Kansas at Texas
(Monday, February 8th)
Final Score: (1) Kansas 80, (14) Texas 68
Austin, TX (Sports Network) - Marcus Morris posted 18 points, eight rebounds
and four assists, as No. 1 Kansas overcame a poor shooting performance by
clamping down defensively on the 14th-ranked Longhorns to earn an 80-68 Big 12
victory.
The Jayhawks (23-1, 9-0) made up for their 40 percent shooting effort by
converting 17 turnovers into 27 points for their ninth straight victory.
Xavier Henry added 15 points and five rebounds, while Sherron Collins had five
assists and four steals to go with 15 points on 3-of-13 shooting for the
victors.
Texas (19-5, 5-4), which was the top-ranked team in the country just three
weeks ago, has lost five of its last seven games following a torrid 17-0 start
to the season.
J'Covan Brown paced the Longhorns with a career-high 28 points, while Damion
James chipped in 24 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks in defeat.
"I thought we had some shots and decisions that weren't good," Texas head
coach Rick Barnes said. "We were late putting the ball in areas of the court
that we needed to get it there."
The hosts were down 61-44 before Brown scored seven straight points late in
the second half. Brown's three-pointer made it a 10-point contest with 4 1/2
minutes remaining, though Markieff Morris bought Kansas a little more
breathing room with a three-point play.
Cole Aldrich was whistled for a technical foul when he landed an elbow to
James' head after pulling down a miss from Brown, who hit the two freebies
prior to James converting a three-point play for a 64-56 contest.
Two Henry free throws and a Tyrel Reed make inside pumped the margin back to
double digits, and the Jayhawks rolled to another big road win.
After hitting five of their first eight shots for a 14-8 lead six minutes into
the game, the Longhorns missed 13 straight from the field over an 11-minute
span.
Brady Morningstar, Markieff Morris, Tyshawn Taylor and Collins each hit from
behind the arc on the subsequent 22-0 run, the latter a deep three from the
left wing giving Kansas a 30-14 cushion with five minutes left in the half.
James, who ended with 15 first-half points to keep Texas in the game, banked
in a three-ball to end the scoreless stretch, and Avery Bradley's late trey
cut the hosts' deficit to 34-24 at halftime.
"I thought our defense was really good," Kansas head coach Bill Self said. "We
didn't guard Damion (James) in the first half but other than that we played
great. My staff told me it was a 22-0 run in the first half. On the road
against a team like this that doesn't happen very much."
Kansas led by double digits through most a sloppy second half, forcing a
lifeless Erwin Center crowd out of the game even further.
The Jayhawks scored the first five points of the stanza for a 15-point game
three minutes in, and near the midway point, Collins stripped Dogus Balbay in
Texas' end of the court, leading to a Marcus Morris dunk for a 50-34 margin.
Game Notes
Texas has never beaten the No. 1 team in the country, dropping all seven
s...The Longhorns had won three straight home games against
Kansas...Texas had just five points off 10 Kansas turnovers...Kansas is now
7-1 in true road games, while Texas fell to 12-2 at home...Texas' Dexter
Pittman, who came in averaging 11.4 points per game, had just three on 1-of-5
shooting...Kansas won the battle on the glass, 45-34.
02/09 00:43:32 ET