Kansas All Over Tech, 89-63

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Marcus Morris scored 20 points, including 10 straight in a key stretch to lead No. 3 Kansas to an 89-63 victory against visiting Texas Tech in men’s basketball action Saturday afternoon.

Kansas improved to 16-1 overall and 2-0 in Big 12 Conference play, while Texas Tech dropped to 12-4 and 0-3.  The Jayhawks extended their nation-best home court winning streak to 52 games, including a perfect 12-0 at home this season, while starting league play 2-0 for the fourth straight year.
 
Morris scored 10 straight points in a 13-0 Jayhawk run, which started late in the first half and carried into the beginning of the second half as Kansas turned a 34-18 lead into a 47-18 advantage.
 
The Jayhawks pushed their lead to 56-26 before Texas Tech went on its own 12-0 run to pull within 56-38 with 11 and one-half minutes left in the contest.
 
However Cole Aldrich was a big part of KU’s response, netting six straight points as the Jayhawks pulled away from the visiting Red Raiders.  Aldrich, who took just one shot in the first half, sandwiched a basket in between two sets of free throws as KU controlled the game.
 
Morris’s point total was the second most of his career behind a 23-point outing against Michigan earlier this season.  He also added eight rebounds in his 22 minutes of play.
 
Aldrich added 14 points, seven rebounds and three blocks, while Xavier Henry also scored 14 points, while handing out five assists.  Texas Tech was led by John Roberson, who scored 16 points as the only Red Raider in double figures.
 
Aldrich moved into 15th place on the Kansas career rebounding list, moving ahead of Paul Pierce with 680 in his two-plus seasons in a Jayhawk uniform.
 
Kansas closed the first half on a 17-4 run to cap a very ragged first 20 minutes of play leading 42-18.  The half saw both teams combine for just 19 field goals made, 24 turnovers and 18 personal fouls.
 
In a three and one-half minute stretch from the 13:30 mark to the 10-minute mark of the first half, the teams combined for 12 turnovers, with each team committing six apiece.
 
Marcus Morris and Brady Morningstar were the bright spots for the Jayhawks in the first half.  Morris hit four of six shots en route to 11 points in 14 minutes of play.  Morningstar came off the bench and provided five points, four assists, four rebounds and two steals in 11 minutes of action.
 
Texas Tech shot just 20 percent from the field in the first period, making five of 24 shots.  KU was 14 of 31 at the break thanks to a late charge, which included seven points from Marcus Morris, four points from Markieff Morris and a Xavier Henry three-pointer which stopped his 0 of four shooting streak.
 
A game after shooting 57.8 percent from the field at Nebraska, Kansas shot just 43.3 percent from the field, but drained 24 of 27 free throw attempts.  Meanwhile KU held Texas Tech to 32.8 percent shooting for the game, the lowest the opponent has shot in the last four game.
 
Kansas returns to action hosting Baylor on Wednesday, Jan. 20.  The game will be televised on ESPN2 with tipoff slated at 8 p.m.

Box Score

Story courtesy:  KUAC