8A THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
TUESDAY. NOVEMBER 22, 2005
Michael Conroy/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Arizona's Daniel Dillon makes a pass between Kansas players Micah Downs, left, and Sasha Kaun in the first half of an opening round game of the Maui Invitational in Lahaina, Hawaii. In the second half, Kaun fouled out with less than five minutes to go.
Michael Conroy/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Kansas guard Russell Robinson drives on Arizona's Mustafa Shakur in the first half of an opening round game of the Maui Invitational in Lahaina, Hawaii on Monday. The Wilcats and the Jayhawks had momentum and finished the first half 35-29, with Arizona leading. Kansas struggled defensively and offensively in the second half and racked up 16 fouls. The Jayhawks went on to lose the game 61-49.
Michael Conroy/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Maui
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12A
The Jayhawks momentum, however, continued with back-to-back three-pointers by freshman forward Micah Downs and sophomore guard Russell Robinson. The two three-point shots combined with five straight Kansas points to tighten the margin to 28-23 with under 2 minutes left to play in the first half. Two defensive stops by the Jayhawks in the final 30 seconds sent them to the locker room trailing only 55-29.
"To be down like that and come back, we tried, we just made silly mistakes," Self said. "We were not poised at all tonight."
As commanding as the Wildcats came out in the first half, they emerged from the locker room equally lethargic. The Wildcats
scored just 6 points in the first 9 minutes of the second half and shot just 28 percent for the half. The Jayhawks scored on two of their first three attempts, including a three-point shot from Rush, which brought them to within 35-34. Kansas tied the game at 41 when Rush pulled down a rebound and pushed the ball up the court to freshman guard Mario Chalmers who nailed a 10-foot jump shot with 11:32 left in the game.
The Jayhawks, however, did not capitalize on the Wildcats' struggling offense.
"I thought that was just miserable execution offensively," Self said. "We had too many chances where we just came away with nothing."
The Jahawks kept pace until the Wildeats went off for a 5-0 run that put them up 46-41. Two consecutive turnovers by Chalmers, which led to four more points for the Wildcats, widened the margin to 50-43, a deficit the Jayhawks could not overcome.
"We wanted to prove that we could win if we shot that lousy, if we played good defense," Arizona coach Lute Olsen said. "I do think that we tired them because we have been playing this hard ever since the first practice, and I think that conditioning probably showed."
The fatigue was also evident in the Jayhawks foul column. Kansas had 16 second-half fouls, five of which sent sophomore center Sasha Kaun to the bench with just less than 5 minutes left in the game. Kaun's 12 points and 6 rebounds and aggressive post play had been crucial in defending Arizona's big men. The Wildcats took advantage with Kaun on the bench and finished the game with a 6-0 run.
"I'm more disappointed with the way we played than the way we lost because Arizona is a good team," Self said. "I thought we would come out and play
better than that."
Kansas will take the court again at 3 p.m. today when it tips off against the loser of Arkansas/Connecticut. Self said if the Jayhawks were to face the Razorbacks, not to be disillusioned just because the Razorbacks weren't ranked.
"They're a very good team. We're going to have to play a lot more poised than we did tonight," Self said.
Notes
Hawkins was the only player in last night's game to suffer from cramming. After diving for a loose ball with 8.33 left in the game, Hawkins remained on the ground with a cramp in his left leg. In Hawkins' absence, freshman guard Mario Chalmers turned the ball over on back-to-back possessions.
Downs, who was questionable for the tournament because of an ankle sprain, scored 5 points in 11 minutes.
Kansas senior guard Jeff
Edited by Erick R. Schmidt