Scott McClurg/Journal-World PhotoKansas City, Mo. ? Alex Galindo is off to Texas today to spend Christmas with his girlfriend and her family members.
You can bet it’ll be a happy holiday for Kansas University’s 6-foot-7 freshman guard/forward from Puerto Rico.
“I’m looking forward to a little break. This game will help make it a good break for all of us,” Galindo said after giving himself, his teammates, coaches and Jayhawk fans an early Christmas present, exploding for a career-high 14 points in the Jayhawks’ 73-62 victory over Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Wednesday at Kemper Arena.
Galindo, who hit four of nine shots and grabbed seven rebounds in 17 minutes, shined as brightly as the Star of Bethlehem on a night the Jayhawks needed somebody to step up and make up for the absence of the injured Wayne Simien and his 17 points a game.
“I thought I could help the team a lot,” Galindo said. “I hadn’t had a chance to play that much. I took it as a personal challenge to help the team.”
Galindo didn’t start for Simien; big man Darnell Jackson opened and didn’t have a point or rebound in six minutes. But Galindo finished the game as coach Bill Self ended up using four perimeter players and one big man much of the night.
Galindo was effective, tapping in two shots for baskets to go with two three-pointers and four free throws.
“I would say so,” Self said, asked if it was Galindo’s best performance in a game or a practice in a long while. “Alex is a terrific shooter. He’s not shot it well yet. He has a knack of getting the ball in the basket, a knack of keeping the ball alive. He’s a much better player as a 4-man now.
“Against teams that play small like Wisconsin-Milwaukee did, he will have more of a chance to play.”
Perimeter player Keith Langford led the way with 21 points, seven boards and six assists in 36 minutes, while Aaron Miles, who became the Big 12 Conference’s all-time leader in assists the first half, finished with nine assists and eight boards.
Freshman guard Russell Robinson was almost as productive as Galindo with 12 points and no assists in 24 minutes. One freshman big man had a fairly good night: C.J. Giles scored six points with three boards in 13 minutes the first half.
“The three freshmen bailed us out,” Self said. “If not for Russell, C.J. the first half and Alex the second half (when Galindo had 10 points), who knows how the game would have turned out? Those three bailed us out.”
The Jayhawks, who Self said went small because of the fact Christian Moody (nine points, six boards) and Jackson picked up two early fouls, never were able to put away the Panthers of the Horizon League. That’s because guard Ed McCants was a thorn, hitting six threes in 12 tries and finishing with 26 points in 29 minutes.
“I have seen tape and knew he was good,” said Self, who put several different Jayhawks on McCants, who hit 10 of 18 total shots. “He was better tonight than what I saw on tape. He made some tough shots, and we let him get his confidence going by not guarding him. He is strong and fast and a very good player.”
Robinson scored five points and Langford three with two assists in a 15-1 spurt that boosted a 17-16 lead to 32-17 with 3:28 left before half.
However, Wisconsin-Milwaukee used an 8-0 run of its own to close to 32-25 at 2:44. KU rolled, 10-4, the rest of the half.
“Alex and Russell were ready to play,” Langford said. “They were a real help to our team. We couldn’t put them away. McCants had a career night. He found a lot of good looks and made it happen.”
As did KU’s smaller lineup. The Jayhawks, who saw a 48-32 lead shrink to six points, used a 7-0 spurt to grab a comfy 55-42 advantage with 13 minute left. Galindo had a three and Langford a two in the run.
| 800Career assists for KU’s Aaron Miles, a Big 12 record323-point attempts by UWM; the Panthers hit 11 of them3-for-11Free-throw shooting for Wisconsin-Milwaukee0Points scored by KU’s Darnell Jackson, who started in place of injured All-American Wayne Simien |
KU led by eight points at 60-52 when Robinson tallied four straight to answer.
It was Galindo who hit two free throws to up a seven-point lead to a 66-57 margin at 3:50. The lead didn’t dip below seven the rest of the way.
“We couldn’t put them away,” Langford said. “That’s something we struggled with last year. They came out and wanted to beat us, and we knew we were going to get their best shot because we are the No. 2 team in the nation.”
In the final analysis, the Jayhawks survived their first of five to nine game without Simien.
“I think I can help,” Galindo said. “The only thing that can keep me off the floor is my defense. If I play defense, I can stay out there and help this team win. I’ll keep working at it every day.”
He’ll be back with the rest of the Jayhawks on Monday, resting and relaxing in the interim.
KU next will meet Georgia Tech at 1:30 p.m. on New Year’s Day at Allen Fieldhouse.
6Sports video: Jayhawks defeat Panthers
Hear Bill, players: Wisconsin-Milwaukee postgame comments
Photo Gallery: KU vs. Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Get the stats: KU vs. Wisconsin-Milwaukee box score
Scorecard: Grade KU’s performance against Wisconsin-Milwaukee
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