McCray’s day

By Benton Smith     Nov 9, 2007

Nick Krug
Kansas guard Danielle McCray (4) celebrates a bucket and a foul with fellow guard LaChelda Jacobs in overtime. The Jayhawks squeaked by Emporia State, 74-64, Thursday in Allen Fieldhouse.

With the clock winding down in the waning minutes of regulation, Danielle McCray wanted off the Allen Fieldhouse floor. She tugged on her jersey to signal to her coach that she needed a breather.

“I didn’t even look at her, I just ignored her,” Kansas University women’s basketball coach Bonnie Henrickson said afterward.

Good thing she looked the other way. McCray scored 18 of her game-high 36 points in the final seven and a half minutes of the Jayhawks’ 74-64 overtime victory against Emporia State Thursday night, scoring the final five KU points in regulation and posting 13 more in the extra period.

“For her to be able to play through that and play with some success when she was pretty gassed is tremendous growth for her,” Henrickson said.

Following the exhibition squeaker, McCray said she didn’t know she was capable of that type of offensive explosion, and her teammates were in awe as well.

“She was amazing,” said freshman forward Nicollette Smith, KU’s second-leading scorer with nine. “She was ready in the second half, and we weren’t going to get beat by that team.”

McCray’s heroics made up for a near-collapse against a Division II opponent that was poised for an upset. The Jayhawks jumped out early on ESU (ranked No. 3, nationally, in the preseason), leading 23-5 at the midpoint of the first half.

“Then we just fall asleep,” Henrickson said of her team’s play for the bulk of regulation. “We can’t make shots, we can’t rebound and we can’t defend. That’s what happens with immature teams.”

McCray said the Jayhawks were too concerned with their offensive production, or lack thereof.

“When we started missing shots, we were hanging our heads and not playing defense,” she said.

The Lady Hornets tied the game at 33 on a Andrea Leiker three-pointer in the first few minutes of the second half, but KU responded with a 12-0 run that featured two buckets from McCray and a pair of threes from Smith.

Undeterred, ESU chipped away and took the lead, 51-50, on a layup by 5-foot-6 sophomore guard Cassondra Boston, who scored 29 points and repeatedly beat KU defenders off the dribble with speed and toughness.

That led Henrickson to state that she wasn’t impressed with the defensive efforts of her point guards, Ivana Catic and Kelly Kohn. The coach also was upset about the near-loss.

“I’m thrilled we could find a way to win, disappointed we ended up in a game like that,” the fourth-year KU coach said.

The Jayhawks might have avoided overtime had they hit some free throws early on. KU started 5-for-16 at the line, but went 7-for-10 in the final minutes of regulation and overtime.

Following Boston’s layup, McCray hit a three to regain the lead, but Boston answered immediately with another layup to tie the game at 53.

The Lady Hornets took a two-point lead with 1:18 remaining when Andrea Leiker hit two freebies after being fouled by Sade Morris on a break-away layup attempt.

McCray again had the answer, though, hitting two free-throw attempts with 1:05 left to tie the game, 55-55.

ESU senior guard Michelle Stueve scored a layup to take a 57-55 lead in overtime, but McCray was too much for the Lady Hornets to handle.

“It’s great late-game experience for us,” Henrickson said, looking for the bright spots of a tight exhibition game. “I’m not glad we got to that, but since we were in it, it was nice to be able to execute.”

While KU defenders struggled with Boston, they did a decent job on senior guard Michelle Stueve, a two-time All-American. Stueve scored 19 points, right around her average last year, but went 6-for-20 from the field.

McCray said the talented ESU squad was a worthy foe.

“They’re a Division II school, but they’re great players. Stueve, she can play on any team in the Big 12 probably,” McCray said.

Defense, free throws and rebounding were problematic for KU in its final tune-up. The Jayhawks grabbed only one more rebound than ESU, winning the battle 48-47.

“We definitely need to hit the boards more,” Smith, who grabbed just four, said. “That’s one thing I’m trying to emphasize in my game.”

KU was led on the glass by senior forward Taylor McIntosh, who tallied 10. Sophomore forward Porscha Weddington had seven offensive rebounds and two defensive boards.

Henrickson said her team will work on all of its problem areas in order to be ready for the regular season opener against Hartford on Sunday at 1 p.m.

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