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Monday, Jan. 17 9:00pm ET
Kansas' 27-9 run puts it away | |||||
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BOX SCORE
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) -- There was no last second controversy this time. Kenny Gregory scored 15 points and led a second-half run as Kansas (No. 8 ESPN/USA Today, No. 7 AP) used superior height and balance to beat Texas A&M 78-57 Monday night. Kansas (15-2, 4-0 Big 12) overcame Texas A&M's (5-10, 1-3) early defensive stand for a 38-29 halftime lead and the Aggies hung with the favored Jayhawks until the Kansas offense broke it open. The Aggies were bolstered by a controversial last-second victory over Texas Tech on Saturday night but this time they weren't even close. Leading 45-39 with 16:51 to play, Kansas went on a 27-9 run and took a 72-48 lead with 3:21 left to play. Gregory had 10 of his 15 points in the second half. "I think the key to our team is our depth, we try to wear teams out," Gregory said. "You can see it in a guy's eyes when he's winded. We try to bury a team as soon as possible, not leave them any hope to come back in the last five minutes." The taller Jayhawks outrebounded the Aggies 55-32, led by Drew Gooden, who had 10 points and 10 rebounds. "Rebounding was one of the keys for Kansas," A&M coach Melvin Watkins said. "We got lost on some assignments. We were in position some times but they would tap the ball to their teammates. "Kansas has great balance but they've been doing that all year." Kansas has won seven games in a row since losing 84-70 to Illinois on Dec. 18. "Rebounding is drilled into our heads every day and I think we did a good job on the offensive boards tonight," Gooden said. The balanced Kansas offense didn't score at its usual 86-point per game pace, but the defense shut down the Aggies. Tomas Ress hit a basket in the closing seconds for 10 points, Texas A&M's only scorer in double figures. "Defense, rebounding and depth were the big factors tonight," Kansas coach Roy Williams said. "I felt we had size and depth as our strong points, but I've been a little disappointed in our defense. "Our offense has been pretty darn good at times." Kansas guard Jeff Boschee went 0-for-5 from 3-point range, ending a string of 38 consecutive games with at least one 3-pointer. Kansas was 2-for-11 on 3-pointers. The Aggies tried to jump on the Jayhawks from the start and their aggressiveness netted them four steals in the first 8:28. They even managed an early 14-10 lead before an excited Reed Arena crowd of 12,175, a record for the two-year old arena. "When we walked out of the tunnel tonight and saw the crowd, that's the way we want it here every night," Watkins said. "We had some good moments, we had a lot of good looks. Kansas constantly kept the pressure on us and eventually it wore us out." Kansas' 11-man rotation paid off and the Jayhawks took the lead for good on a basket by Gooden with 7:56 to go in the half. Kansas built a 36-26 edge late in the first half as the Aggies had only three points over the final 4:12. "Kansas is a great team and they just keep sending fresh guys at you," A&M guard Jamaal Gilchrist said. "I was nervous before the game but I've been waiting all my life to play in a game like this." | ALSO SEE Mens College Basketball Scoreboard
AUDIO/VIDEO   Kenny Gregory finishes the drive inside with the jam.avi: 375 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1 Kenny Gregory goes airborne for the layup.avi: 672 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1 | |||||