Dec. 20, 2003
Box Score
DENVER, Colorado - Rola Ogunoye scored a season-high 25 points, including 21 in the second half, but Texas-Arlington committed 27 turnovers in dropping a 71-52 decision to Kansas in the first round of Wells Fargo Classic in Denver, Colo.
UTA (3-6) struggled out of the blocks and the Jayhawks took advantage by quickly opening up a 9-2 in the game's first five minutes. After a Temeckia Brown basket trimmed the lead to eight points at the 11:37 mark, KU would go on a 9-2 run to build a double digit lead that they would not relinquish the rest of the game.
The Lady Mavs would creep to within 10 points at the 5:06 mark as LaToya Lewis came off a screen and knocked down a triple from the top of the key. A Sheena Johnson bucket would bring the lead back to 10 in the final minutes of the half before the Jayhawks scored the final five points of the half to take a 33-19 lead into recess. The 19 points in a half ties for the lowest half total of the season for UTA.
KU (5-2) stormed out of the locker room in the second half and pushed its lead to 30-points in the first five minutes of the half.
Ogunoye gave the Lady Mavs a sign of life in the half as she scored the game's next seven points, including her second three-pointer of the season.
With the lead still at 25-points, Ogunoye went on another scoring run of her own as she started it with a putback off a missed layup and followed it with a pair of free throws and a transition layup to cut the deficit to 57-38 with 9:02 to play.
KU would counter the Ogunoye run by pounding the ball inside in pushing its lead back to 25-points before Terra Wallace hit a leaning three-pointer a the buzzer for the 71-52 final.
Ogunoye, 10-for-18 from the field and 4-for-4 from the line, was the only Lady Mav in double figures as the team shot 40.0 percent (22-for-55) in the game, while the Jayhawks shot 55.8 percent (29-for-52) from the field. Krystal Buchanan added five assists and four steals.
Crystal Kemp led three KU players in double figures with 21 points. She was joined by Lauren Ervin with 14 and Blair Waltz with 10.
The Lady Mavs return to action tomorrow afternoon as they will play the consolation game of the Wells Fargo Classic against the loser of the Lafayette/Denver game. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. CST at the Magness Arena.
