On Feb. 12, junior Kenya Earl yet again broke her record in points scored in a single game in a conference matchup with rivals Lake Forest. Not only did she score 32 points on 4-for-4 shooting beyond the arc, but recorded seven rebounds, two assists, and two steals as well. She is now second in all-time scoring in LU’s history. This game was a battle from start to finish; by the end of the first quarter the Vikings were down by one, by half time the scores were level, the third quarter ended with a one point Lawrence lead, though Lake Forest finally won by making six consecutive free throws to ice the game. The final score was 90-82 Lake Forest. I had the opportunity to sit down with Kenya and ask her a few questions following her career game.
Kelli Quick: You now have the second best career scoring record in LU history; how does that make you feel? Did you know you were close or that this was something even achievable when you first came in your freshman year?
Kenya Earl: It honesty hasn’t really set in yet. I’m just playing the game of basketball with my awesome teammates and having fun. This wasn’t even on my radar when I came in as freshman. I knew I wanted to make an impact when I got here but I wasn’t expecting to accomplish this.
KQ: With this huge accomplishment in mind, what other goals will you set forth for yourself? In other words how will you keep going up and raising the bar, and what do you think allows you to do that?
KE: Since I’m currently sitting at second right now, my goal is to be the all-time career leading scorer. It’s predicted that I’ll hit it next season so that’s something I’m looking forward to. It also would be kind of cool to break my own record for points scored in a single season.
KQ: Considering how the game came down to free throws, what did the team well do to stick with Lake Forest throughout, and in the end, what do you think cost you guys the game?
KE: I think we played pretty well against Lake Forest. I’m proud how we played — we didn’t back down and played through all four quarters which is something that we’ve been struggling with. I think what killed us was our turnovers but even considering that, we were still in it. The fouling at the end was just game strategy to get the ball back. But credit to them, they shot really well from the three-point line and scored when they needed to. They’re a good team. We scored 82 points, which is the most we scored all season; it’s just unfortunate that we didn’t come out with [the] W.
KQ: Not only did you score a lot of points that game against Lake Forest, but many of your teammates stepped up, too. Do you think that’s why it was such a great game, or did your team excel because of something else?
KE: It definitely was a good game. It’s great that we had different people contribute to scoring. We came out aggressive and played against a good crowd. We had some alumni there and lots of family and friends so that made it more fun.
KQ: As a potential future LU Hall-of-Famer, if you had to have a quote written on your plaque, what would it say?
KE: Wow, that’s a tough question. I’m not sure what I would write! Right now I’m thinking something funny. I’ll have to sit on that.
KQ: If your teammates had to describe you in three words what would they say?
KE: Maybe you should ask them!
Junior Liz Jonjak: GOAT, GOAT, GOAT!
KQ: Who is your favorite basketball team?
KE: The Golden State Warriors, but they are having a tough season. I’m also just a huge Steph Curry fan.
KQ: Water parks or amusement parks?
KE: I like Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure in Florida. I went back there this summer and the Hulk roller coaster was really fun. Favorite water park would probably be Volcano Bay in Florida again!