Crimson Wins 48-30 in Late Night Scrimmage

The University of Kansas men's and women's basketball teams officially opened up their 2005-06 campaigns on Friday night with the with the 21st annual "Late Night in the Phog." The fans were treated to a night of entertainment including dancing, a performance from the Marching Cobras, skits and basketball.

Thousands of supporters packed Allen Fieldhouse to catch their first glimpse of this year's basketball teams. Highlighting the evening were the intrasquad scrimmages put on by the men's and women's teams.

In the women's 10-minute scrimmage, the Crimson team defeated the Blue squad by a score of 17-8. Senior guard Kaylee Brown led the way for the Crimson team after scoring seven of her team's points, while sophomore forward Taylor McIntosh chipped in with five of her team's 12 rebounds. Senior forward Crystal Kemp led the Crimson squad with three rebounds.

After a rousing highlight video featuring accomplishments of past Kansas basketball teams, the men took the floor. The Crimson came out on top, 48-30, in the 20-minute scrimmage. The Crimson team shot almost 60 percent from the field, led by freshman guard Micah Downs. Downs led his squad with 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting including 2-of-2 from behind the arc. Freshman guard Brandon Rush scored eight of the Blue team's 30 points in a losing effort.

Men's Head Coach Bill Self:

On the scrimmage:
"It went pretty good. The freshmen were getting up and down with pretty good control. Playing in front of the crowd, I thought (the freshman) did a pretty good job when the lights came on. Julian (Wright) was in a hurry. Things were in fast-forward tonight for him. Everybody else though had pretty good composure. Julian just has to let the game come to him."

On his team's progression:
"Our guys seem to share the ball pretty well right now. We are working with guys off pick-and-rolls. We are not as far along as last year's team by any means, but we might be farther along than we had anticipated."

On the new aspects of the program:
"I think it feels new. We needed something new to reenergize us after the way last season ended. But with (the improvements to Allen Fieldhouse), the recruiting class and the addition of Brandon (Rush), I think it has pumped some adrenaline through all of them, and the fans too."

Women's Head Coach Bonnie Henrickson

On Late Night:
"I think it is good for our kids to get out in front of a crowd like that. They were thrilled to come out and play in front of a packed house. It was ugly basketball, but it was fun."

On the program:
"We come to work everyday to win a National Championship and we don't shy away from that. We recruit kids who want to win."

Story courtesy: KUAC