Kansas Gets By Ball State

LAS VEGAS - Three Jayhawks scored in double figures, and a tough KU defense held Ball State to 34-percent shooting from the field, as the University of Kansas defeated the Cardinals, 64-46, Friday night in the Las Vegas Invitational.

KU improves to 4-1, while Ball State falls to 2-2.

Sophomore Mario Chalmers led the Jayhawks with 13 points, nine of which came on three first-half three pointers that helped KU build a 28-19 lead at the break.

After a sluggish first half which saw both squads shoot below 30-percent from the field, the Jayhawks used runs of 9-0 and 8-0 in the second frame, eventually stretching the margin to 19 on a Chalmers layup with 5:02 remaining in the half.

Julian Wright's lay-in with less than a minute on the clock gave the Jayhawks their biggest advantage of the contest at 64-44.

Wright narrowly missed a double-double, scoring nine points while grabbing 12 rebounds. The sophomore also added two assists.

Sophomore Brandon Rush netted 11 points, and has now scored in double-figures in every game this season. Fellow sophomore Russell Robinson chipped in with 10 points, including 7-of-8 from the free-throw line.

KU also got solid contributions from two of its freshmen, as Darrell Arthur scored nine and Sherron Collins added seven.

The Jayhawks outrebounded Ball State 33-26, and held the Cardinals to 2-of-16 shooting from beyond the arc.

Kansas will conclude play in the Las Vegas Invitational on Saturday in a showdown with top-ranked Florida. The Jayhawks will meet the defending National Champions at 10 p.m., and the game will be televised on ESPN2.