After passing its way through Iowa State's 3-2 zone, Kansas leads 24-23 at halftime. At first, the Jayhawks seemed to really struggle finding a way to get freshman forward Carolyn Davis her touches. Usually, she thrives against a man defense by taking lob passes right to the hoop. Tonight she is being swarmed by two to three red and yellow jerseys at once. Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly has a clear plan set at stopping Davis. Yet somehow, later on, she found a way to score. While it was not often, Kansas found a way to get her the ball and Davis worked hard and delivered. She finished the half with 7 points on two of three shooting from the field.

With Davis struggling to get touches, much of the scoring onus has been placed on the shooters. Excluding senior guard Sade Morris, who was three of four from the field in the first half, the rest have not shot the ball well. Sophomore forward Aishah Sutherland, Junior forward Nicollette Smith and freshman guard Monica Engelman combined to shoot just three of 13 from the field. Kansas has turned the ball over nine times, sadly a somewhat average mark. Henrickson has already used nine players in her rotation. Because of the zone, the Cyclones are winning the battle down low, outscoring Kansas 14 to six in the painted area.

Meanwhile on the other end of the court, the Cyclones were getting the majority of their production from 6”7 freshman center Anna Prins and senior guard Alison Lacey. Prins posted up Davis and junior center Krysten Boogaard, and even stepped back and hit a three pointer. Prins’ threatening versatility equated to seven of her team's first 13 points. Lacey has eight points on four of seven from the field and two assists.

Hats off to:

-Freshman forward Carolyn Davis worked hard to get her seven points. It was no easy battle down low, as she went against multiple defenders every time she touched the ball. Yet she finished with seven points and converted all three of her free throws.

-Sophomore forward Aishah Sutherland has not shot the ball well, she has missed three shots in a row after making her first. However she has played strong defense, much of it against Lacey, and finished the first half with six rebounds and two blocks.

-Senior guard Sade Morris is shooting the ball well from the outside. This was a theme in last week's two road games at Colorado and Texas Tech as well. She finished the first half with six points, shooting three of four from the field. While she played solid defense as always, she turned the ball over four times.

Player of the half:

Carolyn Davis

Davis pieced together a strong first half despite receiving limited touches. She has scored seven points on three attempts from the field and gotten to the foul line on a couple of occasions.

Trend of the half:

Posts lacking touches

In the first 10 minutes of the game starting posts Davis and Aishah Sutherland had only one shot attempt each. Iowa State’s zone defense had a little to do with that as its defenders quickly smothered the ball anytime it went inside. Davis got things going late, though, as the Jayhawks pulled away for a five-point lead with three and a half minutes to play.

Play of the half:

16:06

As the shot clock wound down on Iowa State, Sade Morris stole the ball from Jessica Schroll and started running down the court. Morris masked her speed until a late burst moved her past the defender and to the hoop for two points and six to four lead.