Gamer 04
The University Daily Kansan - Wed., Jan. 25, 2006 - Page 1B
Comeback falls short at K-State
By Michael Phillips
MANHATTAN — It’s not easy to fill the shoes of a legend.
Kansas State freshman Marlies Gipson ran onto the court underneath banners of Wildcat All-Americans Kendra Wecker and Nicole Ohlde.
She was introduced after video highlights of WNBA stars Wecker and Laurie Koehn.
During a time-out, the announcer reminded Gipson that Wecker and Koehn’s teams never lost to Kansas.
Holding a small lead at halftime won Gipson no applause from a packed Bramlage Coliseum crowd.
The fans insisted on Jayhawk blood, which she delivered in the form of a 69-63 victory, the Wildcats’ ninth straight against the Jayhawks.
Kansas’ senior class of forward Crystal Kemp and guards Erica Hallman and Kaylee Brown will finish their careers winless in Manhattan.
“It hurts real bad,” Hallman said. “We’re good enough to beat Kansas State at Kansas State, but we came up short.”
The Wildcats opened up the second half with a 16-4 run, tearing up the Jayhawks over a stretch of seven minutes. They constantly found teammates in the paint for easy baskets.
“Coach told us we weren’t playing with enough intensity,” Gipson said. “We came out in the second half fired up and ready to go.”
It wasn’t an easy victory, though.
After Gipson left the game due to foul trouble, the Jayhawks responded with a 17-4 run of their own, bringing the game as close as two points with 20 seconds remaining.
Kansas State Junior guard Claire Coggins stepped up to the free-throw line three times in the final minute of the game. She hit 5-of-6 shots on those three trips.
Hallman initiated the comeback, using screens to find open shots. She finished the game with 18 points, second only to Kemp’s 20.
Toward the end of the game, Kansas coach Bonnie Henrickson went to her bench, something she’s been hesitant to do in Big 12 competition. Freshman guard Sophronia Sallard played 15 minutes and provided Kansas with a four-guard set.
Henrickson said she played Sallard because Kemp was often double-teamed. The Wildcats were left with only three defenders to guard four Kansas shooters.
Junior guard Shaquina Mosley played only 13 minutes, but a majority of them were during the Kansas run. She was conscious of the ball on every possession and did not turn the ball over as she did earlier in the season.
“I think it was hard for her at the beginning of the season. I think now she’s getting the hang of things,” Brown said, pointing to her head to indicate Mosley’s mental progress.
In the end, Kansas was left to wonder what might have been had it opened the second half stronger.
“I think we just pick about four or five minutes where we decide not to play,” Henrickson said. “We can’t have lapses like that.”
Gipson and her teammates left the court to thunderous applause, likely the same kind Wecker and Koehn received as freshmen when they started the streak.
Maybe those legend shoes will fit after all.
—Edited by Timon Veach