Erica Hallman didn’t make headlines, but she sure caught Bonnie Henrickson’s eyes.

Hallman, Kansas University’s point guard, scored just seven points in the Jayhawks’ 59-48 victory over Sacred Heart on Wednesday night in Allen Fieldhouse, yet she had an impressive 6-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio in 33 minutes of duty.

“Her poise was much improved,” first-year KU coach Henrickson said. “She and I are starting to work a lot better together.”

More on-the-job training will be on tap today when the Jayhawks play host to Missouri-Kansas City. Tipoff will be at 1:05 p.m. in Allen Fieldhouse. The game will be telecast live on Jayhawk Network channels 13 and 38. Those channels are 13 and 15 on Sunflower Broadband.

Hallman, a 5-foot-8 junior, has been tapped to play the all-important point position in Henrickson’s system, and Hallman isn’t naturally suited to the spot.

“She’s probably more comfortable at the two (off-guard),” Henrickson said, “but she wants us to win, and she’s working hard to help us win.”

Following a season-opening 53-48 loss to Texas-Arlington, Henrickson realized she had heaped too much on Hallman too fast.

Hallman

“I like for my point guard to have to freedom calling plays,” Henrickson said. “But I’m taking more control of calling plays and I think it helped. It does take time.”

Kansas has incentive against UMKC because the Kangaroos have won two straight in the series, including last year’s season-opening 63-50 thumping in Kansas City, Mo.

The ‘Roos are off to a slow start this season under first-year coach Bo Overton, a former Oklahoma University guard. UMKC has dropped road games to Drake (74-70) and Creighton (84-64).

UMKC has been plagued by turnovers — Creighton scored 33 points off giveaways — and the ‘Roos have been outrebounded by an average of 41-28, but they’re shooting more than 50 percent from the field.

Kansas University senior guard Blair Waltz (3) weaves through traffic against Sacred Heart. Waltz, shown Wednesday at Allen Fieldhouse, and the Jayhawks will play host to UMKC today.

Guard Katie Houlehan, a 5-9 senior, leads the club in scoring at 19.5 points a game. Guards Sammi Knapic and Jowan Ortega also are scoring in double figures at 12.5 and 10.5.

“Their guards are good shooters,” Henrickson said, “and they’re a little bigger inside than we are, but everybody is.”

Crystal Kemp, a 6-2 junior, is the only KU player taller than 6-0, and she leads the Jayhawks in scoring (16.5) and is second in rebounding (6.0). Aquanita Burras, a 5-9 guard, is the board leader at 6.5 per game.

Kemp has played an average of 33 minutes a game off the bench. Henrickson said Kemp, who didn’t start the first two games because of undisclosed violations of team rules, would start today.

6Sports video: KU to face UMKC Bio: Erica Hallman

Kansas is midway through a five-game stretch of home games. The Jayhawks will play host to Denver U. and Washburn on Tuesday and Thursday before making their first road trip Dec. 5 to Minnesota.