LDN - Sports

No. 3 Kansas slips past Kansas State

[January 04, 2017] LAWRENCE, Kan. -- The final play No. 3 Kansas ran Tuesday was not designed for Svi Mykhailiuk.

The junior guard, however, saw no other option but to hurry down the floor and head for the rim. His layup at the buzzer enabled the Jayhawks to hold off Kansas State, 90-88, in Allen Fieldhouse.

But not without controversy. While officials went to the replay monitor to determine if the shot was attempted before the buzzer, they did not call traveling on Mykhailiuk, who appeared as if he may have committed a violation angling for the hoop.

Kansas State coach Bruce Weber matter-of-factly stated a travel was not called. He invited reporters to look at the texts on his phone from those who found the no-call to be a mistake.

Yet Weber did not react with any bitterness and instead looked toward the future after the Wildcats fell to 12-2 overall and 1-1 in the Big 12.

"We had our chances. They made the play,'' Weber said. "We've got a good group. I think we belong. Now we've got to prove it on Saturday (against Oklahoma at home). We're a good team. We keep battling, we kept coming back.''

The Wildcats rallied from a 10-point deficit and eventually forged nine ties, the last of which they tried to snap with a 3-point look from sophomore forward Dean Wade. Although he netted a team-high 20 points, Wade missed the open jumper.

That left Kansas 5.6 seconds to motor down the court, which Mykhailiuk did after the Wildcats took away two quicker guards, senior Frank Mason and junior Devonte' Graham. The bucket for Mykhailiuk gave him 11 points as both teams placed five scorers in double figures.

"It was a good basket,'' Mykhailiuk said, acknowledging that he saw the replay.

For his part, Kansas coach Bill Self said he did not see the replay, but conceded he heard that a travel was a distinct possibility. He noted that the press Kansas State applied kept the ball out of the hands of either Mason or Graham, though the 6-foot-8 Mykhailiuk was not a bad option.

"We just threw it to him and he was able to get a head of steam,'' Self said. "They pressed us hot and we were fortunate we were able to get behind them. ... I felt decent about it. Svi is a much better athlete than people give him credit for,'' Self said.

Freshman guard Josh Jackson had 22 points, nine rebounds and six assists to lead the Jayhawks (13-1, 2-0).

Jackson bounced back from his worst performance of the season, a four-point game at TCU in which he fouled out and drew a technical in just 12 minutes.

The win was the 13th straight for Kansas and its 50th in a row at home, though the point total by Kansas State was the second-most in Allen against a team coached by Self.

Mason added 15 points and Graham contributed 13. Senior forward Landen Lucas snagged 12 rebounds and also netted 18 points for his second straight double-double.

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Kansas Jayhawks guard Frank Mason III (0) shoots a three point basket as Kansas State Wildcats guard Barry Brown (5) defends during the first half at Allen Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Senior guard Wesley Iwundu chipped in 17 points for the Wildcats (12-2, 1-1 Big 12).

"We just gave the No. 3 team a really good performance,'' Iwundu said. "We should keep our heads high and keep moving on. ... We did a good job staying poised.''

Kansas State raced to a nine-point lead, going up 24-15 with 12:05 remaining in the first half on a 3-pointer by Xavier Sneed. The 3-pointer was one of three the Wildcats drained in getting off to a sizzling start.

As expected, Kansas bounced back to gain a 52-42 halftime advantage behind Jackson, who scored 16 first-half points on 7-of-8 shooting from the field. Jackson added five rebounds and five assists while helping with a 12-2 run that provided a 40-34 lead.

Graham added 13 points, connecting on three 3-pointers. Lucas had eight points on 4-of-4 shooting from the field, with seven rebounds.

NOTES: Kansas entered the game ranked 12th nationally in 3-point field goal percentage (.409) and first in the Big 12. G Frank Mason entered as the Big 12's top scorer with a 19.8-point average. ... Sam Cunliffe, a guard who played the first 10 games this season for Arizona State before opting to transfer, attended Kansas' pregame shootaround Tuesday. The 6-foot-6 perimeter threat from Seattle averaged 9.5 points and 4.8 rebounds for the Sun Devils. Cunliffe also attended Tuesday's game. ... C Isaiah Maurice, a 6-10 freshman, was reinstated by Kansas State after a three-game suspension for an undisclosed disciplinary matter. ... The win was the 20th for Kansas in the last 21 games played against Kansas State in Allen Fieldhouse, including the 11th straight. Each of the last two Kansas State coaches to win in Allen, Dana Altman (1994) and Jim Wooldridge (2006), did not return to coach the Wildcats the following season.

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