January 10, 2007

Jayhawks Cruise Past No. 9 Oklahoma State, 87-57

Jan. 10, 2007

LAWRENCE, Kan. –

Four Jayhawk players scored in double figures, led by sophomore guard Brandon Rush’s 18 points, and a relentless KU defense forced 20 turnovers, as No. 6 Kansas rolled past No. 9 Oklahoma State, 87-57, in its Big 12 opener Wednesday night at Allen Fieldhouse.

Kansas (14-2, 1-0) never trailed en route to its largest victory over a top-10 opponent since the 2003 Final Four when it beat Marquette, 94-61, in the national semifinal. The Jayhawks, who won their 16th-straight conference opener, held the Cowboys (15-2, 1-1) to just 33.3 percent shooting and outscored OSU 18-0 on fastbreaks. KU converted a season-high 17 steals — which included a career high-tying six from sophomore guard Mario Chalmers — into 23 points and overwhelmed Oklahoma State in the paint, outscoring the Cowboys 48-18 down low.

KU opened the contest on a 25-8 run, eventually taking a 47-30 advantage at halftime, led by 14 points apiece from Rush and junior center Sasha Kaun. Kaun finished the game with a season-high 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting.

OSU closed to within 13 early in the second half on a four-point play from junior guard JamesOn Curry, but the Jayhawks, paced by a 28-8 run midway through the half, controlled the remainder of the game, eventually extending their lead to 33 with just over four minutes to play.

Freshman guard Sherron Collins scored 10 points and dished out a career-high six assists, while junior forward Darnell Jackson added 10 points for the Jayhawks. Junior guard Russell Robinson, sophomore forward Julian Wright and sophomore guard Mario Chalmers each scored seven points.

The Jayhawks will next be in action Jan. 13 when the team travels to Ames, Iowa to face Iowa State. Tip is set for 1 p.m. from Hilton Coliseum and the contest will be broadcast nationally by ESPN.