them again a shot at the lead. Kohn took advantage, again driving the right side for two off the friendly iron. McCray followed it with a steal just past midcourt, and after allowing Mosley to set up the offense, she found Taylor McIntosh in the lane, who was able to draw a foul. McIntosh hit both free throws, putting KU up 24-20.

OSU’s Rashidat Sadiq responded with a three from the wing, which was her second trey of the game, but McCray got herself in double digits on the way back down, bullying into the lane for her ninth and 10th points of the night. Sadiq came back again to continue the battle with a jumper from the free throw line.

Update #2: 11:41, first half, game tied 16-16

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – Mosley followed a McCray miss out of the game’s first full break to put KU up by nine, but OSU’s second-leading scorer, Andrea Riley, scored her first points of the game with a three in the right corner. Danielle Green sliced KU’s lead to four points with a pair of free throws after a foul on Sade Morris.

OSU’s run continued, as Riley drained a pull-up two in transition off of a Mosley turnover.

The Cowgirls tied the game on a Green layin after Marija Zinic turned the ball over for KU, overshooting Mosley in transition off of a rebound.

Update #1: 14:54, first half, KU leads 14-7

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – Freshman Danielle McCray got KU off to a positive start with a three in the corner, giving the Jayhawks an early advantage. That was followed by a solid defensive stand, forcing the ‘Pokes to use the entire shot clock and come away with nothing.

After turning the ball over, McCray blocked OSU’s Dominique Chism from behind on defense, and then got in the mix on another defensive board, this one leading to a Shaquina Mosley layup, putting KU ahead 5-0.

Chism helped OSU crack the scoreboard just over 2:30 into the game with a second-chance shot inside. McCray followed it with her second three of the game, this time taking her time and stroking it from the left wing. After an OSU response hoop inside, McCray hit again, this time from the top of the key for two.

Rashidat Sadiq hit a three in the corner for Oklahoma State, cutting the Cowgirls back to within three points, but Kelly Kohn saved a ball from going out of bounds on the offensive end, and hit a jumper to put KU up by five. Shaq Mosley followed it with a steal at midcourt and a swooping layup in the open court, forcing OSU into a timeout.

Pregame

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – The Kansas University women’s basketball has now reached the ‘do or die’ point in its season, entering tonight’s opening round showdown of the Big 12 Tournament against Oklahoma State.

KU (10-19 overall, 4-12 Big 12) has won four of its final seven contests after an 0-9 start to league play, and is playing nothing more than the spoiler role in Oklahoma City, hoping for some miracles along the way.

Oklahoma State (20-9, 8-8) has a little more on the line, needing a win tonight to further solidify what is now a soft shot at an NCAA Tournament berth.

The Cowgirls finished their season winning three straight, and are led by a trio of scorers in the starting lineup. Senior forward Rashidat Sadiq leads the team in scoring (12.8 ppg) and rebounding (6.2 rpg). Freshman guard Andrea Riley averages 12.5 points and 5.0 assists per outing, while backcourt mate junior Danielle Green averages 11.5 points and 6.1 assists per game.

The winner takes on Baylor tomorrow at 8:30 p.m.

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