Kansas Basketball Suffers 84-68 Setback at Kansas State
Feb. 14, 2011
MANHATTAN, Kan. –
Box Score in PDF Format 
Despite double-digit scoring performances from senior Tyrel Reed and junior Marcus Morris, Kansas State’s Jacob Pullen went off for 38 points as the top-ranked Jayhawks fell 84-68 in Manhattan on ESPN’s Big Monday.
KU fell to 24-2 overall and 9-2 in the Big 12 Conference, while KSU improved to 17-9, including 5-6 in conference play.
Reed led the Jayhawks for the fourth time this season scoring 14 points, including a career-high eight free throws. Morris followed with 13 points in the effort and tied a season high with three steals. Senior Mario Little led KU on the boards pulling down five rebounds.
Kansas shot over 70-percent from the free throw line for the second-straight game hitting 21-for-29 (72.4 percent) but were out-shot from the field. The Jayhawks hit 44-percent of its field goals, while KSU shot an opponent season-high 56.3 percent, including 50-percent of its three-point shots. KU hit a season-low three baskets from beyond the three-point arc.
Facing just its second halftime deficit of the season at 42-33, Kansas scored eight of the first 12 points in the second half with the help of six tallies from Reed to cut its disadvantage to five points, 46-41. However, KSU responded with a run of its own out-scoring KU 10-3 over the next three minutes and eventually expanding its lead to double figures at 54-43 with 13:28 to play.
The Jayhawks trailed by double-digits for the rest of the way as KSU continued to shoot 59.1 percent from the field in the second half and 92.9 percent from the charity stripe. KU hit only 37.0 percent of its attempts from the field during the final 20 minutes.
KU committed an uncharacteristic 18 turnovers during the game, its most in conference play this season, as the Wildcats converted the miscues into 22 points.
Buckets from Morningstar and Marcus Morris at the start of the game gave KU a quick 5-0 lead but at 17:43 Kansas State scored back-to-back field goals to lead 6-5 and led for the remainder of the game.
Over the last eight minutes and 21 seconds of the opening frame, Kansas out-scored KSU 17-12 and managed to cut its lead to six points following a three-pointer from sophomore Elijah Johnson and a put-back by sophomore Travis Releford (37-31) with just over two minutes to go. However, 11 Jayhawk turnovers in the first half contributed to a 42-33 deficit heading into the break.
Kansas will host Colorado on Saturday, Feb. 19, at 1 p.m. on ESPN. The game will mark the return of KU alum and CU head coach Tad Boyle and will be the final conference regular-season meeting between the two schools.
