Defending National Champion Kansas Overpowers Men's Basketball, 79-43, at Allen Fieldhouse

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information

Lawrence, Kan. – Cole Aldrich scored 20 points and Tyrel Reed added12 off the bench in leading Kansas to a 79-43 victory over UAlbany on Tuesday, Dec. 30 before a capacity crowd of 16,300 at historic Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks extended their winning streak to 31 in a row in a home facility that was sold out for the 119th consecutive time.

The Jayhawks, who were coming off a 17-point road loss to Arizona one week ago, started with some hot shooting. Kansas (9-3) grabbed a 12-6 lead by making 4-of-5 from the floor. Freshman Tyshawn Taylor drilled a three-point field goal from the left wing after the ball was saved from a backcourt violation.

Reed, a 6'3" sophomore, pushed the lead to double figures with back-to-back 3-pointers, including one from the left corner. Travis Releford later hit a slam dunk after collecting a full-court outlet pass from Sherron Collins for a 24-8 lead. Collins finished with seven points and four assists.

UAlbany (8-5) closed within 28-15 when Scotty McRae scored off a tip-in. But Marcus Morris made a turnaround from the foul line and Quintrell Thomas sank two foul shots. The Jayhawks shot 65 percent in the period en route to a 40-19 halftime lead.

“It was a great crowd,” said Kansas coach Bill Self, who guided the program to the national championship one year ago. “I was really pleased with the crowd and I was pretty pleased with how we played for the most part. We did some good things and we guarded.”

Reed, who had a career-high scoring total, used a conventional three-point play to give his team a 55-27 advantage with 11:27 remaining. He was fouled while connecting on a fastbreak layup. The Jayhawks, who have made 37 NCAA appearances and reached the Final Four on 13 occasions in their storied history, cruised the rest of the way by shooting a season-best 56.3 percent.

“I thought our effort was okay,” offered UAlbany coach Will Brown, whose team will begin America East Conference play on Saturday at Hartford. “I think the right terminology was lack of focus and consistent energy. We had a couple of shots at that rim that (Cole) Aldrich blocked or altered. We got hesitant and tentative. Their defense pressured the ball and took away the driving angles.”

Aldrich, a 6-foot-11, 245-pound sophomore, made 8 of 10 from the floor to go with six rebounds and three blocks. He scored his team’s opening 10 points of the second half. Anthony Raffa, a freshman guard, was the lone UAlbany player in double figures with 11, while senior forward Brian Connelly added eight points, four assists and three rebounds.

“Right now our team isn’t good enough to just show up,” explained Connelly, whose club shot just 30 percent on 18-of-60 attempts and committed 17 turnovers. “We have to get to the gym and work our butts off. That’s the only way we can win.”