Thursday, November 5, 2009
The Kansas Jayhawks’ 86-56 victory against Pittsburg State last Sunday was not as lopsided as it could have been.
The game was marred with some bad decisions and missed opportunities that generally make up the gameplay of an exhibition event.
“Our point guards made great decisions at times, and then tried to make things happen that weren’t there,” Henrickson said.
These miscues, if not corrected, may haunt the Jayhawks during regular season play against much tougher competition.
On the night the Jayhawks turned the ball over to the Gorillas 20 times, six turnovers coming from the point guard position. Often, those turnovers occurred when the guard would try to force the ball to a well-defended player under the basket. The post players also failed to help their guards by not making plays on the ball to keep the possession alive.
“As post players, if it’s a bad pass, we’ve got to save the pass or at least keep it in play and make something happen,” Henrickson said. “And we didn’t do that.”
These miscommunications weren’t limited to the half-court offense, though, as Kansas often failed to capitalize with their fast break offense following Pitt. State turnovers. On more than one occasion the Jayhawks gave the ball right back to Pitt. State because of bad execution down the court.
“I think we had six opportunities where we just didn’t catch the ball,” Henrickson said.
While the Jayhawks struggled to capitalize on the 24 turnovers they caused and get points on the board, they gave Pitt. State 26 attempts from the free-throw line on 17 team fouls. Although the Gorillas only knocked down 13 of the free throws for just 50 percent, the Jayhawks won’t be able to count on every team they play this year shooting poorly from the line.
This is well illustrated by looking at last year’s game against Texas, a team picked to finish tied for second with Kansas in the Big 12 this year. Kansas allowed Texas to take 34 free throw attempts. The Longhorns made 24 of those and the Jayhawks lost by just eight points.
“As far as missed opportunities, you know, we’ve got to clean up,” Henrickson said.
As the Jayhawks look to correct the mistakes they encountered against Pitt. State, freshman point guard Angel Goodrich looks to clean up her game as well.
“I’m going to work on my defense and getting through screens and just making better decisions,” Goodrich said.
With one more exhibition game to go before the regular season kicks off Nov. 15 against Oral Roberts, Kansas will seek to improve in various areas of their game.
“It’s fun to see how we fit in against another team right now and see what we need to work on,” senior guard Danielle McCray said following the game last Sunday.
— Edited by Alicia Banister
Freshmen get chance to play exhibition
Kansas focusing on weaknesses to prepare for game against Emporia State this ...
KU loses after squandering halftime lead
Jayhawks commit season-high 28 turnovers en route to a defeat by the ...
Jayhawks hope for memorable season
Women’s basketball team will play Pittsburgh State in season opener Sunday.
Kansas overruns Fort Hays State 93-37
The Jayhawks’ season opener sees 11 different players post numbers to lead ...
Women’s basketball team advances in WNIT, decreases ...
The Jayhawks beat Evansville 82-60 to advance to the third round of ...
Jayhawks rout Huskers to even Big 12 ...
Kansas escapes Missouri despite turnover problems
The point guard position is an area of concern moving forward.
Victory against Nebraska proves elusive to Kansas
After cold start, freshman guard heats up
Coach Bonnie Henrickson gains confidence as Monica Engelman starts showing improvements.
Turnovers keep piling up
Despite a victory, Kansas struggled holding onto the ball in Saturday’s game ...
Jayhawks lose and blame themselves
Morris returns but her presence isn’t enough to make up for turnovers ...
Returning guards fuel large victory over SIU-Edwardsville
Sophomore guard Angel Goodrich and freshman guard Marisha Brown returned from injuries ...
Kansas women lose in Border Showdown
Danielle McCray makes a last-minute victory seem possible, but the women’s basketball ...
Women's basketball defeats Pittsburg State 68-43
After struggling throughout the first half, Kansas slowed down Pittsburg State and ...
Self not worried about early miscues
The team struggled in portions of Tuesday's 90-59 victory, but coach Bill ...
Consistency is the key for women’s basketball
Junior guard LaChelda Jacobs moves past mistakes to lead at point guard.
Taylor, Jayhawks hope to build off first ...
Sophomore guard Tyshawn Taylor will try to work out early kinks tonight ...
Women's basketball defeats Hartford 76-72 Sunday
A strong second half helped the Jayhawks beat the Hawks.
Women miss layups, open shots
Kansas struggled on offense against Pittsburg State Sunday, shooting 32 percent during ...
Matson: Men's basketball team has room to ...
Exhibition game against Pittsburg State exposed the team's lack of experience.
Kansas women take perfect record on the ...
The Jayhawks are undefeated through eight games for the first time since ...
Jayhawks win 700th game
Kansas scored a school record of 126 points against the Maine Black ...
Jayhawks defeat Lobos in WNIT
After a season of losses on the road, Kansas defeats New Mexico ...
Taylor leads Jayhawks in 90-59 victory
The junior guard was steady yet again in the Jayhawks win, finishing ...
Women unable to secure ball, victory
Conference woes continue for women
Guard’s skills rub off on teammates
Players try to mimic Goodrich’s on-court abilities.
KU looks for positives in losing streak
After fourth straight loss, Jayhawks look for better play off the bench.
Despite troubles, Jayhawks pull off win against ...
The Jayhawks overcame a poor showing from Robinson and Johnson to beat ...
Davis fights for starting position
Freshman Carolyn Davis harneses her “nice” personality and gets aggressive.
Davis, Jayhawks find success despite messy play
The Kansas women win their last non-conference game through grit, not glamor.
Knight ready to lead the team
She’s a freshman, but there’s no arguing Natalie Knight’s contributions to her ...
Women’s basketball shoots well but fails
Turnovers doom Jayhawks to defeat
The Jayhawks lost by 4 to Nebraska last night.
Jayhawks fall to Aggies
Women’s basketball team played a chaotic game, resulting in their loss.
KU women need to play through the ...
Henrickson says players have to get the ball to center Boogaard, recently ...
Burras shucks ’Huskers
Women's team earns emotional victory
The Kansas women’s basketball team beat Southern Methodist University 75-52 on Thursday ...
Kansas struggles, falls 53-42 at Iowa State
McCray finishes with just six points.
Crucial turnovers haunt Kansas
The women's basketball team must bring in the reins to defeat No. ...
Jayhawks take down Western Michigan in season ...
The Jayhawks went 28-37 from the line in a hard-fought first game ...
Kansas Jayhawk fans hold aloft a reproduction of ...
2 comments
Erin Saupe, a Ph.D. student from St. Cloud, ...
1 comment
0 comments
Armed robbers continue to threaten.
3 comments
Lecture from Greg Mortenson, co-author of New York ...
0 comments
KUnited presidential candidate Libby Johnson and vice presidential ...
1 comment
Comments
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.
Sign in to comment
Or login with:
OpenID