A few things to note.
1. ISU had beaten KU 16 straight times.
2. KU shot over 50% for the game and 55% from three. They were shooting 31% for the season.
3. ISU nearly gave up ONE HUNDRED points to a very average team.
Well, X out #1 because that streak is over. Combine #'s 2 and 3 and you have one of the worst defensive showings in recent memory. What it all resulted in was a 98-93 KU victory over ISU.
This was a night where all sorts of things were coming together. OSU lost to WVU. We "could" have gained a game on them for third place. OU was being KSU by 4 with just seconds left in their game. Another OU loss in Bedlam may have moved ISU to 2nd place. But the Kansas schools screwed all that up as KSU folded like a tent and lost and KU looked like a top ten team in dismantling ISU.
So what happened?
In the first quarter the defense seemed to do bad things. They left KU open from deep and they hit five, and the sisters let them penetrate. KU usually made them pay and led 18-14 shortly after the media timeout.
On offense the first half of the quarter saw too many three point attempts and not enough moves inside. Joens made an early dent getting fouled on two drives and hitting the free throws. The KU defense was physically beating on ISU and getting away with it. Literal muggings were taking place and not being called. KU would edge out to a nine point lead after their fifth trey. Donarski hit a nice trey after a drive and feed by Joens. The defense left Mayberry open for a trey of their own (the sixth of the quarter) and a seven point lead at the end of the quarter. 26-19. Literally, KU was scoring at every opportunity and the sisters were struggling in every facet.
That’s a bad offensive quarter for the sisters and KU was shooting beyond their normal capabilities. KU hit 50% from the field and 72% from deep in the first.
Kane started things in the second with a trey. Unfortunately hitting two in a row between last game and this one seemed to make her think she was a three point threat. Not. Donarski committed two fouls on one possession and Ryan already had two. This would be a sign of what was to come.
The offense was struggling to get anything going and KU kept doing what got them there inside and out. They were eating us alive inside. Another Mayberry score stretched the lead to 9. Izzy took a nice feed from Ryan for two and what happened? KU answered with their sixth trey and a ten point lead 34-24. The defense left Mayberry wide open AGAIN for another trey. KU is up 13 as the wheels are falling off the bus. Defense is atrocious and KU just couldn't miss.
Joens went to work and got the lead down to 7...but KU scored again. The problem at this stage was KU was missing and the sisters couldn't capitalize.
Fritz nails two treys to light things up and 43-38. Joens turns the ball over, but gets fouled rebounding on the other end. KU is def cooling off. Two free throws later and the lead is down to 3. Joens followed with another trey and KU scored on another drive to close the half 48-43. Joens and Fritz are leading the way. At the half KU has made four more baskets than the sisters. Is amazing the ladies were this close as hot as KU is from the field.
I was hoping the ladies would come out of the gates strong, but it was KU who dictated things and extended the lead to 8 with another trey. We continued to miss and then it was a ten point lead. Kane throws up an air ball three.
Ryan lunged at a three point shooter and picks up her third. Joens also has three. Foul trouble would be a problem the rest of the way. This quarter looked just like the first. The sisters couldn't score. They left shooters open and KU is hitting from deep. Lead is 13. 62-49 5:45 left.
Ryan picked up her fourth foul and KU led by 15. This is ugly. No scoring for nearly three minutes and three turnovers and KU was scoring at will. The lead went to 17 66-49 with 4 min left. Diew picks up her third. That foul problem? Yep.
KU would hit their 10th trey of the game. Yes, a team that sucks from deep is lighting it up. Lead was 16.
The only saving grace at this point was Fritz who was being a beast on the boards and offensively. She cut the lead to 12. Joens cut the lead to ten on a nice drive. Diew then picked up her 4th foul at the buzzer and KU gets FT and misses both. It was 72-62 end of three and I felt fortunate the ladies were that close. But it got worse.
To start the 4th we got a much needed stop…and Ryan turns the ball over. Sigh. The play of Denae Fritz was the only reason the sisters are hovering around in remotely the same zip code. The epitome of the entire game happened when KU hit their 11th three….a crappy bank shot. Lead is 13. Yep…it was that kind of night. A 7-0 run by KU as they can’t miss anything. Lead is back to 17 again. Donarski is getting lots of looks inside and missing everything.
Fritz hits again, but Diew gets burnt again for an easy two. Defensively she just isn’t good. Because of the weakness inside, KU would just keep driving and scoring.
In a rare occurrence...much like what we saw in the men's game the other night, a six point possession happened. Fritz hit a trey and KU fouled underneath on the same possession so we got the ball. Joens scores and gets the harm. All of a sudden in was an 11 point game. After a stop there was a nice assist to Ryan and Kane closes it to nine and an 8-0 ISU run. Donarksi would hit a trey on an assist from Joens. The lead was down to 6. After a KU traditional three point play, Joens nailed a trey and it’s 6 again. Again, no defense as KU drives and scores. Joens hit another trey and it’s 5. Things were getting exciting. Another stop. Kane scores, gets fouled. Great assist by Ryan. Three point game.
KU scores after an offensive board, but Joens scores fast! On the ensuing inbounds play at the KU end we steal the ball and Joens gets called for a foul. KU ball. Then Diew fouled out. Joens fouled out. Puts KU on the line and they make one.
I don’t understand the strategy of fouling at this point. We could have gone for a stop and score…but what do I know? KU was up four with 29.5 seconds left. I have to give the ladies credit, they were going after things. M&M fed Ryan for a quick score. It was 93-91 KU with 20 seconds left. The bad part is KU is nearly as good at the line as the Sisters. We foul their best free throw shooter Franklin and she hit both. Donarski drove and missed. The ladies foul and this one is all but over.
Final KU 98- 93
Observations
What is it about our defense on the road? We foul and can’t stop anyone inside or out. This is a pattern we’ve seen too often.. with a shallow bench it’s a recipe for disaster. For goodness sake…we gave up nearly ONE HUNDRED points! This wasn't Baylor's national title team we were playing...
Thankfully OSU helped out by losing. Even with a bad loss like this ISU still controls the path to the 3 seed.
POG - I’m giving this to Fritz. She battled like a warrior today. Joens was right behind her for this, but Fritz was amazing and had a career high 26 points. She was the hot hand for ISU in this one.
Joens - worked her butt off. Not a stellar shooting night, but her late threes and free throw shooting kept us in it. Add to it 14 boards.
Ryan - foul trouble limited her. No offensive contributions. Just not a good game overall. Only two points but did have 10 assists. That last stat is nice, but she spent a lot of time pulling splinters and all to often isn't an offensive threat. Both of those things hurt badly. She's also just a step slow on defense against quick guards.
Kane - some good rebounds and was tenacious underneath. 9 points.
Diew - not a threat on offense and a liability on defense. She really hurt the team tonight. Fouled out. 7 points and 2 boards. Just can't taken behind the woodshed when she was on defense.
Donarski - She's taking some tough shots underneath, but she just can't get any to go. 14 points, but we sure needed a couple of those drives to work out.
Free Throws - we make 20 of 22. When do we ever make that many and lose? When the opponent makes 19 and completely negates it.
I honestly believe KU will never ever shoot that well against any team ever again in the history of basketball. Yes, the defense left their players open way too often. KU made us pay each time. Their shooters who normally hit in the 20's percentage-wise were nailing everything they threw up. The worst part though was their inside game. They chewed our defense to pieces with their drives. It was like watching a 5'10" freshman play against Audi Crooks.
So...all the opportunities this game presented...3rd place all to ourselves. A chance at 2nd. Being on a roll going into our last home game and the conference tournament. All of that went out the window in a hurry. We've now seen the defense be a no show for much of two of the last three games. You'd normally think scoring 93 points would be a win every time for the Sisters. But woof...giving up 98 points...to KU? Ouch.
This makes the game Saturday at home versus Texas Tech an absolute must win in many ways. A win means the #3 seed in the conference tournament. A win allows the sisters to hang on to the very, very thin thread holding a host spot for the NCAA tourney. To get that they will likely need to win Saturday and win two games minimum at the Big 12 tourney. Winning the conference title outright would likely achieve it. As it is...likely Saturday will be the last time our seniors grace the floor of Hilton. Finally, a win Saturday will be the only thing that "might" keep us rated. This one hurts folks.
