Success in Switzerland, Jayhawks Win 83-79

Aug. 8, 2012

Kansas 83, Swiss National Team 79
Fribourg Arena // Fribourg, Switzerland

1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
Kansas 22 18 20 23 83
Swiss
19 22 19 19 79
Statistical Leaders
Kansas Swiss
Points White (16) Ramseier (22)
Rebounds Withey (10) Dubas (6)
Assists Johnson/
Releford (4)
Kazadi/
Petkovic (3)
Steals White (3) Ramseier (3)
Blocks Whitey (3) Ramseier (2)
Stats at a Glance
KU Swiss
FG Percentage 52.4 50.0
3-Point Percentage 45.5 23.5
FT Percentage 63.2 65.8
Offensive Rebounds 11 7
Defensive Rebounds 30 20
Total Rebounds 41 27
Turnovers 16 15
Assists 17 15

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FRIBOURG, Switzerland – Kansas senior Kevin Young scored six of his 12 points in the final minutes to lift Kansas men’s basketball to a come-from-behind 83-79 win and a two-game sweep of the Switzerland National Team in exhibition play here Wednesday evening.

It was KU’s second close victory over the Swiss National team within 24 hours. Tuesday night the Jayhawks held off a late charge, 77-74. Wednesday night’s win was KU’s 41st straight exhibition victory, and made Bill Self 27-0 as the Jayhawks’ coach in exhibition contests, including 9-0 on foreign soil.

With the game tied at 77 after a pair of senior Jeff Withey free throws, Swiss forward David Ramseier made a baseline jumper to give the home team a 79-77 edge. Then Young took over, connecting on a follow off of an Elijah Johnson miss. Then on the defensive end, KU senior center Jeff Withey blocked a Swiss shot and Jayhawk senior Travis Releford raced down the floor and fed Young for a slam dunk to give KU an 81-79 lead with 13.5 seconds remaining. KU freshman Andrew White rebounded a Swiss three-point miss with 2.6 seconds left and put the game out of reach with two free throws.

White led the Jayhawks with 16 points, including a 2-for-3 effort from three-point range. Joining White in double figures was Johnson with 14, Young with 12 and Withey with 10. Withey had his second straight double-double of the trip, pulling down 10 rebounds. Ramseier led all scorers with 22 points, while Swiss forward Jonathan Dubas had 14.

The game was a close battle from the beginning. Kansas led after a quarter, 22-19, but the Swiss took a 41-40 lead at halftime. The contest was knotted at 60 entering the fourth quarter. Every time the Swiss team pulled ahead in the fourth period, KU would come right back. The Jayhawks led, 67-66, but the Swiss went on a 6-0 run to take its largest lead of the game, 72-67, with 4:52 remaining. The senior trio of Johnson, Young and Withey then combined for KU’s next 14 points, including Young’s heroics down the stretch.

Thursday Kansas will travel to Paris for five nights with two exhibition games against a mix of French professional players Sat., Aug. 11, and Sunday, Aug. 12. Both games will begin at 8 p.m. local time, which is 1 p.m. in Kansas.