FINAL: Kansas 70, Kansas State 60

The Jayhawks were in a hurry to prove that they could move on without their leader.

Kansas defeated Kansas State 70-60 in its first game without injured senior guard Danielle McCray. With the victory, Kansas jumped to 14-7 (4-4), extended its winning streak to three games and snapped a five game losing streak against the Wildcats.

McCray tore the ACL in her left knee during Thursday’s practice, ending her career at Kansas.

As McCray sat between her coaches, furiously scribbling observations in a notepad, freshman guard Monica Engelman was placed on center stage as the newest piece of the starting lineup.

Rarely considering the time left on the shot clock, Engelman and her teammates charged to the hoop with a sense of urgency. Inching towards desperation, the Jayhawks dictated the pace of the first half with fast breaks and hurried shots.

Without one of its best shooters, Kansas instead worked the inside and opted for high percentage shots. As a result, Kansas scored 18 points in the paint and shot 54% from the field in the first half.

With a game-plan that was centralized at bombarding the rim in a hurry, Kansas led 36-26 going into halftime with seven different players scoring in the opening 20 minutes.

Next up, Kansas will take on the 19-0 No. 4 Nebraska Cornhuskers Wednesday 7 p.m. at Allen Fieldhouse.

HALFTIME:

Hats off to...

-Freshman guard Monica Engelman shined in the opening 20 minutes of her first career start. She tallied a team leading 8 points, missing only one of her four attempted shots. She also snagged two rebounds, highlighting her improved defensive skills. She regularly swatted at the ball, jumped around picks and hustled like a starter to stay with her assignment.

-Senior guard LaChelda Jacobs had blunders on consecutive fast break opportunities, but nonetheless played a strong first half at the point. She seemed unafraid to lob passes inside to freshman forward Carolyn Davis and helped contribute to the fast paced transition offense with her bursts down the court. She scored 6 points on three-of-five shooting and grabbed two rebounds.

-Freshman forward Carolyn Davis was once again a force in the paint, tallying 8 points on three-of-five shooting and four rebounds in just 12 minutes of play. She was removed from the rest of the first half after committing her second foul with just over four minutes to go. Regardless, Davis helped disorient the Wildcat defense. They weren't sure where to focus when Engelman was knocking down shots and Davis was scoring in the paint.

The Jayhawks were in a hurry to prove that they could move on without their leader.

Kansas led Kansas State 36-26 at halftime with seven different players scoring in the opening 20 minutes of its first game without injured senior guard Danielle McCray.

McCray tore the ACL in her left knee during Thursday’s practice, ending her career at Kansas.

With the post-McCray era underway, freshman guard Monica Engelman was suddenly placed on center stage as the newest piece of the starting lineup.

Rarely considering the time left on the shot clock, Engelman and hear teammates charged to the hoop with a sense of urgency. Inching towards desperation, the Jayhawks dictated the pace of the first half with fast breaks and hurried but wise shots.

Without one of its best shooters, Kansas worked the paint and opted for high percentage shots. As a result, Kansas scored 18 points of its 36 points in the paint and shot 54% from the field in the first half.