Hawks Make Huskies Heel

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Four Jayhawks scored in double figures as Kansas defeated Washington 73-54 on Monday evening here at the Sprint Center. Junior Sherron Collins led the Kansas charge with 18 points as KU remained undefeated on the season after collecting its third-straight win. UW dropped to 2-2 on the season.

The win advanced KU to the title game of the 2008 CBE Classic. KU will face Syracuse in the championship game at 9:15 p.m. Tuesday.

Collins scored 11 of his 18 points in the second half helping the Jayhawks pull away from the Huskies after forging a 10-point halftime lead. The Chicago native knocked down 6-of-12 field goals on the evening and also dished out five assists in the win.

The Jayhawk defense held Washington in check for much of the game, as the Huskies made just 19-of-65 shots from the field, good for just 29.2 percent. Kansas finished the game shooting 50 percent from the field, knocking down 28-of-56 shots from the floor.

Sophomore Cole Aldrich turned in 16 points, while also recording a career-high six blocks. Aldrich also led the Jayhawks on the boards with nine caroms.

Freshman Marcus Morris set a new career high as he finished the game with 13 points, canning 6-of-9 shots from the field.

Freshman Tyshawn Taylor was the fourth Jayhawk in double digits as he finished with a new career-best 10 points, including a lay-up at the buzzer to give KU its 32-22 lead at the break.

Isaiah Thomas led UW with 17 points, while Jon Brockman pulled down 18 rebounds as the Huskies finished the game with a 43-34 rebounding advantage, including a 21-8 edge on the offensive glass.
 
Kansas and Syracuse will compete for the tourney title in a rematch of the 2003 NCAA National Championship game. Syracuse advanced to the CBE Classic final after defeating Florida, 89-83, in the evening's first game.

Story courtesy:  KUAC