Dump the slump

Published 12:01 am Wednesday, March 2, 2011

SEATTLE — In the moments that followed a home loss 11 days ago to Arizona that saw her miss all six of her first-half shots, Kristi Kingma was honest enough to admit that, yes, the long season was beginning to take a toll on her.

She was also savvy enough to add that the same went for

every other player in the Pacific-10 Conference.

The leading scorer on the University of Washington women’s basketball team isn’t one to make excuses. But as she tries to come out of her first shooting slump as a college basketball player, Kingma could have plenty of them.

As UW’s go-to player, the somewhat-slight guard has taken a beating from opposing defenders. She’s second in the conference in minutes per game (36.2) and had to put in two months of extra practice while several teammates sat out with injuries earlier this season.

And that’s just the physical part. Emotionally, Kingma is carrying an even bigger weight in that she’s still coming to grips with the death of a close friend, Carly Henley. The UW junior committed suicide in early October, one month before the Huskies’ opener.

So if anyone has reason to make excuses, Kingma would fit the bill.

“Emotionally, it has (been difficult), just because losing a friend is tough,” said the junior from Mill Creek, who ranks third in the conference at 15.4 points per game but is shooting just 25.5 percent from the field the past three outings. “I’ve never gone through something like that before.

“But it’s also inspired me in that I do find that extra energy. And that extra wind, that second wind, kind of comes naturally because of all I’ve been through.”

While Kingma has been able to use basketball as somewhat of a distraction, she’s suffered physically from the rigors of a long season. Kingma seemed somewhat prophetic in November, when she said that the lack of healthy bodies already was starting to wear out some of the available players at practices. Three months later, she admitted that her legs were tired from the extended practice time and game action.

“This is by far the most minutes, average-wise, that I’ve played since I got here,” she said Tuesday, adding that she’s used ice baths and a healthy diet to help get her through. “It definitely takes a toll on you.”

In her first season as the go-to scorer, Kingma has capably filled the role. She’s had eight games of 20 points or more and scored a career-high 30 in a November win over Kent State.

But her golden shooting touch has shown signs of rust in recent games. Kingma has shot just 25.5 percent from the field (13-for-51) and 19.2 percent from inside the 3-point arc in the past three games. Over a six-game span dating back to the Oregon State loss, those numbers are only slightly better — 32.1 percent from the field and 25 percent on two-point shots.

For the season, Kingma is shooting at a clip of 37.8 percent, which is below her 3-point percentage of 40.9.

Even more distressing than Kingma’s overall totals are the long stretches of recent games in which she was unable to find her target. In the past two games, she has failed to make a first-half field goal. In a home loss to Arizona State 13 days ago, she went 14½ minutes between field goals in the second half.

When asked about her slump on Tuesday, Kingma nodded and admitted that the wear-and-tear is getting to her.

“A lot of times earlier in the Pac-10 season, I would get a lot of shots up before games,” she said. “And that was OK because I had a lot of legs under me. Now it’s just kind of harder to manage how many I can get up but still have enough legs.

Huskies coach Tia Jackson isn’t so quick to call Kingma’s recent play a “slump.” When asked Tuesday about Kingma’s recent struggles, she seemed surprised by the inquiry.

“Why do you ask that?” Jackson said.

Jackson admitted that she’s held Kingma out of a few practices in recent weeks to help her get her legs back, but she’s not concerned about the junior guard’s shooting.

“I know, and I don’t think anyone (on the team) is concerned with the fact that this kid can score,” Jackson said Tuesday.

Teammate Sarah Morton said a rededication to getting the ball to other players in order to establish an inside presence has been a part of Kingma’s recent decline. The senior also said that the way Kingma has handled the emotional and physical toll of this season has been inspiring.

“Kristi is one of the toughest people I know,” Morton said Tuesday. “She will never show if she’s upset, hurt, down — anything. She comes into practice every single day with the same attitude and same mindset.

“She is honestly amazing and one of the best teammates I’ve ever had in my life. I respect her and look up to her so much. I don’t think she knows that.”

Not one to make excuses, Kingma shrugs off any talk of her having more on her shoulders this time of year.

And she knows there’s more to come.

“When you look at it, there’s a chance I could play six games in 12 days through the Pac-10 tournament,” said Kingma, whose Huskies play at UCLA on Thursday and will stay in Los Angeles for next week’s conference tournament. “So a lot of it is just being able to push through and realize that everyone’s tired.

“It’s finding that mental toughness and that physical toughness and just getting through it.”

Of note

Sarah Morton has not practiced this week after re-injuring her right ankle in the Washington State game, but Jackson said she expects her to be available for the UCLA game Thursday. … Freshman Marjorie Heard will be wearing a mask to protect a nose she broke in the WSU game Saturday night.