Women’s basketball team falls to Baylor

Henrickson receives first technical foul of her three-year career at Kansas.

By Asher Fusco

Thursday, March 8, 2007

OKLAHOMA CITY — After upsetting Oklahoma State on Tuesday, Kansas hoped to extend their improbable drive through the Big 12 Tournament against Baylor on Wednesday. After a 71-54 loss, it appears the Jayhawks may have used the last of their energy in the first round.

Kansas was noticeably sluggish compared to a Baylor squad that last played on Feb. 28. Kansas players that rarely showed signs of fatigue throughout the season routinely looked one step behind their opponents.

Early on in the game, Baylor forward Bernice Mosby looked deserving of the All-Big 12 First Team nomination she received this season. The lanky senior took advantage of Kansas’ fatigue, grabbing rebounds, maneuvering through the Kansas defense and scoring with ease on several occasions. The senior finished with 12 points in only 22 minutes of playing time.

By the time 10 minutes had ticked off of the clock in the first half, Baylor had jumped out to a 16-6 lead.

Kansas coach Bonnie Henrickson paced the sideline pleading the Jayhawks to get into their defensive sets as the Bears went on a 14-2 run.

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It’s disappointing to struggle, but in time we’ll walk away from this with great pride. These seniors will be able to walk away with pride in the name on the front of their jerseys.

- coach Bonnie Henrickson

“Coming out early we were just not expecting it,” freshman forward Danielle McCray said. “We were down. I could feel it in the huddle.”

At one point in the first half, Henrickson inserted seldom-used freshman guard LaChelda Jacobs in an effort to build some momentum. In the second half, Henrickson pulled out McCray in favor of junior forward Jamie Boyd. The experiments were ill-fated: Jacobs had as many turnovers as points, and Boyd did not score.

“I went to the bench early to see if anyone would respond,” Henrickson said. “But we didn’t, and they just controlled the game.”

She tried to stop Baylor using several different defensive schemes. The Jayhawks implemented both zone and man-to-man defenses at different times, but failed to contain the Bears, who shot 49 percent from the field.

On Wednesday night, most things seemed to work against Kansas.

Henrickson’s frustration boiled over when the usually reserved coach received a technical foul with 12:38 remaining in the second half for arguing a call. The technical was Henrickson’s first during her three seasons at Kansas.

Senior guard Shaquina Mosley scored 16 points and played with her usual flair, but she was the lone bright spot for much of the game. Apart from Mosley, the Jayhawks shot a combined 4-for-18 in the first half. The result of the poor shooting was a 35-19 Baylor halftime lead.

When the Jayhawks took the court in the second half, they possessed renewed energy but could not cut into the sizeable deficit.

Senior guard Sharita Smith was the most aggressive Kansas player in the second half. She shed her usually timid offensive style of play and focused on attacking the basket. Smith scored four points early in the second half and finished the final game of her collegiate career with six points.

As the final game of the season neared its conclusion, Kansas showed the grit and determination that earned the team victories over larger and more talented opponents. Trailing by 26 with six minutes remaining, seniors Smith and Mosley led a 10-1 run over the course of three minutes that ended in a standing ovation from the small, but vocal, group of Kansas fans in attendance.

“It’s disappointing to struggle, but in time we’ll walk away from this with great pride,” Henrickson said. “These seniors will be able to walk away with pride in the name on the front of their jerseys.”

Kansan sportswriter Asher Fusco can be contacted at afusco@kansan.com.

­— Edited by Mark Vierthaler

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