Women bring worries at the end of the season

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

The starter’s gun for the marathon that is a college basketball season went off on Nov. 11 for Kansas.

Now the Jayhawks are in a dead sprint to the finish line as they wrap up their regular season with three games in the next eight days. The first of those three is tonight’s 7 p.m. clash with Texas in Allen Fieldhouse.

After losing two games in a row to the 11th and 12th place teams in the conference (Texas Tech and Missouri), Kansas has a laundry list of problems to fix before the game.

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For commentary and a preview of tonight's game, listen to the fourth installment of The Give 'n Go.

Photo by Weston White

Freshman center Krysten Boogaard puts up a shot that was blocked by Missouri guard Alyssa Hollins. Boogaard finished with just six points in 33 minutes during a 59-62 loss Sunday at Mizzou Arena.

“We’ve got to limit our turnovers and do the small things that really matter,” sophomore guard Danielle McCray said.

Senior forward Taylor McIntosh added, “Around this time of year defense is winning games because the competition steps up. It’s important for us to stay focused defensively and let our offense come to us.”

Coach Bonnie Henrickson admitted that turnovers had been a problem for her team, win or lose, all year. She said she was more disappointed in Kansas’ lackluster defense, particularly to start the second half.

In the last two games, the Jayhawks’ opponents used runs of 12-2 and 18-4 out of halftime to either erase or lengthen leads. What Henrickson can’t figure out is why her team continues to come out flat.

“That’s the million-dollar question; that’s the one that’s been agonizing the staff all year,” Henrickson said. “Unfortunately I don’t have an answer and I don’t think these kids have an answer, either, but it’s something we’ve got to fix right away.”

It’s not all bad news for the Jayhawks. They only lost by three in Columbia, Mo., with freshman center Krysten Boogaard accounting for just six points. The colossal Canadian won’t get shut out like that at home, and backup point guard LaChelda Jacobs tends to play better against teams from her home state, Texas.

This has been one of the most competitive seasons in Big 12 history, according to Henrickson, and its inevitable end means it is gut check time for every team.

That mentality has been passed down to her players, who, despite the recent setbacks, understand what’s still ahead of them.

“The reality is that we still have a chance to reach our goals,” McCray said.

“Everyone know what’s at stake right now,” McIntosh said. “We need to just play as hard as we can in these last few games in hopes of going to the tournament.”

—Edited by Matt Hirschfeld

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