National Basketball Association
Kansas 78, Kent St. 62
When: 8:00 PM ET, Tuesday, December 30, 2014
Where: Allen Fieldhouse, Lawrence, Kansas
Officials:
# Patrick Adams, # John Higgings, # Paul Janssen
Attendance:
16300
By SportsDirect Inc.
No. 14 Kansas 78, Kent State 62: Freshman Kelly Oubre Jr. continued his strong play of late, scoring 20 points to lift the host Jayhawks.
Perry Ellis notched 15 points and a team-high eight rebounds for Kansas (10-2), which was coming off a humbling 77-52 loss at Temple on Dec. 22. Oubre shot 8-of-12 from the field, including 4-of-7 from 3-point range, and added seven rebounds to help the Jayhawks to a 44-31 rebounding advantage.
Jimmy Hall scored 13 points and had eight rebounds to lead the Golden Flashes (8-4) in both categories. Khaliq Spicer chipped in 11 points, five rebounds and four blocks for Kent State, which has lost back-to-back games following a four-game winning streak.
Oubre was 6-of-6 for 16 points in the first half, including a layup and three 3-pointers in the first seven minutes, although the Jayhawks did not take the lead for good until Oubre's jumper with about five minutes left. That basket was part of a 9-0 run by Kansas, which held a 39-33 lead at the break and then limited Kent State to one field goal over the first eight minutes of the second half.
The Jayhawks' Frank Mason III made a 3-pointer and a jumper on back-to-back possessions early in the second half and Jamari Traylor added five points in 35 seconds shortly thereafter. Freshman forward Cliff Alexander scored eight straight Kansas points to make it 66-49 as the Jayhawks cruised from there.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Oubre's five highest-scoring games have come in the last five outings - seven, nine, 23, nine and 20 points, respectively. He scored a total of 15 points in his first seven games. ... Derek Jackson shot only 2-of-10 for Kent State but contributed seven points, eight assists and six rebounds. ... Mason had 14 points, five assists and five rebounds while Alexander pitched in eight points, four rebounds and two blocks off the bench.
Top Game Performances
| Kent St. |
|
Kansas |
|
Jimmy Hall 13 |
Scoring |
Kelly Oubre 20 |
|
Derek Jackson 8 |
Assists |
Frank Mason 5 |
|
Jimmy Hall 8 |
Rebounds |
Perry Ellis 8 |
|
Derek Jackson 3 |
Free Throws Made |
Frank Mason 3 |
|
Kris Brewer 2 |
Steals |
Kelly Oubre 2 |
|
Khaliq Spicer 4 |
Blocks |
Cliff Alexander 2 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| Kent St.
|
62 |
40.7 |
7-21 |
7-14 |
17 |
27 |
6 |
7 |
12 |
| Kansas
|
78 |
49.2 |
5-14 |
13-22 |
17 |
41 |
8 |
9 |
15 |
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