No. 14 Kansas Outlasts Georgetown, 67-63, in Maui
Nov. 22, 2011
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LAHAINA, HAWAII – Led by junior forward Thomas Robinson’s eighth-career double-double, the Kansas Jayhawks defeated the Georgetown Hoyas 67-63 in the quarterfinals of the EA Sports Maui Invitational Monday night. The Jayhawks will move on to play the UCLA Bruins Tuesday afternoon in the semifinals.
The win pushes the Jayhawks to 2-1 on the season, while the Hoyas also move to 2-1.
As was the trend for the entire contest, the pesky Hoyas would not go away. The Jayhawks would open up leads of six or more on five occasions, only to see GU cut into their lead each time. Kansas led for all but two minutes in the game with its biggest lead of nine coming with three minutes remaining in the first half.
Robinson, who tied a career-high with 20 points, led the Jayhawks from beginning to end. The Washington, D.C., native shot 7-for-14 from the floor, five of them ferocious dunks and also pulled down 12 rebounds to earn his third double-double of the season. Robinson also tied a career-high with six made free throws.
Senior guard Tyshawn Taylor was KU’s leader in the backcourt, scoring 16 points and was a perfect 3-for-3 from three point land, his night from behind the arc was a career-best. Taylor added three rebounds, a block and one steal in 33 minutes of play. Junior guard Travis Releford was the third Jayhawk to score in double figures with 10 points, including two clutch free throws with 15 seconds remaining.
The Jayhawks led by two, 37-35, at the intermission. A Justin Wesley ally-oop dunk with three minutes remaining in the opening frame would push the KU lead to nine points, 32-23. However, Georgetown fought back, hitting a trio of three pointers in the final two minutes to keep the score close as the teams headed into the locker rooms.
Robinson led the Jayhawks in the first half, scoring nine of his 20 points and pulling down eight of his 12 rebounds in the opening 20 minutes. Taylor also gave the Jayhawks a boost, scoring nine points and going 2-for-2 from behind the three point arc.
The Jayhawks owned the post in the first half, scoring 16 points in the paint to Georgetown’s eight and owning the battle of the boards, collecting 19 to 15 for the Hoyas. KU also put in seven fast-break points, while GU netted none in the first 20 minutes.
Next on the docket for the Jayhawks will be the UCLA Bruins at 8:30 p.m. (CST) Tuesday in the semifinals of the EA Sports Maui Invitational. UCLA leads the all-time series with Kansas 10-6 yet the Jayhawks have won the last two meetings in each of the last two seasons 73-61 on Dec. 6, 2009, in Los Angeles and 77-76 on Dec. 2, 2010, in Allen Fieldhouse.