Morris Brothers Lead Kansas To 82-70 Win Over Oklahoma
Feb. 26, 2011
Box Score in PDF Format 
NORMAN, Okla. – Marcus Morris had 23 points and nine rebounds, while his brother Markieff added 19 points and 10 boards to lead Kansas to an 82-70 win over Oklahoma in front of 10,994 fans, Saturday at Lloyd Noble Center.
Kansas’ win, coupled with Texas’ Saturday loss at Colorado puts the Jayhawks and Longhorns in a tie atop the Big 12 standings with only two games left on the schedule.
The win over Oklahoma moved KU to 27-2 overall and 12-2 in the Big 12 while Oklahoma fell to 12-16 overall and 4-10 in the league.
Both teams were able to quickly get into an early offensive rhythm. Kansas got two quick inside buckets from Markieff Morris to go ahead 4-0. The Sooners looked to the three-point line from the outset and hit three of their first four shots from long range, but Kansas responded with a trio of treys from Tyrel Reed, Brady Morningstar and Elijah Johnson to offset the damage.
By the first media timeout, the two clubs had combined for 6-of-9 from beyond the arc, and the lead had changed four times, but Kansas led 15-11. OU cooled after the TV break as Kansas extended its lead to double digits at 23-13 at the 12:14 mark.
Using impressive ball movement and lights out shooting, Kansas kept the pressure on and enjoyed a comfortable lead. At 3:57 on the clock, Kansas got a steal from Morningstar who pitched ahead to Marcus Morris. Morris evaded three defenders for the easy lay in and Sooner head coach Jeff Capel was forced to call timeout as KU led 41-26.
After shooting 71 percent in the first half on 17-of-24 from the field, Kansas took a 45-33 lead to the locker room. All eight Jayhawks that played at least a minute scored, led by 12 points and four board from Marcus Morris.
Kansas continued its sharp play in the second half and by the 17:19 mark was up 56-35 on a pair of Elijah Johnson free throws after another Morningstar steal.
Oklahoma senior Cade Davis, who had just two points in the first half, tried to will the Sooners back into the game with 17 second half points but it was not enough as OU never seriously threatened the Jayhawk lead.
Marcus Morris’ 23 points led all scorers. Markieff’s double-double was his 11th of the season, which ties for 11th place on the KU single season list. Senior G Tyrel Reed added 11 points in the winning effort.
Davis paced Oklahoma with 19 points to lead three Sooners in double-figures.
Kansas finished the game 56.8 percent from the field compared to 46.0 percent for OU and held a 35-16 rebounding advantage.
Kansas returns to Allen Fieldhouse Wednesday, March 2 to face Texas A&M on Senior Night at 8 p.m. Kansas will honor seniors Mario Little, Brady Morningstar and Tyrel Reed. The game can be seen on ESPN2 and heard on the Jayhawk Radio Network. Kansas closes the regular season March 5 at Missouri at 11 a.m. on CBS.
