KANSAN.COM / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2010 / SPORTS
5B
2, COLORADO 66
TBALL REWIND
rtime victory.
Weston White/KANSAN
Jayhawks step to line, throw away free throws
BY TIM DWYER
tdwyer@kansan.com
Sherron Collins stepped to the free throw line with just under 40 seconds left and the Jayhawks down one.
He took a breath and put up the shot. Back rim. No good.
Collins sank the second to tie the game, but the score stayed at 60-60, and the game went to overtire, where the layhawks eventually pulled away for a 72-66 victory.
Aldrich said of the team's free-throw shooting. "We were 18 for almost 40, so we're going to be shooting free throws tomorrow."
"We just couldn't buy one today."
Collins shot 4-of-6 from the line on the game, but that Collins' first miss was just a microcosm of the layhawks' abysmal
"[Marcus] should make a couple free throws if he's taking seven of them."
night from the line. The Jayhawks shot a miserable 14-of-30 from the charity stripe in regulation, good for only 46.7 percent.
BILL SELF
kansas head coach
games and a Monday showdown with No. 10 Texas.
"We had numerous chances to put it away, and we couldn't from the free throw line, obviously," Self said. "I'm not going to say we played poorly because it doesn't give them the credit they deserve."
Had Kansas shot its season average of 71 percent, they would have hit 21 free throws and walked out of the Coors Event Center with a hard-fought, surprisingly close seven-point victory.
Instead, for the second game in a row, the Jayhawks needed overtime to put away a road foe. Kansas fell victim to a classic trap game, losing focus in between a week of rivalry
Markieff Morris was the Jayhawk most responsible for the collapse in free throw percentage, shooting just 3-of-9 from the line. But he was not alone. Tyshawn Taylor missed two of his three attempts. Brady Morningstar, who is usually praised as a heady, do-the-little-things type of player, missed what could have been a crucial, late free throw.
"I don't know" Self said. "What are we, shooting 78 percent in the league and shot 48 percent tonight?!"
don't know, but it was contagious. I mean, we weren't even close. We almost had two air balls the first half."
It was an ill-fitting end to the game that, with 26 seconds on the clock and the Jayhawks up four, they had Marcus Morris step coolly to the line and sink two free throws to put the game on ice.
"I just tried to be collected." Morris said. "I know that everybody was missing free throws, and I knew that free throws were big, I just tried to take my time, step to the line and tried to knock them down."
Marcus, who was 0-for-3 from the free throw line heading into overtime, nailed those two clutch free throws to put the layhawks up 72-66, the final margin.
"He's 2-for-7. He should make a couple free throws if he's taking seven of them." Self said.
That score wasn't final, though, until Morris had gone to the line once more.
He missed both
Edited bv Allvson Shaw
Weston White/KANSAN
plants on the Colorado student section during the first half following a timeout. Collins led Kansas with 16 points and five assists in 41 minutes on the floor.
Game to remember
Junior center Cole Aldrich
Cole Aldrich was a monster on both ends of the floor, finishing with 16 points and 16 rebounds to go along with five blocks. He was also one of just three Jayhawks to shoot more than 50 percent from the free throw line. It was the second time in three games that Aldrich has pulled down 16 boards and his fourth straight double-double.
Aldrich
Game to forget
Morris
Sophomore forward Markieff Morris
Morris falls into the category of just not showing up to play. He was strong from the field, hitting 2-of-3 field goals, but 3-of-9 from the line. He also pulled down just two rebounds in 14 minutes of action.
Stat of the night
The Jayhawks haven't been a spectacular free-throw-shooting team this year, but they certainly
18-38
haven't been awful. They were awful Wednesday night, shooting 18-of-38 from the stripe. If they had shot their season average of 71 percent heading into the game, they would have made 27 free throws.
Prime plays
1ST HALF (SCORE AFTER PLAY)
0:01 - Colorado thought they were going to get the last shot off, but Cole Aldrich used all five fingers and his palm on Marcus Relphorde's last ditch layup. (34-28)
1:42 - Cole Aldrich put the spin move on Casey Crawford and was fouled in the process. Aldrich made the layup, and the referees called it continuation for a three-point play. (34-36)
16:18 - After starting the game with a couple of threes, Colorado grabbed an early two-point lead. But Brady Morningstar came right back with a wide-open three of his own. The Jayhawks didn't trail until late in the second half. (7-6)
11:30 - Cole Aldrich was hosting a block party in the Colors Events Center. With his rejection of Cory Higgins, Aldrich had three not even halfway through the first quarter. (21-8)
13:29 - Sherron Collins had a huge steal and took it in for two, giving the Jayhawks some brief breathing room. (48-43)
13:40 - Yes, another one.
Not only did Cole Aldrich block
Cory Higgins again, but he
corralled it, making the shot
attempt seem abysmal on
Colorado's part. (45-43)
2ND HALF
3:53 - With the crowd starting to boil after a two-pointer by Cory Higgins, Marcus Morris cooled them off with a layup and a foul to go with it. He missed the free throw. (59-54)
OVERTIME
0:45 - Sherron Collins put the nail in the coffin for Colorado with a quick slashing layup. (69-64)
2:33 - Marcus Morris fought for three consecutive rebounds before finally putting the ball in, capping off a 7-0 run for the Jayhawks in OT. (67-60)
Keystats
5
8-26
Cole Aldrich elevated for five blocks against the smaller Colorado front line.
The Jayhawks'starting back court - Sherron Collins, Xavier Henry and Brady Morningstar - combined to shoot just 8-for 26 from the field.
2
The Jayhawks have played two overtimes in as many games, both on the road.
Tim Dwyer and Corey Thibodeaux
11.064
Coors Events Center's capacity is 11,064. It was Colorado's first sellout of the season.
Coach BIll Screet suffers to his team on the court following a turnover. Kansas moved to 21-1 and 7-on 10 in the Big 12 followings the Jayhawks 72-66 overtime victory in Boulder.