Sophomore backcourt duo ignites K-State in win

Heading into this season, Kansas State women's basketball coach Deb Patterson had no problem admitting there were several lingering questions. If one of those was the leadership and growth of her two sophomore guards, well they might have been answered Sunday afternoon.

Taelor Karr and Brittany Chambers sprinted out of the gate from the opening tip against UC Davis, leading K-State to an early 22-5 lead in the opening 10 minutes of the game.

The early run, which was perhaps their best start to a game this season, allowed the Wildcats to cruise to a 61-41 victory and improve to 8-1 on the season in their final nonconference home game of the season.

"I thought offensively we came into the game wano be aggressive with our mentality," Patterson said.

Both Chambers and Karr clearly embodied that mentality in the opening minutes of Sunday's 20-point victory. Karr opened the game with a layup off an Aggie turnover, followed by a layup and back-to-back 3-pointers from Chambers.

"We knew they were going to trap and (play) zone," Chambers said. "I thought we moved the ball quickly and that allowed our guards to get open right away."

Chambers finished the game with 10 points, while Karr netted a game-high 17 points and tied her career-high with 12 rebounds.

Karr made some noise from behind the arc as well, making 3-of-5 from 3-point territory. Meanwhile, her double-double was the first of the season for the Wildcats, and the second of her young career at K-State.

"I feel like both of us have really matured and kind of figured out what we need to do," Karr said . "The game is starting to slowdown for us."

The Chambers-Karr duo combined for 15 of the first 20 Wildcat points in the first half of Sunday's victory.

The hot shooting for Karr on Sunday afternoon, was another sign that after a slow start to the season, she has found her touch. In her last six games, the guard has averaged 13.2 points per game, while shooting 59 percent from the field and 46 percent on 3-pointers.

"I look at our team now, relative to a year ago," Patterson said. "It's easy to overlook the fact that you have three players in the backcourt that are really young. I think they are much transformed."

The Aggies attempted to make a comeback late in the first half with a short 7-2 run with less than 10 minutes remaining. But again, the hot-shooting Karr had an answer.

She strung together back-to-back 3-pointers, followed by a layup from Chambers off an Aggies turnover to push the Cats' lead to 38-13 with 4:07 to go in the half.

The strong first-half performance was enough of a cushion to cruise through the second half and on to their eighth victory of the year.

"We have all been working really hard this year," Karr said. "I feel like that is showing. We have a lot of team chemistry and it's just going to get better throughout the season."

Returning to the floor: Kelsey Hill battles back from knee injury to help Wildcats in 2010

As the clock ticked down to the end of the game Wednesday, Kelsey Hill slowly dribbled the ball up the court and handed it to the referee. The slow dribble signaled Kansas State's seventh win this season, and protected a perfect 6-0 record inside Bramlage Coliseum.

For the Wildcats' senior guard, the win was great, but it was also just as meaningful for her to be back on the court helping in that win. It took the support of her teammates and coaches throughout the course of a long 2009-10 season, but now she was back.

"It's been so much fun," Hill said after the 76-49 victory over North Dakota.

But a little more than a year ago, she had the court and the game of basketball temporarily taken from her.

It was early last October during the first week of practice for the Wildcats. Hill was anxious for the year to start. As an upperclassman with two-years of experience playing for 15th-year head coach Deb Patterson, her junior year looked promising.

"I had finally gotten it," Hill said. "Physically and mentally, I was kind of in my role and ready to go."

But then, after falling down awkwardly on her left knee during a non-contact 3-on-2 drill, her ambitions of a successful junior season suddenly ended.

Immediately, she knew she had blown her anterior cruciate ligament — or ACL — and after confirming it, her junior season was over before it even began.

"It was hard," Hill said. "I had high expectations for myself and as a team and I kind of felt like I couldn't do it."

But after going through two surgeries and a myriad of rehab treatments the 5-foot-5 guard from Lenexa, learned to take on that different role for the Wildcats. While it my not have been the role she was seeking before the season began, she found joy in supporting her teammates from the sideline.

"I realized last year, my role was to really cheer and be the biggest cheerleader I could be," Hill said. "I helped some of the underclassman. We had a lot of freshman guards last year, so I helped them and tried to be there in anyway I could.

"It taught me a lot as a person and as a player. I think it has made me a better teammate."

Now though, as the Wildcats are off to their best start since the 2008-09 season when they reached the second round of the NCAA tournament, Hill has made her way back on the court at a quick pace.

Hill has been a leader coming off the bench this season. She's appeared in all eight games. She tied her season high with six points against North Dakota on Wednesday night.

"It is so much fun," Hill said. "I couldn't really help last year. I could cheer and I could yell, but this year, I feel like I can come in and do some things and lead in different ways, being an upperclassmen."

Her presence and leadership seems to be working, too, as the Wildcats have gone undefeated at home this year and are receiving votes in the Associated Press Top 25 poll with conference play beginning in less than a month.

"It's just been a great opportunity," Hill said. "I think if we just keep going game-by-game going into conference play."

The Wildcats will close out a two-game homestand on Sunday when they host UC Davis at 2 p.m. at Bramlage Coliseum.

Karr starting to find stroke for surging Wildcats

Taelor Karr knows she got off to a slow start this season.

But that's in the past, and when the Wildcats fell behind by three points early Wednesday night against North Dakota, she was right there.

The sophomore guard sank a three-pointer to tie the game up at three points, and then followed it up with a layup less than a minute later.

Yes, she proved that the shaky start to her season is well in the past.

"Everything felt good," Karr said after the Wildcats 76-49 victory.

The Paola, Kan. native had the hot-hand Wednesday night, leading all scorers with 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting, going 2-of-3 from behind the three-point line.

It was her fourth night in five games to reach double figures.

"I was getting some good looks," Karr said. "I was wide open on a few and they were just falling for me."

But those shots took some time to fall for Karr as she began the season at a much slower pace.

The sophomore, who finished third on the team in scoring last year with 9.1 points-per-game, struggled to find a rhythm from the floor when the Wildcats began their season last month. She shot just 33 percent in her first three games and failed to hit double-figures in each of them, hitting just three shots from behind the three-point line.

"I was definitely struggling in the beginning of the year," Karr said. "My shot wasn't falling."

But despite her shooting guard's slow start, head coach Deb Patterson didn't show much concern.

"Part of her improvement is just understanding the offense a little better, and when the shots are going to come," Patterson said.

The patience paid off. Karr has shot 40 percent from the field since reaching double figures for the first time this season in a 63-53 win over Western Illinois on Nov. 21.

Just this weekend Karr notched a season-high 17 points while shooting 3-of-6 from beyond the arc on Sunday afternoon in a 68-62 loss at Iowa.

Entering Wednesday's game against North Dakota, she was second on the squad in scoring, averaging 10.3 points-per-game.

"Now I feel like my teammates are getting me good looks," Karr said. "They are passing to me when I am open and helping me to play to my strengths. I feel a lot more comfortable now that they are going in."

For the Wildcats' offense to remain in rhythm, it's clear Karr's shooting will play an essential role for the remainder of the season.

"To me, it's just an evolution of establishing a comfort level with the offense and the assertiveness," Patterson said. "Sometimes it's hard early in the season when you don't get into a groove right away with your shot and you get a little gun shy, and I think she has battled her way through that."

Photo- The Manhattan Mercury

Chisholm finding new home at Bramlage

Just a week ago, JuliAnne Chisholm's athletic career was limited to the volleyball court inside Ahearn Field House.

As an outside hitter for the Kansas State volleyball team, she helped the Wildcats beat Colorado 3-2 in their final match of the season on Saturday night.

Chisholm pounded out 18 kills, and ended her career as a decorated Academic All-American.

But again, that was last week.

Now, as is her personality, Chisholm is immersing herself in yet another challenge.

After completing just one practice with the women's basketball team on Monday, she stood at the free throw line Tuesday night in Bramlage Coliseum with less than a minute remaining in the first half against South Dakota State.

The Wildcats were down by seven points, and suddenly she was thrust into a critical moment on the basketball court. She sank one of two shots, and with that single point, her career as a basketball player had now officially begun.

Chisholm and the Wildcats are in Iowa City today to face the No. 18-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes at 2 p.m. K-State, undefeated and receiving votes in both national polls, is looking to improve to 7-0 on the season.

It was thought Chisholm would wait until the semester was over to begin playing basketball with the Cats, but she has never been slow to take on any challenge.

"It's pretty quick," Chisholm said of the transition. "Volleyball season is over, but if I sit around and wait, I'm not going to get any better any faster."

Chisholm played four minutes in her basketball debut Tuesday night and the Wildcats completed a 56-51 comeback-win over the Jackrabbits.

In her prep career, Chisholm was a standout basketball player at Hillsboro High School and was recruited heavily in both sports. She was named first team all-state in 2006 and first team all-region in 2004 and 2005.

She also holds the school record for career points with 2,467.

The accolades in basketball prompted head basketball coach Deb Patterson to recruit Chisholm heavily for her program, but the two-sport star eventually chose volleyball instead.

"I never forgot her," Patterson said. "JuliAnne had been at camp, and was just a great athlete, and honestly, I wish we had snagged her. I really do. I think we waited too long and volleyball went after her real aggressively and they got her and we didn't — but I would have loved to had her."

It wasn't an easy decision for Chisholm to make, though. After her junior season of volleyball at Hillsboro, Fritz offered her a scholarship to play at K-State, despite pleading from Chisholm for more time to continue her basketball career.

Fritz obliged. However, at the conclusion of her junior year on the basketball court, she chose to accept the offer to play on Fritz's team once she arrived at K-State.

"At the end of the day, God had it set out that I was suppose to play volleyball first," Chisholm said. "And that's what I did."

But NCAA rules allow an athlete a five-year window to participate in athletics, with a four-year limit per sport. Therefore Chisholm, now a junior by NCAA standards on the basketball team, will have two seasons of eligibility with the squad.

Knowing the rules during her senior season with the volleyball team, Chisholm found she had a growing urge to take advantage of them, and continue with her basketball career at the conclusion of the volleyball season.

She soon approached Fritz about the idea. Fritz, who also knew very well the caliber of a basketball player Chisholm had been in high school, told her senior that she should indeed give it a try. She then called Patterson to inform her of Chisholm's interest in the basketball program.

"I don't profess to know anything about basketball," Fritz said in an email. "What I do know is that JuliAnne has a tremendous work ethic, very high expectations of herself and is committed to whatever she does at the highest level. In that way, I think she will help our women's basketball team a great deal."

After receiving a call from Fritz, Patterson was trilled.

"I was like, 'Really?'" Patterson said. "It was just like one of those moments when something really good happens in your life and you are like, 'Wow. How did that drop out of the sky?' I was very excited, and then even more so when I talked to JuliAnne and found out she really meant it."

Chisholm began practice with the squad on Monday and has already fit in well with her new team.

"She is a great teammate," Patterson said. "She is a classic K-State leader. During the summer, she had some opportunities to spend time with some of our players. She is just a good person and is an easy blend, and I think we have an easy team to fit in with."

That blend was shown during the game on Tuesday when Chisholm spent the first 15 minutes of the game sitting with senior teammate Shalin Spani on the K-State bench. Spani, who will miss the season with a torn ACL, spent the majority of the first half coaching Chisholm herself, and helping her become familiar with the plays and concepts the Wildcats use.

"That speaks to the leadership of Shalin and Kelsey Hill," Patterson said. "They are coaching her through plays and things that they are hearing me communicate on the sideline, and getting accustomed to the semantics and the learning curve a little bit from the sideline."

Meanwhile, she has still been with the program for less than a week, and it will take some time for Chisholm to become fully immersed into the culture and Patterson's coaching and the playing style of her squad.

She played a total of just four minutes on Tuesday, and admits she still needs to get into shape when it comes to the speed of the game.

"I have a long way to go," Chisholm said.

Though there is a reason Patterson was adamant and welcoming to her new player. With two seasons of eligibility remaining with basketball, Chisholm has time to become comfortable with the systems, and show Patterson the skills she displayed four years ago at Hillsboro.

"I want to make them better and I hope they make me better," Chisholm said. "I haven't played in four years, but I'm excited to do it. I love basketball and I am so excited to get the opportunity to play."

Photo - The Manhattan Mercury

Bench keys Wildcats' decisive second-half comeback

If ever there was a night the Kansas State bench needed to come alive, Tuesday proved to be perhaps the perfect stage for them to do it.

K-State entered the halftime break against South Dakota State facing its first halftime deficit of the season at 27-21, and found itself in desperate need of an answer for the visiting Jackrabbits.

The Wildcats shot just 24 percent in the first half, and with just 20 minutes to play against a pesky South Dakota State squad, faced a challenge ahead of them.

But after a struggling throughout most of the season, the K-State bench had just the answer the Wildcats needed to escape Bramlage Coliseum with a 56-51 win over South Dakota State.

"Everybody kind of stood up and found a way to make a play," KSU coach Deb Patterson said.

A little more than five minutes into the second half, senior guard Kelsey Hill came off the bench and made one of those critical plays by draining a 3-pointer from the left side late in the shot clock to spark a 9-2 run. The run

gave the Wildcats their first lead since jumping out to a 2-0 lead to open the game.

"It was needed," Hill said. "I just kind of relocated, and I was able to get it down. It definitely helped us get going, I think the energy started picking up a little bit."

Hill finished the game with a season-high six points on 2-4 shooting off the bench, all coming from 3-point territory.

"When Kelsey made that 3, I felt that was one of the biggest sparks in a game that didn't even have a warm ember for us," Patterson said. "And then all of a sudden, she hit that shot, and it really injected life into us. I thought that was a really big play. Hats off to her for taking that long shot."

In a game where sophomore guard Brittany Chambers — K-State's leading scorer — struggled from the floor, the bench showed Patterson it could provide a crucial momentum shift of its own.

"It was obvious, I didn't have a great shot tonight," said Chambers, who finished the game with 18 points on 5-of-15 shooting.

"Last year, we didn't have that, it's really comforting, and it's just people stepping up and making big plays."

Prior to Tuesday's match up with South Dakota State, the Wildcat bench had been ice-cold from the field, shooting just 22 percent from the field and just 1-of-28 from 3-point territory this season.

On Tuesday, though, the bench responded and scored 10 points, making 3-of-8 from behind the arc and providing just the answer the Wildcats needed. Brianna Kulas made the other 3-pointer for the Wildcats, while backup forward JuliAnne Chisholm added a free throw.

Photo- The Manhattan Mercury