N.C. STATE BOWLS OVER HOYAS. 3A
SPORTS
Vol.154/No.79 36 pages
75 CENTS
A
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KANSAS 63, PURDUE 60
Sweet survival
Nick Krug/Journal-World Photos
KANSAS GUARD TYSHAWN TAYLOR GOES WILD AFTER A THREE BY TEAMMATE ELIJAH JOHNSON, LEFT, put the Jayhawks up by one for their first lead of the game against Purdue. KU squeaked out a 63-60 victory Sunday in Omaha, Neb., to earn a trip to the Sweet 16.
Jayhawks rally past Purdue By Gary Bedore gbedore@ljworld.com
OMAHA, NEB. — Tyshawn Taylor pulled his Kansas University basketball jersey over his head, breathing a quick sigh of relief. Teammate Elijah Johnson thrust his hands high in the air, celebrating with fans who were dancing in the aisles of CenturyLink Center after the final horn sounded in KU’s 63-60 NCAA Midwest Regional victory over Purdue on Sunday.
Johnson comes up big for KU
Two of the game’s biggest heroes then embraced before finally heading to the locker room following quick TV and radio interviews, their season still alive with a Sweet 16 date with North Carolina State on tap at 9:17 p.m. Friday in St Louis. “We kept grinding and grinding and never gave up,” Taylor said. “You’ve got to trust your teammates. I trusted Elijah to knock that shot down, and he trusted me to KANSAS COACH BILL SELF POINTS TO FANS after the Jayhawks escaped with Please see KANSAS, page 4A the victory over Purdue.
OMAHA, NEB. — Las Vegas, the town from which Elijah Johnson came to play bigtime college basketball for Kansas University, is packed with guys who have the guts to make high-risk plays. Even his friends back home had to be impressed with the confidence Johnson tkeegan@ljworld.com showed in lifting his team from also-ran status in the In the final 3:12 of KU’s NCAA Tournament by do63-60 victory against ing a little bit of everything Purdue, which advanced the on a night packed with so Jayhawks to a Sweet 16 many snake eyes for so Please see KEEGAN, page 5A many teammates.
Tom Keegan
KANSAS WOMEN 57, NEBRASKA 49
Gardner, Jayhawks stun Huskers By Benton Smith basmith@ljworld.com
Danny Johnston/AP Photo
KANSAS’ ANGEL GOODRICH (3) PASSES THE BALL around Nebraska’s Jordan Hooper during the second half. KU won its NCAA Tournament opener, 57-49, on Sunday in Little Rock, Ark.
LITTLE ROCK, ARK. — Having spent plenty of time the past few days watching both men’s and women’s NCAA Tournament games, Kansas University’s women’s basketball team couldn’t ignore an obvious trend. Junior forward Carolyn Davis, out for the season because of an ACL tear, pointed out to her Jayhawks teammates prior to their Sunday night first-round game against Nebraska that this is the time of year for unsung heroes. That was the case for KU, too, as freshman forward
Chelsea Gardner’s career night helped the Jayhawks upset the Huskers, 57-49, in their first tournament appearance in 12 years. Gardner, a 6-foot-3 freshman forward thrust into the starting lineup after Davis’ injury, finished with 15 points and 16 rebounds — Gardner both career highs. Her impact wasn’t lost on KU coach Bonnie Henrickson, who related Davis’ remarks about the postseason being a chance for play-
ers to take their games to uncharted territory. “Somebody else comes in and steps in and is a big contributor and helps the team win,” the eighth-year KU coach said following KU’s first NCAA win in her tenure. Much of Gardner’s success came by crashing the offensive glass, where she collected eight of her boards, and Henrickson said many of those were set up by junior point guard Angel Goodrich’s ability to drive to the paint and draw away potential defensive rebounders. With Gardner leading the way, KU (20-12) out-scored Nebraska, 19-9, on second-
chance points and 40-28 in the paint. Said the De Soto, Texas, native after going 6-for-8 from the floor and 3-for-7 at the foul line in her eighth start of the season: “I didn’t buy real estate, but Bonnie told me I might have a chance tonight to just work hard under the basket and get open shots.” Her play became crucial for Kansas once senior forward Aishah Sutherland got in foul trouble in the first half and ended up playing only 20 minutes and finishing with eight points and five boards. Please see KU WOMEN, page 5A