Reed Leads Well-Balanced Attack in UMKC Victory
Jan. 6, 2011
Lawrence, Kan. –
In a game that saw six Jayhawks score in double digits, senior Tyrel Reed set the tone for what was otherwise a well-balanced Jayhawk victory over UMKC.
Reed finished with 11-points, four rebounds, equaled a career high with five assists and eclipsed his previous career high of three steals with his five in the 99-52 win Wednesday night.
“I just tried to get in the flow of the offense,” Reed said. “My teammates just passed it to me in open spots where I could score so I have to give the credit to them.”
Reed’s impressive night began just 15 seconds into the contest when junior Tyshawn Taylor found his teammate for a quick jumper to put KU up 2-0. The Jayhawks didn’t look back after that, as Reed’s three-pointer just five minutes later put his team up by a baker’s dozen.
“That’s pretty much how I try to approach it every game, whether I score the first bucket or not,” Reed said. “I just try to get comfortable out there and play the best defense that I can.”
That defense proved to be stellar for Reed, whose three second half steals gave him a new career high of five.
“I was in the right place at the right time,” he said. “I just got my hands on some balls that were coming my way and I was able to get some steals.”
One of those opportunities came less than a minute into the first half when Reed plucked the basketball away from a UMKC player which led to two foul shots for Taylor and a 3-point lead for the home standing Jayhawks.
Aside from his points and steals, the unselfish play of Reed gave him five total assists which lead to 11-KU points.
“Some games are easier than others when it comes to finding teammates to get the ball to,” Reed said. “We hit shots tonight so it really just came from within the offense, but you have to give credit to the guys tonight for being in the right spots.”
While Reed and the rest of his teammates head to Ann Arbor for their match-up with Michigan Sunday afternoon, the senior says Wednesday night’s performance goes a long way in boosting his confidence entering the marathon that is Big 12 Conference play.
“I shot well from three tonight, so I definitely got my confidence up there a bit,” he says. “We as a team just want to have a good last push going into conference play and that means going to Michigan and performing well.”
If Reed and company can complete that goal, it will be the first time since the Jayhawks won the national championship in 2007-08 that they head into the conference portion of their schedule with an unblemished record.
