Fifth-ranked Jayhawks Hold Off Missouri, 80-77

Jan. 15, 2007

Final Stats | Quotes | Notes |

LAWRENCE, Kan. –

Freshman guard Sherron Collins poured in a season-high 23 points, including seven of the Jayhawks’ final nine points as No. 5 Kansas knocked off Missouri, 80-77 before a packed Allen Fieldhouse crowd Monday evening.

The win, KU’s 10th in a row, moves the Jayhawks to 16-2 overall and 3-0 in the Big 12, while Missouri drops to 11-6 and 0-4 in conference play.

The game was another Border Showdown classic as the teams traded the lead 20 times throughout the contest. Collins’ final points of the night, a layup in traffic with 29 seconds remaining, gave the Jayhawks their final margin of victory.

Missouri had a chance to tie at the buzzer, but Matt Lawrence’s three-point attempt fell short.

Collins scored seven points down the stretch, including the bucket that gave KU the lead for good at 72-71 with 2:19 remaining. He combined with sophomore guard Brandon Rush to score 39 of KU’s 80 points.

Sophomore forward Julian Wright chipped in six points and 10 rebounds while junior guard Russell Robinson added six points, a team-high seven assists and three steals. As a team, the Jayhawks shot 47 percent from beyond the three-point arc (8-for-17), including a 4-for-7 performance from Collins.

KU travels to Lubbock, Texas, Saturday to face Texas Tech at 3 p.m. The game against the Red Raiders will be televised by ESPN.