Kangaroos all about business in exhibition game victory

By: Matt Foust

Posted: 11/5/07

The UMKC women's basketball team dropped 70 points on the Aggies of Oklahoma Panhandle State University (OPSU) despite the absence of senior center Alysa Klein and sophomore guard Chazny Morris from the lineup.

Klein and Morris, both battling injury, were pre-season All-Conference selections; however, their presence was not needed as freshman forward Krystal Vanhook and junior transfer guard Taushelle Rushing led UMKC to a 70-47 victory.

UMKC Head Women's Basketball Coach Candace White-Whitaker was pleased with her team's effort and she liked the energy her new players provided.

"When we recruited [Vanhook and Rushing] we really saw the tempo that we want to play at," White-Whitaker said. "Taushelle has extremely quick hands and Krystal can really run the floor well, they both [have the ability] to create easy shots for themselves."

Vanhook, Rushing, junior guard Heather Wimberly and sophomore guard Tarah Cullen all scored in double figures for the Kangaroos. Vanhook led all scorers with 18 points.

The Kangaroos opened the game with a 13-0 run despite some early offensive jitters. Only Rushing, Wimberly and freshman guard Sarah Stewart were able to find the basket consistently early.

The squad made up for the lack of early offense by playing a stifling brand of team defense. Strong perimeter trapping by the UMKC guards generated nine turnovers from the Aggies within the first seven minutes of the game. The Roos also held Aggie junior forward Jasmine Williams in check early, playing good help defense in the paint. OPSU was not able to score a point until 6:59 had ticked off the clock.

UMKC eventually heated up from behind the arc, going 7-12, while cruising to a 36-21 halftime lead.

Vanhook really hit her stride early in the second half, playing with fantastic energy while seeming to be everywhere on the court. She did not look the part of a freshman against the Division II Aggies. It was obvious Vanhook had a goal in mind.

"I want to bring in a winning [attitude]," Vanhook said. "That's my job, to help this team win."

Vanhook certainly looked to have some partners in her effort in Rushing and Wimberly. Wimberly consistently provided attributes typical of a point guard throughout the game: outstanding effort and vocal leadership. The junior dished out nine assists, scored 10 points and grabbed seven boards in 29 minutes of play.

Rushing displayed the quick hands her coach spoke about while leading the team with eight steals, a nice addition to her 14-point effort.

OPSU was never able to mount a serious threat against UMKC as the Kangaroos had an answer for almost every basket the Aggies were able to generate. Despite a few Kangaroo lapses on defense, they held the Aggies to 29 percent shooting from the field for the game.

The team as a whole seemed to meet White-Whitaker's goals for the game, a highly encouraging accomplishment considering the star power missing from the lineup.

"We had three main goals coming into the game: play hard, communicate, play together," White-Whitaker said. "You can make up for errors in execution or errors of decision by doing [those three things]."

The regular season opener was Saturday, Nov. 3 against the Sugar Bears from the University of Central Arkansas. The home opener will be played Nov. 11 at 2 p.m. against the Air Force Academy at Swinney Recreation Center.

mfoust@unews.com