National Basketball Association
Kansas 72, Kansas St. 63
When: 6:00 PM ET, Saturday, February 20, 2016
Where: Fred Bramlage Coliseum, Manhattan, Kansas
Officials:
# Rick Crawford, # Kelly Self, # Doug Sirmons
Attendance:
12528
By The Sports Xchange
MANHATTAN, Kan. -- Kansas guard Frank Mason stood near the end of the court and let out a scream as it became clear that the second-ranked Jayhawks would escape against their in-state rival Kansas State with a 72-63 victory Saturday at Bramlage Coliseum.
"I was just happy (for the win)," Mason said. "We haven't had a win here since I've been at KU. I was just saying 'Let's go!
The emotion show by Mason and his teammates did not reflect the dominance that Kansas has had over Kansas State. Kansas owns a 190-93 lead in the series, including 50 of the last 55 games in Manhattan. But a two-game K-State home winning streak for the first time in more than three decades certainly had an impact.
Mason was big for Kansas (23-4, 11-3 in the Big 12. He led all scorers with 16 points. He was joined in double figures by forward Perry Ellis with 14 points and guard Wayne Selden with 12.
Kansas used a big run late in the first half to open a 10-point lead, then held off a late Kansas State rally in the second half.
"We actually played really well for about 28 minutes and got up 17," Kansas coach Bill Self said. "Then we made some of the most bone-headed plays that let to fouls by (Jamari Traylor) and Landon (Lucas), and Perry was out. That was a makeshift lineup (late). But we had guys step up and make plays."
Self, who is 26-5 against Kansas State, said that he's always looked at the series as a rivalry, but the recent Kansas State success has intensified it.
"To us it's always been a rivalry," he said. "With the success they've had against us they've won the last two years here certainly we look at it as (more intensified)."
Kansas State coach Bruce Weber credited the Jayhawks' run in the first half with making the lead insurmountable.
"It's pretty simple; the stretch right before the half was the difference in the game," he said. "We only had four turnovers going into that last TV timeout, and then we had five (before the half). They took advantage."
The Jayhawks, in pursuit of their 12th straight Big 12 title, always seem to get contributions from unheralded players. On Saturday, it was provided by Svi Mykhailiuk, who scored nine points and was 3 of 4 from 3-point range.
"Their bench hurt us," Weber said. "That made a big difference."
Kansas State (15-12, 4-10) was led by guard Barry Brown and forward Stephen Hurt with 13 points each. Forward DJ Johnson and guard Justin Edwards added 11 points apiece.
Weber was pleased with his team's effort in coming back.
"Our guys didn't quit," he said. "They kept battling."
Kansas scored the first four points of the second half to take a 14-point lead and eventually led by as many 17 points before the Wildcats started chipping away. Kansas State used spurts of 6-0 and 7-0 to cut the lead, getting as close as three points on two occasions. But they couldn't get over the edge.
Kansas State's chances of controlling the backboards were hampered early when forward Dean Wade picked up his second foul of the game at the 17:14 mark of the first half. The Wildcats still managed to stay within range in rebounding - Kansas had a 17-14 edge - in the first half.
The officials called the game closely at the outset. There were nine fouls called before the first media timeout.
Kansas reached the bonus at the 13:45 mark, and the double-bonus at 10:23. Kansas State reached the bonus at 9:41 but never reached the double-bonus.
Kansas ended the first half on an 18-4 run to take a 39-29 lead to the break.
The Jayhawks were led by Mason with 10 points. Ellis added nine points and Selden had eight. Guards Barry Brown and Justin Edwards had seven points each for Kansas State.
NOTES: After a 25-year streak of Kansas victories in Manhattan ended in 2008, the two teams had split the last eight games in the home of Kansas State prior to Saturday's result. ... Kansas State has used balanced scoring all season. Seven different Wildcats have scored in double figures at least seven times. The Wildcats are 9-2 entering the game when at least four different players have scored in double figures. ... Kansas entered the game ranked in the top half of every statistical team category.
Top Game Performances
| Kansas |
|
Kansas St. |
|
Frank Mason 16 |
Scoring |
Barry Brown 13 |
|
Frank Mason 5 |
Assists |
Justin Edwards 3 |
|
Landen Lucas 8 |
Rebounds |
Stephen Hurt 9 |
|
Perry Ellis 5 |
Free Throws Made |
D.J. Johnson 9 |
|
Frank Mason 2 |
Steals |
Barry Brown 2 |
|
Landen Lucas 1 |
Blocks |
Dean Wade 1 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| Kansas
|
72 |
50.0 |
6-18 |
18-30 |
13 |
34 |
2 |
5 |
15 |
| Kansas St.
|
63 |
37.7 |
5-16 |
18-22 |
10 |
29 |
1 |
7 |
13 |
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