Free Throws

Kansas struggled at the line, making it difficult to pull away from a scrappy Emporia State squad. The Jayhawks made only six of 19 free throws to shoot 46 percent from the charity stripe. Adding to the frustration was an inability to convert the front end of one-and-ones in the second half as the Hornets gradually chipped away at the lead.

Career high for McCray

Sophomore forward Danielle McCray went off for almost half of Kansas’ points as Emporia State found it impossible to stop her array of offensive weapons. McCray used a variety of dribble drives, mid-range jump shots and three-pointers to score 36 of the Jayhawks’ 74 points. McCray was the difference in overtime as well, scoring 13 straight points. The dominance didn’t end there as she hauled down nine rebounds while playing 40 of 45 minutes.

Traveling fans

Emporia State didn’t lack for support as a healthy group of fans traveled the 83 miles between Emporia and Lawrence to support the Hornets. Gold and black-clad supporters behind the Emporia State bench in sections 15 and 16 were especially vocal during the second half as the deficit that was once as much as 18 gradually dwindled away in the final minutes.

Sloppy play

Apart from the first 10 minutes of dominant play by Kansas, neither team was especially efficient in the offensive end. Kansas shot 40 percent from the field while Emporia State managed to make 30 percent of its shots. Consistent possession was also elusive as the two teams combined to turn the ball over 48 times to 25 assists for an assist-to-turnover ratio of nearly 2-to-1.

Quotable

“It’s a team that has confidence because they are used to winning. I’m sure they, to a player, thought they would come in here and beat us.” — Coach Bonnie Henrickson

— Andrew Wiebe