| |
RECAP
|
BOX SCORE
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) -- Jeff Boschee had a miserable first half
from the perimeter. Once he found his stroke, outmatched Middle
Tennessee had one more thing to worry about.
Boschee, 0-for-4 from 3-point range before the break, was
3-for-5 from long range in the second half and finished with 19
points as Kansas (No. 4 ESPN/USA Today, No. 2 AP) beat the Blue Raiders 92-66 behind its most
balanced scoring attack in almost seven years.
|  | | Point guard Kirk Hinrich, right, scrambles for a loose ball with Bryant Mitchell. Hinrich had 10 points and 10 assists for KU. |
"The first half, I kind of rushed it a little bit, and they
were putting some good defensive pressure on me," said Boschee,
one of seven Kansas players in double figures -- the most since Jan.
14, 1993, when seven players reached double figures against Oral
Roberts. "The second half, we were able to get some more movement
offensively, and that freed us up a little more."
Eric Chenowith recorded his third double-double of the season
for Kansas, with 15 points and 12 rebounds, as the Jayhawks (6-0)
outrebounded the Blue Raiders 49-27. Point guard Kirk Hinrich also
had a double-double with 10 points and 10 assists.
Nick Collison had 14 points, Kenny Gregory and Luke Axtell
scored 11 points apiece in reserve roles, and Drew Gooden finished
with 10 points for Kansas. Boschee and Axtell had three 3-pointers
each, and Hinrich hit both of his 3-point attempts.
"You have to pick your poison," Middle Tennessee coach Randy
Wiel said. "You guard them inside, and then they start making
those threes."
All three of Boschee's 3-pointers and 11 of his points came in
the first seven minutes of the second half, as Kansas built its
17-point halftime lead to 67-37.
"He really kicked us," Middle Tennessee center Lee Nosse said.
"They get you down by 12, and then you're down by 20, 30 points
before you can call a 20-second time-out.
Fernando Ortiz hit three 3-pointers and scored 12 points to lead
Middle Tennessee (1-2), which shot 39 percent (22-for-57) from the
field. Freddie Martinez and Bryant Mitchell each added 11 points
for the Blue Raiders. Lee Nosse had 10.
Kansas shot 51 percent. But the Jayhawks' 35-for-69 shooting
was not good enough for coach Roy Williams.
"We didn't shoot the ball very well," Williams said. "We
missed some shots we normally make, missed some inside shots -- but
I think you have to give credit to their defense. I think sometimes
we were looking at the guy coming at us, or looking at their guy
inside."
Middle Tennessee missed nine of its first 10 shots -- compared to
Kansas' 6-for-10 early shooting -- and trailed 19-6 after eight
minutes. But Ortiz hit three 3-pointers as the Blue Raiders cut
Kansas' lead to 28-24 with less than 6½ minutes to go in the half.
Collison's dunk with 6:23 left and Axtell's 3-pointer 20 seconds
later ignited an 11-0 run for Kansas, part of a larger 17-4 surge
that gave the Jayhawks a 45-28 halftime lead.
Axtell, who sprained his left ankle in the preseason, was making
just his second appearance.
"I'm getting more able to recognize what I can do on it," said
Axtell, who scored five points in 17 minutes on Saturday in a 99-56
win over Division II Washburn. "That first game back, I didn't
know if I was going to hurt it. There's still some pain there, but
there's no ligament damage."
Both teams were plagued by turnovers in the first half, Middle
Tennessee committing 13 and the Jayhawks 12. Each team committed
five turnovers in the second half.
| |
ALSO SEE
Mens College Basketball Scoreboard
Middle Tennessee State Clubhouse
Kansas Clubhouse
|
