It would be safe to assume that freshman forward Carolyn Davis’ concussion is behind her.

The Houston, Texas native scored a career high 31 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, but Kansas couldn’t find production elsewhere.

No. 20 Oklahoma State edged Kansas 76-69 at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo., spurning the 15-15 Jayhawks’ hopes of a conference tournament run.

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Kansas Women's Basketball vs. Oklahoma State

In the opening round of the 2010 Women's Big 12 Tournament, Kansas faced off against the No. 7 seed Oklahoma State Cowgirls. Freshman forward Carolyn Davis set a Kansas record for most points in a Big 12 Tournament game scoring 31, but Kansas fell to Oklahoma State 76-69.

“The kid hasn’t practiced in five days,” Henrickson said of Davis. “I’m going to have a team full of kids that think they should take five days off and that’s how she got 31.”

Davis suffered a concussion in Friday’s practice, didn’t play in Saturday’s 78-54 loss against Texas A&M and began tonight’s game on the bench. It seemed unlikely that she would play at all, but Henrickson rolled the dice and it paid off — Davis drained 11 of 12 shots from the field. Her only miss was blocked, but she retained possession and scored directly after.

“I didn’t get to play last game — it was frustrating,” Davis said. “I came into this game ready to give it my all. I knew every time I got the ball I had to score.”

Henrickson said that by taking Davis off the bench, she felt that it eliminated any pressure that the forward could hold about producing right away.

It might be a strategy worth considering for the rest of her starters.

When Davis was occasionally muffed by a zone defense, Kansas’ shooters gave the Cowgirls no reason to shift their focus. Guards senior Sade Morris and freshman Monica Engelman and forward Aishah Sutherland combined to shoot four of 33 from the field.

“As a shooter, it starts with your feet,” Henrickson said. “If your feet aren’t right and your balance isn’t good, you drastically reduce your chances to make a shot.”

Oklahoma State senior Andrea Riley scored 37 points, a Big 12 tournament first round record, on 30 shot attempts — also a record, regardless of round.

“Her field goal percentage goes up the last three minutes of a game,” Oklahoma State coach Kurt Budke said. “She’s a lot like Kobe. Kobe goes out and wins games; that’s Andrea Riley.”

Kansas led 49-47 with 12 minutes to play, before a Riley three pointer capped off a 7-0 Cowgirls run. After trailing 69-59 with five minutes to play, the Jayhawks fought back and brought the score to within three points with one minute remaining. But Kansas couldn’t close, missing all four of its three point attempts in the final minute.

Kansas has lost six consecutive games, and there is work still to be done. Henrickson said that the paperwork has been finished and the WNIT awaits.

“If you’re a team that doesn’t want to be in it, you’re going to get beat right away,” Henrickson said of the WNIT. “There’s a lot of teams that really want to be in it and will look at what institution you have on your shirt and be fired up to play you.”

Reason to hope:

Kansas’ post play

The Jayhawks’ post players scored 51 combined points last night to earn all but 18 of the 69 points scored in the game. Carolyn Davis led all Kansas players with 31 points on a near perfect performance from the field. At her side Krysten Boogaard came up with several clutch plays to keep the game close. Boogaard finished the game three of three from the field for eight points.

Reason to mope:

No outside presence

The Jayhawks’ guards couldn’t find any rhythm last night as Monica Engelman and Sade Morris combined to go three of 24 from the field. Engelman has now failed to score more than ten points in her last three games. Morris’ 2 for 12 shooting performance gave her just five points, her lowest point total since a Jan. 29 loss at Kansas State. Morris did not score a single point in that game.

Who to watch for:

Rhea Codio

While she didn’t start the game, Rhea Codio checked in just minutes after the tip. Codio played in place of LaChelda Jacobs for much of the game as Codio earned 31 minutes, a career high. On the game, Codio turned the ball over three times, but had two assists. She should continue to improve and play an increasing role as Kansas hopes for a WNIT bid.

Game-ball:

After receiving a concussion in last Friday’s practice, freshman forward Carolyn Davis had not fully practiced in five days or played in her team’s previous game. Regardless, the Houston native logged a career-high 31 points and also snagged 11 rebounds. She missed just one of her 12 shot attempts and scored 45% of her team’s points.

Quote of the game:

”She is the MVP of this conference. There is nobody more valuable than she is to a team.”-Oklahoma State coach Kurt Budke on Andrea Riley.

Stat of the game: 12%

Guards senior Sade Morris and freshman Monica Engelman and sophomore forward Aishah Sutherland combined to shoot 4 of 33 from the field, or 12%. As the Cowgirls’ defense collapsed on Davis, her teammates on the outside didn’t make life any easier. These three starters will have to get back on track for Kansas to end its season on a positive note in the WNIT.

— Edited by Kelly Gibson