The No. 10 Kansas Jayhawks had a tough time shaking the Oregon State Beavers loose, finally pulling away late in the second half to an 84-78 victory in front of the home crowd.
No. 10 Kansas vs. Oregon State final score: Jayhawks hold off Beavers 84-78
Kansas survived a stubborn Oregon State team as the Jayhawks pulled away late in the game to register a six-point victory at home.
Denny Medley-US PRESSWIRE
The Jayhawks led by as many as 14 in the first quarter but then went completely cold from the floor, going close to four minutes without making a field goal as the Beavers cut the lead to three at halftime. Kansas guard Ben McLemore kept the Jayhawks ahead, scoring 15 of his 21 points in the first half.
Kansas guard Travis Releford scored eight points in the first five minutes of the second half as the Jayhawks took a 59-47 lead, but the Beavers slowly whittled that lead away to five points with 1:30 left. The Jayhawks struggled to deliver the knockout punch against the Beavers and turnovers were a big problem as the team totaled 17 of them in the game.
Releford hit two free-throws with under a minute left to take a seven-point lead, but the Beavers refused to go away. Kansas forward Kevin Young missed two free-throws and the Beavers cut the lead back to three with 13.9 seconds left, but that would be as close as they got. McLemore hit two free-throws to push the lead to five and the Jayhawks were able to survive at home.
Four of the five Kansas starters finished with double-digit points as the Jayhawks shot 60 percent from the floor. The bench didn’t add much firepower, however, only scoring 10 points.
The Beavers struggled from the field, only shooting 40 percent. Guard Roberto Nelson was 2-for-11 but scored 17 points thanks to going 13-for-14 from the free-throw line. Guard Ahmad Starks led all scorers in the game with 25 points, hitting 7-for-12 from the three-point line.
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