KU women get defensive in win

Topeka Capital-Journal, The, Nov 12, 2006 by Daniel Berk

By Daniel Berk

THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Kansas women's basketball coach Bonnie Henrickson warned fans before this season started that the Jayhawks' defense was going to be way ahead of its offense.

She was right.

Kansas struggled shooting from the field, starting 4-for-16 and scoring 25 points in the first half, but its defense held Seton Hall to 34 percent shooting, and the Jayhawks defeated the Pirates 64-50 in the WBCA Classic at Municipal Auditorium.

"We struggled to make shots, but we didn't just hang our heads and then not defend," Henrickson said. "Offensively, we are a work in progress. From the tip to the end, defensively we were solid."

Kansas will play in the championship game at 4:30 p.m. today against Iowa, which defeated Missouri State 79-70 on Satuday. Henrickson served as an assistant at Iowa from 1995-1997.

The game opened at a slow pace with both teams struggling from the field. The two teams stayed close for the majority of the half. Seton Hall was leading 17-12 at the 6:39 mark, before Kansas went on a 9-2 run to take a 21-19 lead.

Freshman guard Kelly Kohn got the run started with a 3-pointer. Kohn was 2-for-12 from the field but played 33 minutes. Henrickson said she stuck with her because of her aggressiveness.

"I liked that she was still making things happen," Henrickson said. "She made some mistakes, but I thought she penetrated with a purpose. She tried to attack the rim. I want these guys to put the ball on the floor."

KU shot 32 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes.

Kansas went into halftime leading by two points after freshman Danielle McCray hit back-to-back buckets to give Kansas the lead.

The second half started similar to the first with neither team pulling away and both teams still struggling from the field. It was still a two-point game with eight minutes remaining before Kansas went on a 12-4 run to put the game away.

McCray was in the middle of the run, dishing out a few assists, hitting a couple of key buckets and grabbing rebounds. She also struggled shooting, going 3-for-16 from the field, but Henrickson said she is excited about her potential and said her play on the offensive glass was key.

"We told her (McCray) there was no reason she can't be the best rebounding guard in the league," Henrickson said. "Our best offense was to go get a miss. I don't think we scored much on our first shot."

McCray, who starred at Olathe East, was playing in front of a lot of family and friends. She said she wasn't nervous before the game, although Henrickson said her hands were sweating profusely before the game.

McCray said she was happy to get the first game out of the way and said she knows she has room to improve.

"I didn't think I was putting up bad shots, I was just missing them," McCray said. "When we were struggling shooting, we got a little nervous, but the upperclassmen calmed us down, and we were able to rebound."

Sophomore Marija Zinic also was key in the Jayhawks' second-half run. She finished with team highs with 38 minutes and 15 points. She had eight in the second half.

SETON HALL (0-1)

Blake 3-9 4-5 10, Emery 2-6 0-0 4, Brown 1-6 2-4 4, Korpvaara 7- 12 4-6 18, Mukosiej 2-8 0-0 4, Harris 1-2 0-0 2, Booker 0-1 1-2 1, Labadie 0-0 0-0 0, Sullivan 0-0 0-0 0, Messina 1-4 2-2 5, Rhodin 1- 4 0-0 2. Totals 18-52 13-19 50.

KANSAS (1-0)

Jacobs 1-4 2-2 4, Kohn 2-12 2-2 7, Catic 2-2 0-0 5, McCray 3-16 2- 2 8, Boyd 2-3 0-0 4, Zinic 6-11 3-6 15, McIntosh 2-4 0-2 4, Morris 4- 6 0-0 8, Mosley 2-6 4-6 9, Ballweg 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 24-65 13-20 64.

Halftime - Kansas 25, Seton Hall 23. 3-point goals - Seton Hall 1- 16 ( Messina 1-4, Mukosiej 0-4, Brown 0-3, Emery 0-2, Harris 0-1, Booker 0-1, Rhodin 0-1), Kansas 3-15 (McCray 0-3, Ballweg 0-1, Kohn 1-6, Catic 1-1, Morris 0-1, Mosley 1-3). Rebounds - Seton Hall (Blake 9), Kansas 45 ( McCray 9). Assists - Seton Hall (Mukosiej 2), Kansas 11 (Morris 4). Total fouls - Seton Hall 19, Kansas 19. Fouled out - none.