Monday, December 1, 2008
Sade Morris knew it was time to step up. The Jayhawks were tied with the New Orleans Privateers 34-34 with only 13 minutes left in the game.
Junior guard Sade Morris goes up for two during Sunday's victory against New Orleans at Allen Fieldhouse. Morris led Kansas with 20 points.
“We knew they weren’t going to back down,” Morris said. “Once they threw a punch, we had to throw a punch right back, but our punch just had to be more powerful.”
Fortunately for Kansas (4-0), the punch they were looking for came in the form of a 26-2 scoring run to close out the second half and give the Jayhawks a decisive 64-42 victory Sunday afternoon at Allen Fieldhouse.
After a disappointing first half in which the Jayhawks shot only 26 percent from the field and looked sloppy defensively, the team came together and outscored New Orleans 38 to 20 in the second half, shooting 13-for-23 from the field.
“We knew in the second half in order to get a win we’d have to come out and change things,” Morris said. “We couldn’t play that same way we were because it wasn’t getting us anywhere.”
Morris led the Jayhawks in scoring with 20 points and a career-high eight rebounds. She was also flawless from the free-throw line, making all eight free throws.
Sophomore forward Nicollette Smith aided Kansas’ efforts as well, posting the second double-double of her career. Smith pulled down 10 rebounds and scored 13 points, replacing sophomore center Krysten Boogaard, who did not play because of a stress reaction in her left femur. Smith had her own injury to deal with after undergoing surgery on her broken nose earlier last week.
Photo Gallery
Kansas Women's Basketball vs. New Orleans
Photo gallery of women's basketball game against New Orleans Sunday afternoon at Allen Fieldhouse.
“I thought the best kid on our team was the kid who didn’t practice all week,” coach Bonnie Henrickson said of Smith. “Offensively she hit some big shots and did a pretty good job defensively.”
As a team, Kansas played well defensively, outrebounding New Orleans 54-37 with 20 offensive rebounds. Henrickson emphasized the importance of being sharp — not only offensively but defensively as well.
“Great teams defend and rebound,” Henrickson said. “We need to embrace who we are. It’s not that we’re a bad offensive team, but we need to commit to being good defensively, creating some offense from our defense, forcing tough shots and rebounding. That’s what great teams do.”
After a sloppy defensive first half, the Jayhawks were able to regroup and play well in the second period.
Henrickson stressed that maturity comes with the ability to play well from the beginning.
“This team’s got to grow up and show some maturity,” she said. “Every single night might be different defensively.”
The Jayhawks play San Jose State Thursday at Allen Fieldhouse in Kansas’ fifth game of the season.
— — Edited by Adam Mowder
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