Five Jayhawks reach double figures in road ‘W’ over Red Raiders

By Matt Tait     Feb 10, 2015

Kansas guard Frank Mason III, (0) saves a loose ball from going out of bounds during the first half on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2015 at United Supermarkets Arena.

After a fast start and a sluggish finish to the first half, the Kansas University men’s basketball team settled down in the second half and quickly built a double-digit lead en route to blowing out Texas Tech, 73-51, in Lubbock, Texas.

The victory was the second pounding of Texas Tech by Kansas this season and it came in a place where the Red Raiders upset Iowa State a couple of weeks ago.

The Jayhawks, once again, were red hot from the outside, where they made 11 of 20 three-point tries, including 6 of 7 in the second half.

KANSAS 73, TEXAS TECH 51

Box score

Five KU players reached double figures in scoring, led by 16 points from Wayne Selden Jr., who knocked in 4 of 7 three-pointers to lead KU’s sharp shooting.

Perry Ellis added 14 points and nine rebounds and Frank Mason III, Cliff Alexander and Brannen Greene added 10 apiece.

Alexander’s night, which included five rebounds and four blocks, came in just his second start of the season. He handled the opening tip in place of Jamari Traylor.

Mason added eight assists to his night.

Here’s a quick look back at some of the action:

• The game turned when: The Jayhawks opened the second half with a 10-5 run that pushed a five-point halftime lead to a double-digit lead early in the second half that KU played with most of the rest of the way.

• Offensive highlight: With the Jayhawks cruising toward the finish, Greene fired a full-court pass ahead to Mason after a Texas Tech turnover and as soon as Mason caught it he flipped it up to a charging Alexander, who flushed it to put KU up 63-39 with just over seven minutes to play. The play was a clear indicator that the Jayhawks had recovered some of the swagger that’s been missing in road games since they knocked off Texas.

• Defensive highlight: Pick any one of the three first-half blocks that Alexander picked up in just his second start of the season. All three had a little venom behind them and set the tone for a solid night, energy- and effort-wise by Alexander.

• Key stat: KU’s three-point shooting was clearly the story but the Jayhawks’ defense should not be overlooked. KU held the Red Raiders to just 33 percent shooting (18-for-54) and also out-rebounded, out-blocked and out-stole the Red Raiders.

• Up next: The Jayhawks return home Saturday, when they’ll take on No. 21 Baylor at Allen Fieldhouse. The last time these two faced each other,the Jayhawks beat the Bears 56-55 Jan. 7 in Waco, Texas, in a hard-fought Big 12 opener for Kansas.

— See what people were saying about the game during the KUsports.com live game blog.

More news and notes from Kansas at Texas Tech


PREV POST

Kansas-West Virginia women's basketball at a glance

NEXT POST

46060Five Jayhawks reach double figures in road ‘W’ over Red Raiders

Author Photo

Written By Matt Tait

A native of Colorado, Matt moved to Lawrence in 1988 and has been in town ever since. He graduated from Lawrence High in 1996 and the University of Kansas in 2000 with a degree in Journalism. After covering KU sports for the University Daily Kansan and Rivals.com, Matt joined the World Company (and later Ogden Publications) in 2001 and has held several positions with the paper and KUsports.com in the past 20+ years. He became the Journal-World Sports Editor in 2018. Throughout his career, Matt has won several local and national awards from both the Associated Press Sports Editors and the Kansas Press Association. In 2021, he was named the Kansas Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. Matt lives in Lawrence with his wife, Allison, and two daughters, Kate and Molly. When he's not covering KU sports, he likes to spend his time playing basketball and golf, listening to and writing music and traveling the world with friends and family.