Postgame Notes

Dec. 29, 2012

Recap | Final Stats | Quotes |

KANSAS 89, AMERICAN 57
Postgame Notes
December 29, 2012

KANSAS STARTERS (Career/Season)
C Jeff Withey (12/52), G Elijah Johnson (12/58), G Ben McLemore (12/12), F Travis Releford (12/54), F Kevin Young (9/9)

SERIES INFO: Kansas leads 2-0
ATTENDANCE: 16,300

KANSAS’ WIN…
– Makes Kansas 11-1 on the season.
– Gives KU an 11-1 or better record for the third time in the last four seasons and the fifth time in the 10-year Bill Self era.
– Gives KU its 10th-straight win.
– Gives Kansas its 62nd-straight win against non-conference competition in Allen Fieldhouse.
– Makes the KU-American series 2-0 in favor of the Jayhawks.
– Extends Kansas’ homecourt winning streak to 29 games, the second-longest in Division I (Syracuse, 31).
– Makes Kansas 669-107 all-time in Allen Fieldhouse, including 152-7 under head coach Bill Self.
– Improves Bill Self to 280-54 while at Kansas and 487-159 overall.
– Makes KU 2,081-807 all-time.

TEAM NOTES
– KU scorched the nets, hitting 15-of-24 from three-point land, only one shy of the school record and marked the most since Kansas made 15 versus Texas in the Big 12 Championship game on March 16, 2008.
– The Jayhawks connected on 8-of-12 threes in the first half, the most for the Jayhawks in a half this season and most since KU shot in eighth threes in the first half versus Colorado on February 8, 2011.
– Kansas shot a season-high 63 percent from the field, marking the sixth-straight contest the Jayhawks have shot over 50 percent.
– With the score tied at 7-7 at the 15:45 mark in the first half, Kansas went on a 16-2 run over the next 3:53. KU is now outscoring its opponents 210-115 in the opening eight minutes of its games this season.
– The Jayhawks’ 25 assists ties for the most this season. KU also dropped 25 dimes versus Belmont on Dec. 15, 2012.
– KU shot a season-low eight free throws and converted on six of them, also a season low.
– The KU bench scored a season-high 32 points.
– Kansas’ 53 first-half points were the most scored in a half this season and are the most season the Jayhawks also tallied 53 points in the second half against Baylor on Jan. 16, 2012.
– The Jayhawks held the Eagles to 35 percent shooting from the field, marking the fifth-straight games they have held an opponent under 40 percent and the 10th contest this year.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES
– Senior G Travis Releford hit a career-high five three-pointers en route to scoring a game high 19 points. His five threes were also the most by a Jayhawk this year.
– In his last four games, Releford is shooting 81.8 percent from behind the arc (9-for-11).
– Sophomore G Naadir Tharpe dished out a career-high 12 assists, also the most for a Jayhawk this season. His eight dimes in the first half were the most since Tyshawn Taylor had eight assists in the first half of the Ohio State game on December 10, 2012.
– Tharpe also went 3-for-4 from behind the three-point arc, he is now 7-of-8 from three-point land in his last three contests.
– Tharpe has not tallied a turnover in his last four games and is boasting an assist-to-turnover ratio of 22-to-0 in that span.
– Senior C Withey collected four blocks on Saturday to raise his total to 59 rejections on the year and 224 for his career for fifth all-time on the KU career blocks list.
– Withey has now recorded at least one block in 22-consecutive games.
– Freshman F Perry Ellis scored 11 points and collected 10 rebounds to earn the first double-double of his KU career. His two blocks were also a season high.
– Ellis and fellow freshman Evan Manning each shot in their first three-pointers as Jayhawks.