GWANGJU, Korea – Guard Wayne Selden, Jr., scored 22 points and his last seven came at the most crucial juncture in USA’s 78-68 win against Russia in the semifinals of the 2015 World at Dongkang College Gymnasium Sunday.

With the win, the USA (7-0), made up mainly of University of Kansas student-athletes and staff, will play Germany (6-0) for the gold medal on Monday, July 13, at 9 p.m. local, which is 7 a.m. in Kansas, at Yeomju Indoor Gymnasium in Gwangju. Germany defeated Brazil, 59-49, in the semifinal contest just prior to the USA-Russia matchup.

Having won an all-time most 19 medals (13 gold, three silver and three bronze), the USA is looking for its first medal in the last three World University Games (WUG). USA finished ninth in the 2013 WUG and fifth in 2011. The last medal won by the American men’s basketball team was bronze in 2009. The previous USA medal was gold in 2005.

With the USA up 12 at 61-49, Russia went on a 13-0 run to take a 62-61 lead with 6:40 to play. Included was a half court three-pointer by Ivan Strebkov as time expired, giving the Russians momentum heading into the final period. Russia would score the first six points of the fourth quarter to take the 62-61 lead, then Selden took over. The Roxbury, Massachusetts, native first made a three-pointer over Russian 7-3 center Andrei Desiatnikov to give lead back to the Americans. Selden then made a layup on a fast break to put USA up four and regain the mojo.

“That’s something we’ve done the whole tournament, even against Canada,” Self said. “We get behind and our guys don’t panic. Certainly, when we got up by 10 and they (Russia) came back to take the lead, they had all the momentum and had some things go right to get back in the game. Then we locked in. Their ball movement wasn’t as good and they didn’t drive, pitch and create as many open looks as they did early, but we guarded. Then we had two individuals just play great down the stretch. Perry (Ellis) and Wayne were terrific.”

Guard Nic Moore finished a 6-0 USA run with a jumper in the lane. Following a Russian basket, forward Perry Ellis did one of his patented spin moves to give the USA a 70-64 with 4:50 to play. With Desiatnikov switching to guard Selden again at the three-point line, the 6-5 guard found room on the baseline and blew past the Russian for a monster dunk and the USA never looked back.

“My teammates found me,” Selden said of his crucial run. “I had the seven-footer on me both times, and I didn’t feel like he was able to guard me. He backed off the first time so I was able to shoot it. The second time he got a little closer so I had to drive it.”

Ellis found his groove and led all scorers with 23 points to go along with four rebounds. Selden’s 22 points marked his fourth 20-point effort in the seven USA contests at the World University Games. Moore ended the night with five points and four rebounds, while point guard Frank Mason III had 10 points, six rebounds four assists and three steals. He also drew six fouls for the game. Forward Landen Lucas ended the game with seven points on 3-of-4 shooting with five rebounds and two assists. Strebkov led Russia with 20 points.

“Attacking,” Ellis said of USA’s keys to defeating Russia. “We didn’t want to settle. Coach told us to keep attacking and that’s what we did. The key for me is to not get down. To not get down when I miss shots. My teammates were encouraging me the whole game to keep going.”

Russia built a six-point lead at 13-7 with just over four minutes left in the opening quarter, which included seven points by Stanis Ilnitskiy. The USA scrapped back and cut the lead to on at 15-14 on a Mason free throw. Russia lead 18-14 at the end of the first quarter on a Ilnitskiy three-pointer with 30 seconds left in the period.

Down 23-16, the USA used hustle and went on a 22-7 run which culminated with a steal and dunk by guard Lagerald Vick who ended the game with four points. Forward Hunter Mickelson scored all five of his game points during the run including a dunk and lay-in off a Mason miss causing a Russia timeout. The Russians did not back down and closed the quarter 9-4 run to give the Americans a 42-39 lead at halftime. Ellis kept Russia at bay down the stretch by scoring four of his 14 halftime points on turnaround baskets in the final minute of the half.

“If you’re in the game, you gotta win it,” Self said of playing for the gold medal. “It’ll be a great game for our players. I think before the trip if you would’ve asked me, ‘Hey if we can get to the medal round and have a shot at playing for the bronze? It would be a great trip.’ But here we are, our guys haven’t settled for that at all. To think that the team who started the tournament down 11 or 12 to Turkey in the first quarter, scared to death, and now we’re in attack mode. It’s fun to coach kids that are in attack mode.”

Self’s attackers have now earned themselves a chance to win the World University Games for their country, something the Jayhawks are not taking lightly.

“It feels great,” Selden said of USA playing for the gold. “I’ve never had this opportunity in my life and who knows when we’ll ever get this opportunity again, so we’re really going to seize the moment.”

UP NEXT

The USA team will play Germany Monday, July 13, at 3 p.m./9 p.m. local, which is 1 a.m./7 a.m. in Kansas at Gwangju University Gymnasium/Yeomju Indoor Gymnasium. The game will be televised on ESPNU and seen on the Watch ESPN app.

— KU Sports Information —

GWANGJU, Korea – For the first time in three World University Games, the USA will play for a medal as it defeated Lithuania, 70-48, in the quarterfinals Saturday at Dongkang College Gymnasium in Gwangju, Korea.

The USA, made up mainly of University of Kansas student-athletes and staff, went on a 25-2 run from the final minute of the third quarter to just over five minutes of the fourth period to outdistance Lithuania and advance to the semifinals against the winner of the Russia-Estonia quarterfinal, Sunday, July 12, at 6:30 p.m., 4:30 a.m. in Kansas, at Dongkang College Gymnasium. The last time USA played for a medal was when it won bronze at the 2009 World University Games, which are held every other year. USA finished fifth in 2011 Universiade and ninth in 2013.

“We played a bad third quarter, but we defended,” USA head coach Bill Self said. “Even though we only scored eight points in the third quarter, they only got 12. Then we go on a 25-2 run and it was because of defensive rebounding. We absolutely locked them up the last 13 minutes of the game. That was really a good display against a team that had been leading the tournament in scoring.”

With the score 43-42 with 1:04 left in the third quarter, USA guard Julian DeBose’s free throws started what would be an incredible run by the Americans. Guard Nic Moore made four of the first six points with two steals, resulting in a layup and a jumper. Guard Frank Mason III sandwiched in a traditional three-point play, forcing a Lithuania timeout with 8:38 to play and the USA up 52-42. Not two minutes later, Wayne Selden, Jr., drained a three-pointer off a forward Landen Lucas assist, forcing a second Lithuania timeout. Rolling, forward Perry Ellis dunked from another Lucas assist and Lucas then made a free throw to give USA a 58-42 lead at the 5:07 mark and Lithuania had yet to score in the period. Following a Lithuania basket by Paulis Dambrauskas at 4:44, the USA went on a 10-0 run en route to the victory.

Mason led USA with 18 points and four assists to go along with four steals. Moore had six steals to add to his nine points, while Lucas pulled down a team-high nine rebounds in scoring seven points. Ellis scored 11 points with six boards. Dambrauskas led Lithuania with 18 points.

“Everything starts with me – it’s starts with the point guard,” Mason said. “So I try to come out and do everything I can to get my team going. The guys did a great job of following and coming along.”

Lithuania took advantage of two USA turnovers and scored the first five points of the third quarter to cut the lead to 37-35 in favor of the Americans. With the USA up 39-37, no team scored for nearly three minutes until Mason stole the ball and raced in for a layup. On the next possession, Mason found Lucas for a dunk to give USA a 43-37 lead with 3:53 left in the period. Lithuania scored the next five points to cut the USA lead to 43-42 before DeBose drained the two free throws, his only points of the contest, to put the USA up 45-42 at the end of the period.

With the game tied at two the USA went on a 14-4 run highlighted by a Mason patented drive and lay in followed by a three-pointer and finished with a three-pointer by Selden off a Mason feed. Lithuania countered and would cut the lead to 23-18 after one period.

USA opened the second quarter with a 9-2 run with forward Hunter Mickelson capping it on a lay-in from Mason on a USA fast break which gave the Americans their largest lead of the game at 32-20 with 6:12 before intermission. Mickelson would end the contest with six points on 3-of-4 shooting and four rebounds. Lithuania was not fazed and cut the lead to seven twice including a steal and lay in by Rokas Giedraitis with 35 seconds remaining, which ended up being the halftime score at 37-30 in favor of USA.

“That’s what we came here for,” Lucas said about playing for a medal. “We still have two more games to focus on. Any medal besides gold and we’ll feel like we didn’t really accomplish what we wanted to. So we’re going for that gold.”

UP NEXT

The USA team will play the winner of the Russia-Estonia contest in the medal round semifinals on Sunday, July 12, at 6:30 p.m. local, which is 4:30 a.m., July 12, in Kansas at Dongkang College Gymnasium. The game will be televised on ESPNU and seen on the Watch ESPN app.

— KU Sports Information —

The USA National Team (5-0) for the World University Games (WUG), consisting mainly of the Kansas men’s basketball student-athletes and staff, will face Lithuania (4-1) in the medal round quarterfinals on Saturday, July 11, at noon local time which is 10 p.m. on July 10 in Kansas, at Dongkang College Gymnasium. The USA-Lithuania contest will be televised on ESPNU and the Watch ESPN app.

Matched on the other side of the quarterfinals bracket is Russia (5-0) and Estonia (3-1). The USA-Lithuania and Russia-Estonia winners will advance to the semifinals and the potential to win a medal, while the two losers will play in the consolation bracket. The other side of the quarterfinals includes Germany (5-0) vs. Canada (4-1) and France (5-0) vs. Brazil (4-1). Including exhibition play, the USA is 3-0 against the medal bracket foes (2-0 vs. Canada and 1-0 vs. Brazil).

Having won an all-time most 19 medals (13 gold, three silver and three bronze), the USA is looking for its first medal in the last three World University Games. USA finished ninth in the 2013 WUG and fifth in 2011. The last medal won by the American men’s basketball team was bronze in 2009. The previous USA medal was gold in 2005.

Historically, the USA is 2-1 against Lithuania in the World University Games. Lithuania won the last meeting in 2011, 76-74, and would later win the bronze medal. The USA won the first two matchups – 106-81 in 1995 and 97-88 in 1999 – with both eventually being gold for the Americans.

USA Update
Guard Wayne Selden, Jr., has led USA in scoring in three of the five games and leads the World University Games (WUG) with 19.4 points per game average. He has made a team-best 11 three-pointers, one more than guard Nic Moore who has 10. Selden is tied forward Perry Ellis for the team lead in rebounding with 6.4 boards per game. Ellis is scoring 10.6 points per contest, which is third on the team. Frank Mason III is second on the team with a 14.0 ppg, which is tied for eighth in the WUG, and leads the squad with 21 assists. His 4.2 assists per game are tied for second in the WUG. Mason also leads the team with 11 steals. Forward Hunter Mickelson is third the WUG in field goal percentage at 59.5 percent. He has a team-best four blocked shots and is averaging 9.8 points and 5.0 rebounds. Moore scores 6.6 points per contest, while guard Julian DeBose, who led USA with 18 points against Switzerland, has a 6.0 scoring average, just ahead of guard Lagerald Vick’s 5.6 ppg.

As a team, USA holds a +12.0 rebound margin and has outrebounded four of five opponents. Additionally, the USA squad is outshooting its opponents 46.4 percent to 34.3. The USA’s best quarter has been the third where is averages 23.6 points, followed by the second (22.2), fourth (20.2) and first (17.0).

About Lithuania
Lithuania finished second in Pool C, posting a 4-1 record. It opened the World University Games with a 70-67 loss to Pool C winner France and then won four straight defeating Finland (87-70), Chinese Taipei (93-37), Japan (90-76) and Australia (74-67). The winner of the Lithuania-Australia contest advanced to the medal bracket. Lithuania leads the World University Games in scoring at 86.6 points per game. The Lithuanians are giving up 69.2 ppg for a +17.4 scoring margin. Lithuania is also leading the Games in field goal percentage at 50.2 percent, outrebounding opponents 41.2 to 30.0 and rank second in the WUG with 5.0 blocked shots per game.

No. 31 Rokas Giedraitis leads Lithuania in scoring at 14.4 points. He has made a team-best 15 three-pointers. Other Lithuanians double-figure scorers include No. 27 Donatas Tarolis (12.0 ppg) and No. 10 Egidijus Mockevicius (11.0 ppg). Mockevicius lead the World University Games in field goal percentage at 60.5 percent.

What’s Ahead
Should the USA advance to the semifinals of the 2015 World University Games, it would play on Sunday, July 12 at 6:30 p.m. local, 4:30 a.m. in Kansas, at Dongkang College Gymnasium against the winner of the Russia-Estonia contest. The losers in those quarterfinals games will play July 12 at 6 p.m. local, 4 a.m. in Kansas, at Muan Indoor Gymnasium.

USA Goes Undefeated in Pool D
With its 96-57 win against Switzerland on July 9, the USA posted a 5-0 record in winning Pool D. USA opened the Games with two nine-point victories against Turkey (66-57) on July 4, and Brazil (81-72) on July 5. Following a 106-41 blowout win versus Chile on July 7, the USA team won a 66-65 nail biter against Serbia on July 8. The Americans closed out pool play with the win versus Switzerland.

How this Happened
In April 2014, the Kansas basketball team was selected by the United States International University Sports Federation (US-IUSF) to represent the United States in the World University Games. Kansas was selected as the team to represent the U.S. from the schools that expressed interest.

With more than 150 countries competing in 21 sports, the World University Games are held every two years and are governed by the International University Sports Federation. Only current university student-athletes or recent graduates, born between Jan. 1, 1990, and Dec. 31, 1997, are eligible for the 2015 Games. For Kansas’ participation, only U.S. citizens can compete and incoming freshmen and transfers qualify. The Kansas travel party, consisting of 12 competitors and 11 staff (23 total), will leave Lawrence June 28 and live in the athlete village throughout the Games.

This is the second time a college team will compete in the World University Games. In 2007, the University of Northern Iowa participated and finished ninth in Bangkok, Thailand.

Historically
The World University Games are held every other year and are organized by the International University Sports Federation (FISU). The World University Games is a multi-sport competition open to men and women who are between the ages of 17 and 24, and are or have been within the past year, a student at a college or university.

The World University Games began in 1965 in Budapest, Hungary, with the United States men’s basketball team posting a 9-0 record in winning the gold medal. The USA has won 13 gold medals with its last in 2005 and its 19 total medals are more than any other country.

— KU Sports Information —

GWANGJU, Korea – Behind 18 points from Julian DeBose and 16 from Wayne Selden, Jr., the USA men’s basketball team completed Pool D undefeated at the 2015 World University Games with a 96-57 win against Switzerland Thursday at Dongkang College Gymnasium in Gwangju, Korea.

The contest was the final tune up for the USA (5-0) before the medal round quarterfinals on Saturday, July 11 at noon (July 10, 10 p.m. in Kansas) against the winner of the Lithuania-Australia game that is being played July 9. The quarterfinal will be televised on ESPNU.

The early 10 a.m. local start did not faze the Americans. Like the Chile contest on July 7, the USA jumped out to a 12-3 lead on Switzerland. USA had eight different players reach the scoring column in the quarter and built a 23-8 lead on a jumper by Lagerald Vick with 3:15 to play in the period. USA led 25-14 after one period. Vick ended the game with 11 points and led all rebounders with seven.

“Switzerland is not as talented as Brazil or Serbia or Turkey, but we did shoot the ball well today,” head coach Bill Self said of the USA squad which shot 59 percent from the field, including 10-for-17 from three-point range against the Swiss. “We’ve shot the ball well just two games over here and that’s today – which was great – and versus Chile. Against our more competitive teams, we haven’t shot it very well, so I’m looking forward to seeing if we can carry this over and shoot the ball well on Saturday.”

Switzerland went on a 7-2 run to open the second quarter and cut the lead to 27-22, but the USA dominated the final seven minutes of the period and built an 18-point lead at 48-30 on a DeBose jumper in the lane. DeBose followed that with a three-pointer as time expired to give the Americans a 51-33 lead at intermission.

A track meet occurred in the third period as USA ran away with the game fast break after fast break and dunk after dunk. Switzerland scored the first basket after intermission, but then the USA team went on an 18-0 run to extend lead to 69-35 with 4:51 remaining the in the period. Included were three monster dunks, two alley-oop style, from Selden. Forward Hunter Mickelson also continued his solid play in the World University Games, which included a steal at midcourt capped off with an alley-opp dunk from Selden to complete the play during the 18-0 run. DeBose once again made a field goal to end the quarter and give USA an 81-46 lead.

“We had the ball moving, we were getting rebounds and we got stops,” DeBose said. “It was an all-around good game.”

USA cruised through the fourth quarter as all but two Americans reached the scoring column. Once again, the USA dominated the boards, outrebounding Switzerland 42-27.

Forward Perry Ellis scored all 11 of his points in the first half. Forward Jamari Traylor had eight points on 3-of-4 shooting, while forward Carlton Bragg, Jr. scored nine for the game. Guard Nic Moore had a team-best six assists to go along with six points and guard Frank Mason III scored eight points and had five assists in the victory.

“Everybody played with passion,” Bragg said. “It was pretty fun out here and we’re just ready for the medal round.”

UP NEXT

The USA team will play the winner of the Lithuania-Australia contest in the medal round quarterfinals on Saturday, July 11, at noon local, which is 10 p.m., July 10, in Kansas. The game will be televised on ESPNU and seen on the Watch ESPN app.

— KU Sports Information —

JEOLINAMDO, Korea – Behind 23 points from guard Frank Mason III, the USA men’s basketball team jumped all over Chile from the start in posting a 106-41 win in its third contest of the World University Games Tuesday at Muan Indoor Gymnasium in Jeolinamdo, Korea. The facility is located an hour west of Gwangju, the host city for the Games.

With the win, the USA, which is comprised mainly of University of Kansas student-athletes and staff, improved to 3-0 in Pool D play, setting up a contest of undefeated teams when it will play Serbia on Wednesday, July 8, at noon local, 10 p.m., July 7 in Kansas. Also on Tuesday, Serbia defeated Turkey 61-43 to improve to 3-0. The top two of six teams from each of the four pools will play in the medal bracket in the World University Games.

Guard Nic Moore recorded two of his four first-half three-pointers within the first three minutes of the game. Guard Wayne Selden, Jr., sandwiched another three-pointer between Moore’s two to give the Americans a 9-2 lead. On USA’s next possession, Perry Ellis made a lay-in and then Carlton Bragg, Jr., hit a jumper to pile onto the Americans’ quick start, 13-2. USA led 22-11 at the end of the first quarter. Bragg, without his mask worn from a broken nose suffered in practice, started the game for USA.

Selden ended the contest with 18 points, while forward Hunter Mickelson scored 16 points on 8-of-10 shooting. Moore had 15 points, all from three-point range. Ellis had nine points and eight rebounds, while forward Landen Lucas led all rebounders with 14 boards to go along with six points. All-in-all, 11 of the 12 USA players reached the scoring column for the contest. Fernando Schuler led Chile with 17 points.

“We haven’t shot the ball over here very well at all,” head coach Bill Self said. “So it was great to come out like this and Nic (Moore) got us out to a good start. Of course, Wayne (Selden, Jr.) is playing at a ridiculously high level right now. Frank (Mason) made shots. Even though it wasn’t as competitive of a game, it was good to see our guys score real points to give ourselves a big lead.”

Mason led all scorers with 23 points, which included three traditional three-point plays. He had all 11 of his first-half points in the second quarter, which included two three-point plays and another trey. USA took its largest lead of the first half, 47-19, which was the halftime score, when Mason completed his second three-point play with 1:30 before intermission.

“It was huge,” Ellis said of the start. “We haven’t been getting out to quick starts these first couple games and coach was emphasizing that. We got out tonight and knocked down some shots and played some great defense. It was great for us.”

The second half was more of the same as the USA team scored 11 of the first 13 points after intermission with Mason scoring six, Selden three and Ellis two on one of many dunks for the Americans for the contest. In the fourth quarter, the USA team went on a 16-0 run to make the score 100-36.

USA dominated the boards for the second-straight game. The Americans outrebounded Brazil 50-27 on July 5 and then Chile, 52-28, Tuesday afternoon.

UP NEXT

The USA team will return to Dongkang College Gymnasium to take on Serbia in the battle of the Pool D undefeated teams on Wednesday, July 8, at noon, which is 10 p.m. on July 7 in Kansas. The game will be televised on ESPNU and seen on the Watch ESPN app.

— KU Sports Information —

GWANGJU, Korea – For consecutive games, guard Wayne Selden, Jr. put up All-American numbers as he led USA to an 81-72 victory over Brazil in its second contest of the World University Games Sunday at Dongkang College Gymnasium in Gwangju, Korea.

With the win, USA, which is comprised mainly of University of Kansas players and staff, improved to 2-0 in Pool D play. Also on Sunday, Serbia defeated Chile (0-2), 69-43, to improve to 2-0, while Brazil fell to 1-1. Turkey is also 1-1 after its 68-61 win versus Switzerland (0-2). The top two of six teams from each of the four pools will play in the medal bracket in the World University Games.

A Kansas junior-to-be from Roxbury, Massachusetts, Selden scored team-high 19 points in Saturday’s win against Turkey and poured in a USA-best 23 points the following day against Brazil to lead all scorers – but made a point to say it wasn’t all him. Point guard Frank Mason III recorded 15 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, once again orchestrating the USA squad to victory. Forward Hunter Mickelson provided major spark off the bench in scoring 11 points and pulling down eight rebounds, while forward Jamari Traylor was his usual high-motor self. He added 10 points and his patented diving hustle plays in the win.

“My teammates found me when I was open,” Selden said. “I just knocked down shots and stayed aggressive throughout the entire game. My team really pushed me to do it.”

Both teams got off to sluggish starts as the contest was 2-1 in favor of Brazil with 6:43 in the opening quarter. Selden then scored five-straight points to give USA a 6-2 edge. Brazil would later drain back-to-back three pointers and recapture the lead at 12-10 and held on to a 13-12 advantage after one quarter.

Offense picked up in the second quarter as the USA more than doubled its first-quarter output by scoring 28 points. Down 23-19, the USA team went on a 14-0 run to go up 10 at 33-23 with 2:26 before intermission. Selden drained two threes during the run and Mason scored five points in the span. The Americans built their largest lead of the half when Perry Ellis hit a three from the right wing to go up 38-25. Ellis ended the contest with nine points and eight rebounds. Mason’s jumper with 26 seconds remaining gave USA a 40-28 lead at intermission.

“We defended well and we really rebounded,” USA head coach Bill Self said. “Brazil was +34 on the glass in its last game and today we were +23. We did a great job on the glass. We didn’t shoot the ball great again, but we made some timely shots. Primarily, the thing we did better than anything – other than Wayne playing great – was our bench was really good. Our role guys were really good.”

The action continued for both teams in the third period. Mickelson showed a lot of hustle with a dunk off a missed shot to give USA a 47-36 lead. He then grabbed an offensive rebound, making way for a Julian DeBose bucket and a 50-40 advantage. Forward Carlton Bragg, Jr. made a pair of free throws with 2:06 in the period to give USA its largest lead of the game, 57-41.

Up 59-44 heading into the fourth quarter, Brazil scored the first four points of the period with two lay-ups. Shutting down any comeback momentum, guard Lagerald Vick drained a three from the corner and Traylor hit a baseline jumper to push the lead back to 16 at 64-48. The Brazilians did not back down and cut the USA lead to eight at 64-56 with 6:30 to play. Poised to close it out, Selden hit a jumper in the lane and Mickelson scored a traditional three-point play off a feed from Mason to give USA a 69-56 lead.

“They were really big,” Mickelson said of the Brazilian team. “They had a lot of good guys and a lot of low-post people. They were really strong and they played through their bigs a lot.”

Brazil made one more run at the Americans, cutting the lead to seven at 75-68 with 57 seconds remaining. On the next possession, Mason drove the lane and, in Mason style, passed the ball to Vick in the left corner who drilled his second three-pointer of the game to give the USA a comfortable cushion and eventually the victory.

UP NEXT

After two games in two days, the USA team will take off Monday, July 6, and play Chile on Tuesday, July 7, at 2:30 p.m. local, which is 12:30 a.m. in Kansas. The contest will be played at Muan Indoor Gymnasium and will not be televised.

— KU Sports Information —

GWANGJU, Korea – Kansas men’s basketball, representing the USA National Team, gave its home country a little more to celebrate on Independence Day by defeating Turkey 66-57 in the opening round of the 2015 World University Games at Dongkang College Gymnasium in Gwangju, Korea.

Behind 19 points from Wayne Selden, Jr., the USA Team (1-0) used a 12-2 run to open the second half and overcome a 36-32 deficit en route to the victory in Pool D play. The USA Team was powered by a 10-player rotation that eventually wore the Turkey squad down.

“We didn’t play very good individually but we did defend really well the last 45 minutes as a team,” USA head coach Bill Self said. “I think that was a difference and I also think conditioning was a difference. They were so much better than us early on. From the 15-minute mark on, I felt like if we could push the pace, that eventually they would wear down. They got tired.”

Selden led all scorers, just missing a double-double with nine rebounds, which also led both teams for the game. Forward Perry Ellis scored 17 points and pulled down six rebounds, while guard Frank Mason III added 12 points and four assists. Guard Nic Moore had nine points, which included two three-pointers. Turkey (0-1) was led by Muhammed Senli who scored 18 points, including 15 in the first half before being limited due to an injury.

“We wanted to try and get out and run as much as we could,” Ellis said. “They slowed us down a little bit, but we still grinded the game out and won. That’s all that counts.”

The USA squad scored the first five points of the contest on an Ellis three and a lay-in from forward Jamari Traylor, but that did not phase the Turkey squad as they scored the next 12 points to take a 12-5 lead. Included was two of Turkey’s four three-pointers in the first period alone. Two Mason buckets cut the lead to 19-11 with just over two minutes in the opening period.

“The competition was high level against a team we’re not familiar with,” Moore said. “But we stuck it out and played all four quarters.”

Trailing 21-12 heading into the second quarter, Moore capped a 7-0 USA run by draining a three-pointer from the corner. A minute later, the USA would tie the game at 23-23 on a Hunter Mickelson follow. Turkey then made two threes to build back a six-point cushion at 29-23 with 3:55 before half. Ellis would later get a steal and basket to cut the lead to one at 33-32, yet Sertac Sanli drained a three with seven seconds to give Turkey a 36-32 edge at intermission.

After its 12-2 run to open the second half, the USA Team led 39-38 and never gave the lead back to Turkey. Selden ended the third quarter with an alley-oop dunk from Moore to give the USA Team a 54-47 lead heading into the fourth stanza. Out of the break, Selden then recorded a traditional three-point play off an offensive rebound and put back to give USA its largest lead of the game at 57-47 with 8:54 to play in the contest.

Turkey was able to cut the lead to four at 61-57 with just over four minutes left, but forward Landen Lucas followed an Ellis miss with a lay-in and Mason iced the game with one of his signature driving layups and a free throw as the Rock Chalk Chant started by the couple hundred KU faithful in attendance with just over 30 seconds remaining.

UP NEXT

The USA team will return to Dongkang College Gymnasium for its second game in as many days when it plays Brazil, a Pool D contender. Tip is set for 8:30 p.m. local which is 6:30 a.m. in Kansas. The game will be televised on ESPNU and the Watch ESPN app.

— KU Sports Information —

GWANGJU, Korea – Kansas men’s basketball, representing the USA National Team at the 2015 World University Games, ran past China 93-56 in a scrimmage game Thursday afternoon at the Seolwol Girls School Gymnasium in Gwangju, Korea.

Down 11-7 midway through the first quarter, guard Tyler Self started a USA 11-2 run by hitting a jumper followed by a Perry Ellis alley-oop from guard Evan Manning to put the Americans up 18-13. USA took a 20-16 advantage into the second quarter.

With a 26-22 lead, the USA squad went on a 10-0 run midway through the second period to build a 14-point cushion. Forward Landen Lucas scored eight of the team’s 10 points, including three dunks. The China team cut the lead back to single digits by scoring the final five points of the half giving the Americans a 36-27 lead at intermission.

“We played fast, so we looked pretty athletic,” USA coach Bill Self said following the victory. “The biggest thing is everybody got to play. We still make the game harder for us than it actually is at certain times. If we could just get to where we guard the ball and become a better rebounding team, I think we could be pretty good. We don’t have the full complement of our guys but the guys who are playing are doing a really nice job. I’m happy to be around them and happy to coach them.”

Once again, the USA Team used it athleticism to blow by the China squad as it opened the third quarter with a 12-3 stretch which included six points from forward Hunter Mickelson and four from guard Julian DeBose to give the USA a 48-31 lead.

The USA Team saved it best energy for the fourth quarter as it outscored China 36-18 in cruising to the victory. In the run the Americans had five fast-break dunks and drained four three-pointers.

Opening Ceremonies are set for Friday, July 3 and the USA delegation said the event is sold out and expect more than 40,000 people inside Gwangju Universiade Main Stadium. The Opening Ceremonies are set to being at 7 p.m., 5 p.m. in Kansas, can be seen live online at http://www.livefisu.tv/home.

The USA will begin World University Game Pool D competition when it plays Turkey on July 4 at noon, which is July 3 at 10 p.m. in Kansas. The game will be played at Dongkang Gymnasium and televised on ESPNU.

— KU Sports Information —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jamari Traylor was straight air born, putting the exclamation point on another come-from-behind win for the United States against Canada. He caught Frank Mason III’s pass in-flight and slammed it through the hoop in the final minute, showcasing the teamwork and execution needed for the Kansas men’s basketball team to represent the USA in the 2015 World University Games.

Making its last appearance in America before heading to Gwangju, Korea, Kansas eradicated a 10-point deficit for the second-straight game to defeat the Canadian National Team inside Sprint Center Friday night, 87-76.

Wayne Selden, Jr., was a stud. He led the floor with 22 points and 10 rebounds, recording what would have been his first career double-double if the game had been official. He finished 6-for-11 from the floor, and when he wasn’t hitting threes (3-for-5), he dished out three assists and made seven of his eight free throws.

Senior-to-be Perry Ellis played a major role with 18 points and narrowly missed a double-double with nine rebounds. Tuesday’s hero, Mason, was happy to play the supporting role on Friday as his 11 assists would have tied a career high. Between he and Ellis, the two combined for an impressive seven steals. His 15 points were an added – and necessary – bonus. Aside from Traylor’s celebration dunk, he came away with six points, seven boards and two steals.

Echoing what they did against Canada on Tuesday, the Americans again found themselves down by 10 points in the second quarter, by the exact same 35-25 margin. However, Kansas retooled and regrouped over halftime and came out firing at a 47 percent clip (18-for-38) in the second half, while silencing Canada to 9-of-28 shooting (32 percent) in the same span.

While KU’s shooting numbers drastically improved, it was the stats that didn’t show on the scoreboard that made the biggest impact. USA outdid Canada on the glass (47-37), in the assists column (22-15) and collected 13 steals compared to the visitors’ four.

Canada was led by guard Adika Peter-McNeilly’s 15 points along with Aaron Best and Tommy Nixon, who each hung up 10 points apiece. The trio recorded seven of Canada’s 10 three-pointers on the evening.

The Jayhawk defense was on point in the opening quarter, evidenced by a well-executed halfcourt trap by Selden and Traylor. After a Selden three-pointer and a crafty Ellis steal/Mason layup, KU rolled out an 11-4 lead.

Canada had some defensive prowess up its sleeve, using its size to clamp down on the Jayhawks in the middle and allowing its offense to close the gap. A 9-0 run suddenly shot the visitors in front, 16-13. When shot blockers clogged the lane, the U.S. responded from the perimeter. Mason launched his first three and Carlton Bragg, Jr., connected on a long two-pointer. Selden snuck to the hoop for a last-second layup, ending the first quarter with a 21-20 Canada advantage.

The same lights-out three-point shooting that built Canada’s big lead on Tuesday crept up again in the second quarter. Back-to-back treys from Jarred Ogungbemi-Jackson and Best got the Canadians out to a 29-21 lead, prompting a Bill Self timeout. Out of the pause, the visiting squad upped its lead to 35-25, while KU made just one of its 10 shots in the same stretch.

Facing its second double-digit deficit in as many games, the Americans again rose to the occasion. Guards Nic Moore, Mason and Selden attacked the basket and made every free throw they earned. A forced shot-clock violation later, Selden drained a corner three to cap an 11-0 Kansas run and take the lead. Despite a dismal 14.3 percent shooting (2-for-14) in the second quarter, Kansas had the 36-35 edge. Canada, with much better 7-for-14 second quarter, hit its sixth three-pointer to take a 40-36 lead into halftime.

The wake-up call worked. The Jayhawks made their first four baskets to start the third quarter, including a three-pointer from Moore and a one-handed statement dunk from Traylor. Canada’s stars never seemed to cool, putting up three more threes in the third, but Kansas had answers – most of which came from Selden. He continued to lead all scorers, even with Canada turning its focus directly on him. Even his defensive rebounds resulted in points as his last one of the quarter transitioned into a layup for Hunter Mickelson at the buzzer, setting up a 60-58 score to start the fourth.

The late bucket sparked Mickelson, who started the final frame with another layup, took a hard foul on a dunk attempt and swatted a Canadian shot attempt. Selden stepped back onto the scene, scoring his 20th point of the game. With seven minutes to play, Kansas took the 65-63 lead.

Kansas outran the visitors to keep them off the board for more than two minutes. A big rebound for Selden turned into an outlet pass-then-layup for Mason. Bragg hit a three-pointer and, for good measure, Selden chimed in with a put-back dunk – and zipped a pass to Bragg for a dunk. With two minutes on the clock, Kansas sailed to a 10-point margin, 81-71. With a roaring crowd, U-S-A chants and one more monster dunk from Traylor, Kansas wrapped up the 87-76 win.

The USA National Team will play China in one more exhibition contest on July 2 in Gwangju, Korea before officially opening the World University Games against Turkey on Saturday, July 4, at Dongkang Gymnasium, which is 10 p.m. (Central) on Friday, July 3, in Lawrence.

— KU Sports Information —

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Kansas guard Kelly Oubre, Jr., was the overall No. 15 choice of the Atlanta Hawks in the 2015 NBA Draft at the Barclay Center in Brooklyn Thursday.

This marks the sixth-straight season a Jayhawk has been selected in the first round. Historically, Oubre becomes the 77th player to be drafted in Kansas men’s basketball history and the 19th in the Bill Self-era.

“Whoever winds up getting me, I’m definitely going to give them 110 percent effort,” Oubre told the ESPN audience after hearing he could be traded to the Washington Wizards. “I want to show everybody what I can do and be great someday.”

An All-Big 12 Honorable Mention selection, Oubre averaged 9.3 points and 5.0 rebounds for the Jayhawks in 2014-15. A member of the 2015 Big 12 All-Newcomer Team, the New Orleans native with a 71-inch wingspan, was second on the KU squad with 41 steals and led the Jayhawks in steals 11 times during the season.

Oubre started 27 games for KU including the last 26 contests, missing only Senior Night as Jayhawk senior Christian Garrett replaced him against West Virginia (3/3).

Named one of 10 finalists for the USBWA Wayman Tisdale Award honoring the top freshman in the country, Oubre was a two-time Big 12 Newcomer of the Week in 2014-15. He recorded three games of 20 or more points, including a career-high 25 points against TCU in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Championship, March 12, at Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri. He also recorded three double-doubles on the season.

Kansas posted a 27-9 overall record in 2014-15 and won its 11th-straight, 15th Big 12 and NCAA-leading 58th overall conference regular-season championship with a 13-5 league record. The Jayhawks had the toughest schedule in the nation and its 10 victories against Associated Press nationally-ranked teams at tip were the most for KU in a season. Kansas faced 16 ranked teams at tip which were four more than the previous high for a season set three times (1994-95, 2002-03 and 2011-12). Included were 2015 Final Four teams Kentucky and Michigan State.

— KU Sports Information —