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Rush's 19 points, aggressiveness, key Kansas in Big 12 opener, a 79-58 win at Nebraska

By Ryan Greene

Originally posted 04:04 p.m., January 12, 2008
Updated 10:05 p.m., January 12, 2008

Final, KU wins 79-58

LINCOLN, Neb. - Four days after Bill Self again used a public forum to express his want for Brandon Rush’s offensive aggressiveness to show through, the junior guard responded.

Rush scored a game-high 19 points on 5-of-7 three-point shooting, plus went a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw line, as KU continued its warpath through the 2007-08 schedule with a 79-58 win at Nebraska to open Big 12 play.

Rush was also integral on the defensive end, as KU limited Nebraska’s open looks from start to finish, forcing a series of rushed shots against the 24-second clock.

Mario Chalmers was KU’s second man on offense all night, finishing the game with 13 points on 4-of-9 shooting, including a pair of treys. Sasha Kaun and Russell Robinson each scored 10 for the Jayhawks.

The Jayhawks did most of their damage on offense from long range, connecting on 10 of 22 three-point looks.

Nebraska (12-3 overall, 0-1 Big 12) was led by Aleks Maric, who finished with 16 points. Ryan Anderson was just 3-of-10 from three-point range and scored 12.

The Jayhawks (16-0, 1-0) have a quick turnaround, as they’ll host Oklahoma for Big Monday in Allen Fieldhouse at 8 p.m. on ESPN.

3:15, second half, KU leads 70-53

LINCOLN, Neb. - Cole Salomon, seeing his first action of the night, scored for Nebraska by canning a three-pointer atop the key, but even with that, KU still held a commanding 66-47 lead. Maric then scored again for KU, having re-entered the game with a bandage above his left eye.

On the other end, Sasha Kaun scored his third bucket of the game on a turnaround on the right side of the lane. Kaun then followed up a missed Mario Chalmers layup with a slam, giving himself eight points on the night.

The game went to a full timeout at the 3:15 mark, and the herd for the gates began with KU leading, 70-53.

7:14, second half, KU leads 65-44

LINCOLN, Neb. - Darnell Jackson canned a pair of free throws out of the timeout, and then added to the Huskers’ woes by helping out in the full court press, forcing Chris Balham into a turnover a midcourt.

Brandon Rush then hit his fifth three-pointer of the game, giving him 19 points on the night, only to be answered back by Ryan Anderson, becoming the first Husker in double digits with a three from the right wing. Anderson, with three deep balls, now has 12 points.

Ade Dagunduro missed a pair of free throws for Nebraska, making the Huskers zero for their last 11 at the line. Russell Robinson responded with a three to put KU up by 17 - the Jayhawks’ biggest lead of the night.

The play took a pause moments later as Aleks Maric took a shot to the face while diving for a loose ball against Mario Chalmers under the Nebraska basket. He was walked off the floor, but had a towel over his nose with no blood appearing to be present from the nose. Instead, it appeared to be a cut above the eye.

Sherron Collins scored his first points of the game on a layup in transition while being fouled, leading into a media timeout at the 7:14 mark.

11:31, second half, KU leads 53-41

LINCOLN, Neb. - After Darrell Arthur was forced into taking a three from the right wing at the end of the shot clock, Ryan Anderson came down to hit a corner three for Nebraska. Arthur hit right back, though, with a turnaround two inside to give him eight points on the night and keep KU up 51-37.

Aleks Maric missed a pair of free throws for Nebraska, with the Huskers still trying to close the gap, and his pair of missed charities gave NU nine straight misses from the stripe.

Steve harley then hit a runner down the baseline, but Mario Chalmers returned the favor with two off the glass. A Maric dunk again pulled the Huskers to within 12 at 53-41.

14:55, second half, KU leads 49-34

LINCOLN, Neb. - Aleks Maric opened the second half by hitting a baby hook in the lane to draw first blood in the second half.

After a couple of traded possessions, though, Mario Chalmers hit his second three of the game when given a ton of space up top, putting KU ahead 47-32.

Brandon Rush, after a pair of quick NU timeouts, had his first three-point miss of the game, and a foul on Russell Robinson was whistled at the other end. But still, Nebraska failed to produce offense. A Ryan Anderson three miss turned into two points for Darrell Arthur at the other end.

Aleks Maric answered back with a pair on a tip-in of an Ade Dagunduro miss, but KU was still ahead 49-34 after the score.

Halftime, KU leads 42-30

LINCOLN, Neb. - Mario Chalmers and Paul Velander traded three-pointers heading into the half with KU leading 42-30.

Chalmers’ late three gave the Jayhawks six trifectas in the first half, including a 4-of-4 showing from deep by junior Brandon Rush, who led all scorers with 16 points. Rush also had five rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Nebraska was held to just an 8-of-23 showing from the field, including limited touches (1-of-3) for senior center Aleks Maric. KU outrebounded Nebraska 20-10 through 20 minutes.

KU was 8-of-9 from the free throw line, including 4-of-4 showings from Rush and Mario Chalmers. Chalmers chipped in nine for KU in the first half, while Paul Velander’s late three gave him eight points to lead the Huskers into the break.

1:11, first half, KU leads 39-27

LINCOLN, Neb. - Darnell Jackson elevated high to throw down an emphatic two out of the timeout and give KU its biggest lead of the night at 36-24.

Meanwhile, Nebraska’s struggles at the free throw line continued, with Ryan Anderson missing a pair in the double bonus following a Brandon Rush miss from the two-point region. Russell Robinson canned a three from the left wing in response, forcing Doc Sadler into a 30-second timeout with his team down 39-24.

Paul Velander knocked home a three at the 1:11 mark to force Bill Self into a 30-second timeout.

3:43, first half, KU leads 34-24

LINCOLN, Neb. - Chris Balham - a Shawnee Mission West product - hit a pair of free throws right out of the eight-minute media timeout. The Huskers chipped back in even further when Paul Velander hit a spot-up jumper to make it 29-24.

Moments later, Aleks Maric got himself to the free throw line for a one-and-one after drawing contact from Cole Aldrich, but sent KU back up with the ball and a five-point lead when his first shot caught just front iron.

Maric caught a defensive rebound on the other end after a KU miss, and again got himself to the line thanks to a Cole Aldrich foul, but this time he clanked both of his free throws, giving him three straight charity misses and keeping KU up by five.

Brandon Rush hit a pair of free throws with KU in the double bonus on the other end to give the junior 13 first half points and KU a seven-point advantage. Rush hit another three - his fourth of the night - to give himself 16 points after yet another failed Husker possession.

7:16, first half, KU leads 29-10

LINCOLN, Neb. - Cookie Miller hit a step-back three after passing up a more open opportunity in the possession right out of the timeout. KU came back with Sasha Kaun dropping in a turnaround two in the paint.

Steve Hartley then missed a baseline two for Nebraska, but Kaun scored again by sealing off inside and spinning for an easy two off the glass, putting KU up 23-13.

Aleks Maric drew contact inside for the second time after that and hit a pair of free throws to give himself six points. Ryan Anderson then compounded the problem for KU, drawing the second foul of the game on Darrell Arthur. He scored in the process, though, and his free throw made it a five-point KU lead. Bill Self was then forced to go with a smaller lineup, using Rod Stewart at the power forward slot.

A foul then after a Nebraska defensive rebound on Russell Robinson took Cookie Miller to the line for a one-and-one. He hit both charities to pull Nebraska within three, but Mario Chalmers was then fouled shooting a three, and his trio of free throws put KU back up by six. A Brandon Rush three moments later - his third of the game - quickly ballooned the lead back up to nine at 29-20.

11:11, first half, KU leads 19-10

LINCOLN, Neb. - Steve Hartley pumped up the home crowd right out of the timeout by dropping in two in transition while drawing contact. He cashed his free throw, and a steal by Cookie Miller against a dwindling shot clock gave the ball back to NU again. Aleks Maric then drew contact inside and hit a pair of free throws in response.

A Sasha Kaun miss gave NU a chance to extend its run, but a Hartley three was off-target. The same went for Sherron Collins on the other end.

After Nebraska blew another chance to score, Mario Chalmers took a midcourt Kaun steal in for a layup while getting fouled. The ensuing free throw put KU up 17-10.

Darrell Arthur extended the lead after KU forced Aleks Maric into a turnover in the paint. Arthur then sprinted up the floor and finished a transition try with a two-handed power flush to put the Jayhawks up by nine.

15:12, first half, KU leads 14-5

LINCOLN, Neb. - Russell Robinson controlled the game’s opening tip, quieting a rowdy Devaney Center a tad. The Jayhawks went right to work inside. First, a lob to Brandon Rush was too tall, but the junior guard flipped it to Darnell Jackson for a two-handed slam, putting KU up 2-0.

Rush collected a defensive rebound off a Ryan Anderson three miss on Nebraska’s first possession and was hit from behind by Ade Dagunduro, drawing a foul. Darrell Arthur scored two insideon the next possession, and Dagunduro followed it up by missing on a flying drive to the rim. Brandon Rush responded with a three from atop the key, forcing Doc Sadler into an early timeout.

Aleks Maric scored inside for NU right out of the timeout, erupting the student section. The response was doubled when Ryan Anderson drew a foul underneath on Darrell Arthur.

After Dagunduro missed his second field goal attempt of the game, Rush went back to work from long range, hitting his second three of the game. Ryan Anderson responded by hitting a trey of his own. Darnell Jackson then slugged back with a long two atop the key.

Brandon Rush drew contact drivin to the hole after a Nebraska turnover on the other end. Rush hit both charities, giving him eight points and pushing KU’s lead to 14-5. Rush grabbed a defensive board on the other end after Sek Henry missed a three, but a pair of three attempts by KU went unmade. Ryan Anderson then did the same on the other end, making him 1-of-3 from long range on the night.

Pregame

LINCOLN, Neb. - In two contests combined a year ago, Kansas slugged Nebraska by a total tally of 168-95. In Lincoln, the Jayhawks opened up the game on a 43-8 run. In Lawrence, Nebraska shot just 33.3 percent from the floor and 15 percent from three-point range.

If that trend seeped into 2008, that'd be just fine with Bill Self's squad. But tonight in Lincoln's Devaney Center, the Huskers have quite a bit to play for, as the two tip-off tonight at 8 p.m.

KU strolls north carrying a perfect 15-0 mark following non-conference play, including a 3-0 road record so far this season. Nebraska has held its weight through the pre-conference slate, going 11-2, with head-turning wins over Arizona State (62-47) and Oregon (88-79 OT). Though a signature win over Kansas would certainly add a spicy kick to the Huskers' potential NCAA Tournament resumé.

A lot of the responsibility for the Big Red will fall on senior center Aleks Maric, who is averaging 16.2 points and 8.4 rebounds per game this year. Most of the Huskers' offense flows through the Australian big man, but that wasn't the case in two meetings with the Jayhawks in 2006-07, as Maric was just 9-of-24 from the field, averaging 11.5 points and 4.5 boards a game against KU, playing an average of just 11.5 minutes per contest.

Nebraska, under second-year head coach Doc Sadler, has re-tooled around Maric, though. Junior Ade Dagunduro, a 6-foot-5 juco transfer, is averaging 11.4 points and 4.7 rebounds a game, giving Nebraska a much-needed wing presence on both ends. Fellow wing Ryan Anderson, a 6-foot-4 sophomore, averages 9.5 points per game and shoots 43.2 percent from beyond the three-point arc. A year ago in the first meeting with KU, he scored a team-high 19 points, connecting on six of his nine deep ball looks.

A sellout crowd in the Devaney Center is expected, with Ron Franklin and Fran Fraschilla calling the action on ESPN (Sunflower Broadband channels 33 and 233).