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Collins subs for Chalmers in starting rotation, leads Jayhawks to 90-60 win

By Ryan Greene

Originally posted 06:37 p.m., January 8, 2008
Updated 09:04 p.m., January 8, 2008

Final, KU wins 90-60

With Mario Chalmers as a late scratch tonight, Sherron Collins took his turn to officially re-introduce himself to the starting five. The sophomore guard’s 18 points - including three trifectas - paced KU to a 90-60 win in its non-conference finale against Loyola (Md.) Tuesday night in Allen Fieldhouse.

Darrell Arthur, who scored 22 for the Jayhawks on Saturday in Boston, added 14 points, while Sasha Kaun scored 14 and had eight rebounds off of the bench. Darnell Jackson and Brandon Rush each scored nine, while Jeremy Case sparked KU off the bench with eight points, including two three-pointers and an assist coming while saving a ball from going out of bounds late in the game.

The Jayhawks open Big 12 play Saturday night in Lincoln, Neb., against the Cornhuskers at 8 p.m.

3:02, second half, KU leads 85-45

Sherron Collins bumped his team leading point total to 18 as the Jayhawks then began to empty the bench. Tyrel Reed and Conner Teahan came in to join Darnell Jackson, Rod Stewart and Cole Aldrich with just under six minutes to play.

Aldrich hit a free throw and spun in a pair from the paint on the Jayhawks’ next trip down as the bench continued to clear inside of the four-minute mark. Conner Teahan followed it with hitting his first three of the game on his first look, putting KU up 85-45 going into the final full break.

9:52, second half, KU leads 68-33

Sherron Collins stroked his third three of the game after a made free throw from Gerald Brown on the other end. The trifecta gave Collins 16 points on the night - a team high.

Sasha Kaun added to KU’s lead after a Loyola miss by scoring a hoop-and-harm on the other end, giving him 10 points. The free throw was off to the right, however.

After a couple of slow minutes, Darnell Jackson scored his second field goal of the game in thunderous fashion. Upon forcing a Loyola turnover, he fed Jeremy Case on the break. The senior guard lobbed it right back to Jackson, who thundered it home hard down the baseline. Jackson then drew contact after another Loyola turnover and sunk two free throws. The crowd was given reason to stay up moments later when Case cashed a three from the left wing - his second of the game. Jackson continued to pour it in, too, swishing a baseline jumper to put KU up 66-33.

15:50, second half, KU leads 52-26

The Jayhawks went the highlight route right out of the break, with Darrell Arthur finishing off a lob pass from Brandon Rush with two hands in authoritative fashion. Rush then scored a bit himself with a pair of free throws and a jumper from the wing sandwiched around a Michael Tuck layin. Rush followed his two-pointer with another deuce, giving him seven points, six of which coming after the half.

Sherron Collins then followed up a Darrell Arthur blocked shot by going coast-to-coast for a leaning layup to give KU a 12-2 run to start the half, forcing Loyola into a full timeout.

Darnell Jackson, back in the game, drew contact to send the game into a full timeout at the 15:50 mark with KU up comfortably 52-56. KU is in the midst of a 26-4 run, going back into the first half.

Halftime, KU leads 41-24

Sasha Kaun scored another tough two to put KU up 33-22 with just over three minutes to go in the half, giving him seven points for the game. A pair of Russell Robinson free throws, combined with Loyola’s ongoing offensive drought, put KU up 36-22 and made it a 10-0 Jayhawk run with under two minutes to play in the half.

Jeremy Case extended the run and brought the Fieldhouse to its feet again, and Brett Harvey hit a pair of free throws to end the scoreless stretch for Loyola, but Sherron Collins went up-and-under right before the half to push KU’s lead back up to 17 points at the break, ending the half for KU with a 15-2 run.

Collins was one of two Jayhawks to score in double figures in the first half, notching 11, including a pair of three-pointers while starting in place of Mario Chalmers, who is out with a groin injury. Darrell Arthur led KU with 13 points, while Gerald Brown’s four three-pointers helped Loyola stick around for most of the first half.

3:56, first half, KU leads 31-22

Gerald Brown hit a couple of threes to combat a free throw and dunk by Sasha Kaun, keeping pace with KU. The Jayhawks gained some separation, though, when Sherron Collins answered back with his second trey of the game following a Brown miss to put KU up 31-22.

Darnell Jackson, though, drew his second foul of the game by bumping Brian Rudolph against an expiring shot clock, leading to a full timeout at the 3:56 mark.

6:38, first half, KU leads 22-16

Arthur hit both free throws out of the timeout to give himself a team-high seven points and push KU’s lead to 17-8. Gerald Brown, Loyola’s leading scorer, curled in a three off the rim in response for his first points of the game.

Cole Aldrich tried to get involved for KU on the offensive end, missing and then missing again after grabbing his own board. He ultimately worked the ball around to Brandon Rush, who missed a three, sending the ball with Loyola midway through the first half.

Brandon Rush got a transition opportunity after a Darrell Arthur steal, but was forced to do his work at the free throw line following a hack. He hit one of two charities, keeping KU up by seven.

Gerald Brown made it a four-point game with his second three after Russell Robinson was forced into a turnover with a full court trap.

Sherron Collins missed a two from the elbow after the timeout, but Loyola returned the favor with a turnover. Darrell Arthur went back to work, hitting a turnaround jumper for the third time in the game to put KU up by six. The lead dripped back down to four with a Michael Tuck tip-in at the 7:30 mark.

Arthur answered yet again after having his first attempt tipped back at him by slipping in another pair to bring his point total up to 11. A Gerald Brown three miss then gave Russell Robinson a transition try, but he was fouled heading to the rack.

10:51, first half, KU leads 15-8

Rodrick Stewart and Sasha Kaun checked in after another pair of empty possessions, but Sherron Collins broke the boredom just inside of the 15-minute mark, as he jumped into a Loyola defender and slipped in a pair while drawing a foul. The subsequent free throw put KU up 6-3.

Stewart ripped down a rebound off of a Michael Tuck miss, and his long outlet pass went over the hed of Sherron Collins. The guard saved it, though, and threw and impromptu lob to Sasha Kaun, who hammered it home with two hands to bring the Fieldhouse crowd to life. A Brian Rudolph two kept Loyola within three at 8-5.

KU then started to blow things open. First Collins sunk a three from the left wing. That was followed by a couple of turnaround buckets provided by Darrell Arthur, helping KU build a 15-8 cushion before Loyola called for a 30-second break with 11:07 to go in the first half.

Darrell Arthur was fouled going for a lob finish to bring the game to a full stop at the 10:51 mark.

15:55, first half, game tied 3-3

Brandon Rush controlled the opening tip and dished to Sherron Collins, playing in place of Mario Chalmers - out tonight with a groin injury. An awkward inside shot by Darrell Arthur led to a turnover on the Jayhawks’ first possession.

Rush collected a long rebound off of a Omari Isreal shot on the Loyola end, but missed a jumper on the other end. Darrell Arthur’s put back was deflected, sending the ball back with the Greyhounds.

A Loyola turnover sent the ball back with the Jayhawks, and Arthur was mauled this time going up for a dunk in between two green shirts. Arthur made one of two, putting KU up 1-0 90 seconds into the game.

After a Darnell Jackson block ont he defensive end, KU’s long outlet was taken away by the Greyhounds, who knocked it out of bounds trying for an offensive board.

Sherron Collins was short on a three on the other end. Loyola then took a 3-1 lead on a three from Brett Harvey in the corner. Darnell Jackson tied the game moments later with a leaner over a Greyhounds defender on the baseline - the Jayhawks’ first field goal of the game.

A couple of empty, sloppy possessions led to the game’s first full break.

Pregame

It's hard to imagine KU playing a more complete game than it did in routing Boston College on the road Saturday, 85-60. Darnell Jackson and Darrell Arthur combined for 47 points, Mario Chalmers was his usual self from the outside, the Jayhawks hit free throws and rebounded.

And that was visiting an ACC foe.

Tonight, KU will try to avoid looking ahead to Saturday's Big 12 opener in Lincoln by hosting the Loyola (Md.) Greyhounds for a 7 p.m. tip. Loyola, 6-8, comes into the Fieldhouse having just snapped a three-game losing streak by knocking off Iona 63-51 at home two nights ago. If the Greyhounds hope to hang around long tonight, senior guard Gerald Brown will have to shoulder the load in the backcourt on both ends, as KU brings to the table one of the nation's most complete guard sets. Brown enters the game as Loyola's leading scorer, dropping 19.1 points per game, but is shooting just 37.1 percent from the floor.

Junior guard Marquis Sullivan, Loyola's only other player averaging in double digits in the point column, will try his best to help.

But KU is clicking on all cylinders at 14-0. The Jayhawks, one of six undefeated Division-I teams in the nation, tonight play their first game in the Fieldhouse in the 2008 calendar year. In 2007, KU was 17-1 at home and undefeated against non-conference competition.

Saturday's stars, as mentioned earlier, were Darnell Jackson (career-high 25 points to go with nine rebounds) and Darrell Arthur (22 points, tied career best with 10 made field goals, had seven rebounds).

This is the first meeting between the two schools.