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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Sunday, December 13, 2009

Oh Henry! Kansas stays unbeaten


Associated Press

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Kansas freshman Xavier Henry soars in to put up a shot past La Salle's Kimmani Barrett in the first half. Henry scored 31 in a 90-65 victory.

CHARLIE RIEDEL | Associated Press

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Last season, an off game by Sherron Collins was almost impossible for Kansas to overcome.

Now, the Jayhawks have a seemingly unlimited supply of players who can fill the void, led by phenomenal freshman Xavier Henry.

Henry scored a season-high 31 points, Markieff Morris had his first double-double and No. 1 Kansas took care of another overmatched opponent by beating La Salle, 90-65, yesterday afternoon at the Sprint Center.

Showing his usual deft touch from the perimeter — four 3-pointers — Henry flashed a less-heralded but just as effective part of his game, slashing his way to the rim and running out on the break for layups.

The marquee name in coach Bill Self's stellar 2009 recruiting class, Henry finished 10 of 15 from the field to become the first KU freshman to score 30 points since Paul Pierce in 1998.

"We saw something today that he's got to do more and that's attack the basket," Self said. "He's so conscious of doing what we want him to do that it's probably taken away some aggressiveness, putting the ball down and attacking the rim. But today he looked a lot more comfortable."

Kansas (9-0), as it has all season, looked plenty comfortable against another opponent from a smaller conference.

Even with a sluggish start, early rebounding problems and a 1-of-12 day by Collins weren't enough to slow the Jayhawks. Kansas held its eighth opponent under 40 percent shooting this season and, predictably got production from throughout the lineup.

Morris had 12 points, 12 rebounds and blocked four shots. Cole Aldrich added 19 points, six rebounds and five blocks. Tyshawn Taylor was steady at the point, scoring 10 points with six assists and no turnovers.

"At times, I feel like we're playing to our potential; then at other times, it feels like when we're not hitting our shots, we're not playing to our potential," Morris said. "But when we're hitting shots, I don't think we can be stopped."

La Salle (6-3) found that out. The Explorers kept it close early with offensive rebounding only to be worn down by Kansas' depth.

NO. 2 TEXAS 87, TEXAS STATE 54

AUSTIN, Texas — Damion James got his 40th career double-double with 21 points and 16 rebounds, and Avery Bradley added 15 points in a win over the Bobcats (3-7) that could be costly for the Longhorns (8-0).

Freshman J'Covan Brown, who came in averaging 12.6 points, appeared to have rolled his left ankle after driving to the basket about 6 minutes into the second half. Trainers wrapped the ankle and he left the court on crutches a few minutes later. Coach Rick Barnes said immediately after the game he didn't know the extent of the injury.

NO. 4 KENTUCKY 90, INDIANA 73

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Eric Bledsoe scored 23 points, Patrick Patterson had 19 points and 11 rebounds, and John Calipari matched Adolph Rupp's record start for a first-year Kentucky coach by improving to 10-0 as the Wildcats beat the Hoosiers (4-5).

The Wildcats moved within two wins of becoming the first Division I men's basketball program with 2,000 victories.

NO. 5 PURDUE 73, ALABAMA 6

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Robbie Hummel scored 23 points and the visiting Boilermakers (9-0) held the Crimson Tide (5-3) without a field goal over the final 8:45 in rallying from a 16-point deficit.

Purdue scored 10 consecutive points to grab the lead for good, 65-64, on D.J. Byrd's free throw with 4:30 left. Chris Kramer converted two straight steals into layups for a 69-64 edge with 2:41 remaining.

NO. 6 WEST VIRGINIA 69, COPPIN STATE 43

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Kevin Jones had 22 points and 11 rebounds, and the Mountaineers (7-0), despite resting two starters, held a second straight opponent to under 50 points, beating the Eagles (5-4) for their 28th straight home victory against a non-conference foe.

West Virginia coach Bob Huggins rested forward Devin Ebanks (sore left hand) and guard Casey Mitchell (sore right knee).

NO. 11 NORTH CAROLINA 103, PRESBYTERIAN 64

Ed Davis had 20 points and 10 rebounds, Deon Thompson added 19 points, and the host Tar Heels (8-2) ran out to a 32-5 lead in the first 10 minutes and never looked back in beating the Blue Hose (2-8).

NO. 22 BUTLER 74, NO. 13 OHIO STATE 66

Gordon Hayward scored 24 points, Willie Veasley had 15 points and 10 rebounds, and the host Bulldogs (7-3) held off the Buckeyes (7-2), who cut a 17-point deficit to 69-66 with 46 seconds to play, but got no closer.

NO. 15 GEORGETOWN 74, NO. 17 WASHINGTON 66

Julian Vaughn scored 18 points, and the Hoyas (8-0) pulled away in the second half for their second victory over a ranked opponent in five days, beating the Huskies (6-2) in the Wooden Classic at Anaheim, Calif.

NEW MEXICO 84, NO. 16 TEXAS A&M 81

Roman Martinez scored 22 points, including two free throws in the final seconds, as the visiting Lobos improved to 10-0 for the first time since the 1995-96 season, holding off the Aggies (8-2) at the Toyota Center in Houston.

NO. KANSAS STATE 95, NO. 18 UNLV 80

Jacob Pullen hit seven 3-pointers and scored 28 points, and Denis Clemente added 22 points and nine assists as the visiting Wildcats (9-1) rolled past the Rebels (8-1) for their sixth consecutive victory.

NO. 20 WISCONSIN 72, MARQUETTE 63

Jon Leuer scored 24 points and the host Badgers (7-2) beat their in-state rival the Golden Eagles (7-3) for coach Bo Ryan's 200th victory at Wisconsin. Lazar Hayward scored 21 points for Marquette, which has lost three of its last four.

NO. 21 GONZAGA 103, DAVIDSON 91

Freshman Elias Harris scored 27 points, Robert Sacre added 23, and the host Bulldogs (8-2) overcame the absence of leading scorer Matt Bouldin (resting head injury) to beat the Wildcats (2-7).

NO. 25 MISSISSIPPI 83, MCNEESE STATE 67

Chris Warren scored 20 points and Eniel Polynice had all 12 points and four steals over the final 10 minutes to help the host Rebels (8-1) rally from a 15-point deficit and beat the Cowboys (3-5).

WAC

UTAH STATE 87, UTAH VALLEY STATE 56

Pooh Williams scored 15 points to lead four teammates in double figures and the host Aggies (5-3) took a 48-29 halftime lead, which never dipped below 16 thereafter in cruising past the Wolverines (4-5) at Logan, Utah. Jared Quayle and Brian Green scored 13, Nate Bendall 12, and Tyler Newbold added 11 for Utah State.

IDAHO 82, EASTERN OREGON 77

Mac Hopson scored 16 points, including going 12-for-12 from the free throw line, as the host Vandals (6-3) fought off the Mountaineers (7-5) at Moscow, Idaho. The Vandals led by as many as 19 points early in the second half and held on as the Mountaineers closed to within six points with about a minute and a half to go.

SAN DIEGO 59, BOISE STATE 56

Brandon Johnson hit a 17-foot straight-away jumper to break a tie and added a free throw with 7.5 seconds left as the visiting Toreros (5-6) ended a five-game losing streak, beating the Broncos (5-4) at Boise, Idaho. Boise State had an opportunity to tie the game but a 3-point shot by Anthony Thomas failed to hit the rim as time ran out.

NEVADA 92, SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 72

Brandon Fields scored 20 points and the host Wolf Pack (4-4) raced to a 49-31 halftime lead and never looked back in coasting past the Jackrabbits (4-6) at Reno, Nev. Armon Johnson scored 17 points and Luke Babbitt added 16 points and 10 rebounds as the Wolf Pack improved to 4-0 at home this seaso.

LOUISIANA TECH 102, CENTENARY 96

Kyle Gibson scored 28 points, including a three-point play that gave the Bulldogs (8-2) a 96-94 lead they never lost in the second overtime, as LaTech beat the Gents (4-5) at Shreveport, La. Gibson forced the second overtime with a layup with 28 seconds left in the first OT.

BRIGHAM YOUNG 72, FRESNO STATE 67

Jimmer Fredette had 24 points and seven assists and the visiting Cougars used a 14-2 run midway through the second half for a 58-41 cushion in pulling away from the Bulldogs (4-5) at Fresno, Calif. Tyler Haws added 17 points for BYU.

HAWAI'I CHALLENGE

CHAMINADE 87, NO. 7 BYU-HAWAI'I 81

Chandler Pearson scored 21 points and Steven Bennett added 20, leading the Silverswords (3-4) past the Seasiders (5-2) in the championship game of the Hawai'i Challenge last night at McCabe Gym. Waly Coulibaly and Shane Hanson each added 14 points for Chaminade, which led 42-40 at halftime. Virgil Buensuceso scored 22, Marques Whippy 17, Rory Patterson 11 and Anthony Reilly 10 for BYUH, ranked No.7 in Division II.

HAWAI'I PACIFIC 96, HAWAI'I-HILO 76

Mike Helton scored 25 points to lead four teammates in double figures as the Sea Warriors (4-3) routed the Vulcans (2-4) at McCabe Gym. Norman Wells added 22 points, C.J. Jackson had 15, Jeff Ingram 13 and Ray Murdock 12 for HPU. Bryan Nago scored 17 points, and Andrew Gipson and Justin Smith each had 14 for UHH.

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