No. 2 Kansas Defeats Iowa State, 89-66, to Clinch 22nd-straight Winning Conference Season

Feb. 12, 2011

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Postgame Video: Self | Taylor, Mc. Morris, Withey

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Juniors Marcus Morris and Markieff Morris recorded double-doubles in the same game for the fourth time this season to lead No. 2 Kansas to an 89-66 victory over Iowa State in Allen Fieldhouse Saturday afternoon.

Marcus Morris led the Jayhawks with 16 points and 11 rebounds for his 14th career double-double, while Markieff Morris added 14 points and tied his twin brother for the game high with 11 rebounds for his Big 12-leading ninth double-double this season and the 10th of his career. Markieff also set a career high with six assists.

Junior Tyshawn Taylor and senior Brady Morningstar also reached double-figures in scoring with 14 and 13 points, respectively.

Kansas improved its record to 24-1 overall and 9-1 in the Big 12. The ninth victory against Big 12 opponents clinched Kansas’ 22nd-consecutive season with a winning record in regular-season conference play, the longest active streak in the country. Iowa State fell to 14-11 on the season and 1-8 in conference games with the loss.

Junior Scott Christopherson led the Cylclones with 16 points, while freshman Melvin Ejim contributed 13 points and a team-high nine rebounds. Seniors Jake Anderson and Diante Garrett added 12 points apiece for ISU.

To begin the second half, Iowa State made three-pointers on each of its first two possessions to make the score 47-32 in favor of the Jayhawks. That was as close as KU would allow the Cyclones to get, as Morningstar responded with back-to-back three-pointers of his own to put Kansas on top by 21.

KU remained comfortably in front the rest of the way, finishing the game with a 51.6 field goal percentage for its sixth-straight contest shooting 50 percent or better. Iowa State shot 37.3 percent for the game, including 43.8 from three-point range. KU also won the rebounding battle, 43-31, and posted 24 assists compared to only nine turnovers.

Leading 10-8 at the 16-minute mark of the first half, Kansas used a 23-4 run over the next 10 minutes to break the game wide open, 33-12 with 6:02 on the clock. The surge included three-pointers by Markieff Morris and Taylor as well as a traditional three-point play by Johnson. KU capped off the run by holding Iowa State scoreless for 6:19, scoring 13 unanswered points during that span.

Kansas took a 45-26 advantage into halftime after shooting 56.3 percent from the field compared to 29.4 percent by the Cyclones. KU also handled the basketball well, registering 13 assists on 18 field goals while only committing five turnovers. KU also controlled points in the paint, 18-8, in the first 20 minutes. Markieff Morris led the Jayhawks in scoring at the intermission with 12 points, while his twin brother Marcus added eight points and eight rebounds.

Kansas will next play Monday on the road against its in-state rival, the Kansas State Wildcats, at 8 p.m. The game will be nationally televised as part of ESPN’s Big Monday.