Coatney's Call: Kansas Game Preview

Nebraska at Kansas
Saturday, Feb. 26, 7 p.m.
Allen Fieldhouse (Lawrence, Kan.)
Radio: 25-Station Husker Sports Network (105.3 FM-Lincoln, 93.3 FM-Omaha)
Internet: Free Live Audio on Huskers.com

Last Tuesday night's 76-34 Nebraska Women's Basketball win over Missouri was memorable for many reasons.  The 34 points by the Tigers were an opponent season low and the fewest points ever surrendered by the Huskers to a Big 12 foe. 

NU's 42-point margin of victory matched its second-largest margin against a conference opponent in Big 12 history.  Interestingly Missouri was also the victim of Nebraska's largest win margin in Big 12 play, falling to the Huskers by 48 points (84-36) in the first year of league play in 1996-97. 

Sophomore point guard Lindsey Moore  had another exceptional game, tying her career-high with five three pointers, adding 23 points, eight assists and six rebounds.  In her last two games, Moore has averaged 20.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg and 7.5 apg.  She has an assist-to turnover ratio of 15-to-6 (2.5-to-1).  She is 14-for-22 (63.6%) from the field, including 7-of-13 (53.8%) from the three point line.  Moore is now No. 10 on the NU career assist list and needs just one more to tie Lis Brenden for ninth. 

Lindsey and the Huskers will try to sweep the season series from Kansas for the second year in a row when they travel to Lawrence to face the Jayhawks Saturday night at 7 p.m.

Kansas Coach Bonnie Henrickson  was quoted earlier this season saying, "Overtime is our time" and largely that has been the case as KU has won four of their five extra-session games this season.  Their only overtime blemish is when Nebraska outscored KU 19-5 in the extra period to defeat the Jayhawks 75-61 on Jan. 16 in Lincoln.  Kaitlyn Burke had a career-high 20 points, including four three-pointers and Lindsey Moore had a then-career best 23 points and played the entire 45 minutes. 
 
KU is 18-9 overall (5-8 Big 12) after winning at Oklahoma State Wednesday night 73-66.  The Jayhawks have won three of their last four games after starting Big 12 play 1-6.  Kansas is paced by 6-3 sophomore forward  Carolyn Davis.  She leads the Big 12 and is second nationally in field goal percentage (.667).  Davis had a game-high 26 points and 10 rebounds against Nebraska earlier this season.  She leads the team in scoring (18.4 ppg) and blocked shots.  Davis only had nine points in the win at Oklahoma State Wednesday night, fouling out of the game after only 16 minutes of action. 

5-11 sophomore guard Monica Engelman  is the reason Kansas was able to force overtime in Lincoln against NU.  She nailed an awkward, off-balance three-point leaner with 10 seconds left in regulation to tie the game.  She just missed a double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds against the Huskers. Engelman is second on the team in scoring (11.9 ppg) and leads the team in three-pointers (34). 

6-2 freshman forward Tania (tuh-NAY-uh) Jackson has started the last four games and adds 4.0 ppg.  She had 12 points in the Wednesday night win at OSU. 

5-4 sophomore point guard Angel Goodrich  missed seven games due to injury in the non-conference portion of the schedule, but has started the last 17 for KU.  She had a season-high 14 points in the win over OSU Wednesday night.   She leads the conference in assists/game in league games (6.5 apg).  Goodrich had a career-best 15 assists in KU's win over Iowa State earlier this season. Her 15 assists are the most ever recorded by a Kansas player in Allen Fieldhouse (male or female) and are the most by a Big 12 player this season.  Goodrich averages 7.7 ppg. 

5-9 freshman Diara Moore rounds out the Jayhawks' probable starting lineup.  She adds 4.0 ppg.
 
The non-starters for Kansas combine for an incredible 173 career starts. The high number of starting appearances on the KU bench is nothing new as last season the Jayhawk bench had accounted for over 200 career starting appearances when they faced NU in late February. 

By contrast, the current healthy Nebraska bench players account for only 12 career starts and the entire Husker team that is expected to suit up Saturday night against Kansas only has a combined 252 career starting assignments.  The KU bench is paced by 6-2 junior forward Aishah Sutherland.  She is third on the team in scoring (9.5 ppg), leads the team in rebounding (7.8 rpg) but has not started the last four games and five of the last six after starting the first 22 games this season for KU.  Sutherland just missed a double-double in the earlier meeting with Nebraska with nine point and nine rebounds. 

Kansas Head Coach Bonnie Henrickson has led her team to four WNIT appearances in her seven seasons in Lawrence.  She took Virginia Tech to the 1999 Sweet 16.
Kansas leads the all-time series with Nebraska 48-31, but the Huskers have won the last three games, sweeping in 2009-10 for the first time since 2006-07.  In fact, Nebraska holds a 21-8 edge in the series in the last 29 games.
 
I cordially invite you to join Jeff Griesch and me for Nebraska Women's Basketball on the Husker Sports Network.  Our radio broadcast Saturday night begins with the Husker Courtside pre-game show at 6:45 p.m. (central) with the tip-off scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on KLNC 105.3 FM (WOW-FM) in Lincoln, KTWI 93.3 FM (Twister 93.3) in Omaha, KLIQ 94.5 in Hastings, KCOW 1400 in Alliance and available to our entire twenty-five network stations.  All Husker Women's Basketball broadcasts are also available for free worldwide on the internet at www.huskers.com.  I hope you can join us.  

Go Big Red! 

Matt