Monday, March 3, 2008
Kansas’ miserable road form caught up to it once again Saturday afternoon against Iowa State. Down two at the half, the Jayhawks shot 29 percent after the break to fall 51-42 and drop to 4-11 in the Big 12.
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For additional coverage of this story, check out: Podcast: The Give 'n Go Women’s basketball team loses focus in final seconds
Sophomore guard LaChelda Jacobs tries to defend Iowa St. guard Allison Lacey in Kansas' 51-42 loss Saturday afternoon. Lacey led all scorers with 19 points and hit several key shots late in the shot clock.
With the loss, Kansas finished winless on the road during Big 12 Conference play and is effectively eliminated from NCAA Tournament consideration. After winning 11 of 13 games during a difficult non-conference schedule, Coach Bonnie Henrickson’s team inability to win on the road derailed what looked to be a breakthrough season.
Asked if she had envisioned her team losing all eight conference road contests before Big 12 play began, Henrickson said she may have just stayed at home.
“I would have taken a sabbatical,” she said jokingly.
Kansas’ ineptitude away from Allen Fieldhouse has remained constant since Big 12 play began in January with one central contributing factor, an inability to protect the ball.
The Jayhawks tendency to beat themselves probably decided the outcome of the game only three minutes into the second half against the Cyclones. Two Kansas turnovers allowed Iowa State to jump to a 29-18 lead by virtue of a 9-0 run.
While disappointing, the flat beginning to the second period was hardly surprising. Kansas has been outscored on the road in the second half in every game but one.
“Right now we are a team that doesn’t go to the NCAA Tournament because we can’t play six minutes out of the locker room,” Henrickson said.
Through 15 conference games, the Hawks are averaging more than three more turnovers per game than opponents. Kansas is last in the Big 12 in turnovers per game at 20.1 and also boasts the worst assist to turnover ratio.
On the road Henrickson’s team is even worse. Kansas recorded two games with at least 25 turnovers, 27 at Colorado and 25 at Oklahoma and have failed to register a game of less than 17 giveaways.
It’s not an undiagnosed problem. Henrickson and her staff have constantly preached the importance of limiting wasted possessions, but the Jayhawks have yet to find a way to accomplish that. The team’s three primary ball handlers, junior guard Ivana Catic and sophomore guards Danielle McCray and Sade Morris, simply haven’t been able to offset the cost of turnovers with assists away from Allen Fieldhouse.
At home the three combine to average 7.6 assists and 9.7 turnovers. Although turnovers only rise to 9.8 away from Lawrence, the trio’s assist totals plummet to 4.2.
Despite her team’s struggles, Henrickson said she has no doubt that Kansas has the players to succeed. She said that her team just hasn’t shown the growth needed to succeed night in and night out in the Big 12 yet.
“You’ve got to have some toughness, some character and players have got to step up and make plays,” Henrickson said. “We just haven’t done that consistently.”
— Edited by Daniel Reyes
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