LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Just about the only thing that Kansas coach Bill Self liked about the ninth-ranked Jayhawks’ 67-57 victory over No. 24 Oklahoma State on Tuesday night was the outcome.

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Not their shot selection. Or their ball movement. Or even their poise.

Certainly not the fact that the teams combined for 71 fouls, creating a choppy affair that could have bled beyond 3 hours had the Cowboys managed to force overtime.

“It was a hard game to play. A hard game to coach. Probably a harder game to officiate,” Self said. “Good thing I didn’t drink a lot of water at halftime. I would have been in trouble.”

Frank Mason III had 16 points and nine rebounds to lead the Jayhawks (14-2), who moved to 3-0 in league play for the ninth straight. Kelly Oubre Jr. added 14 points, getting to the foul line 12 times as the Jayhawks finished 32 of 46 on free throws.

“It was just a lot of stop and go,” the Cowboys’ Michael Cobbins said. “In basketball, it’s hard to get into a rhythm when it’s stop and go, stop and go.”

Oklahoma State (12-4, 2-2) was still within 61-55 with 1:48 remaining, but Mason made two of his nine free throws and Devonte’ Graham added two more moments later to put the game away.

Le’Bryan Nash scored all but two of his 21 points in the second half to lead the Cowboys. Phil Forte scored all but two of his 18 points in the first half before hurting his right leg in the second, forcing the sharpshooting guard to spend long stretches on the bench.

“It’s almost like an uphill battle when we’re getting called for as many fouls as we were getting called for,” Oklahoma State coach Travis Ford said. “It was a hard-fought game.”

The rivalry between Kansas and Oklahoma State has become perhaps the most heated in the Big 12 over the past few years, picking up steam during a couple of fracases last season.

Nothing appeared to have changed Tuesday night.

After a physical first few minutes, Cliff Alexander was hit with the game’s first technical foul after he posterized Oklahoma State’s Anthony Allen with a dunk. Alexander flexed his biceps toward the scorer’s table and the freshman was immediately given the foul.

Forte knocked down two of his nine first-half free throws to give Oklahoma State a 14-7 lead.

The dunk seemed to energize the Jayhawks, though. Alexander made his own free throw to finish a three-point play, kicking off a 17-2 run over the next six-plus minutes.

During that stretch, Nash bumped Oubre after a dead ball, and the Jayhawks’ Jamari Traylor intervened, trigging a brief dust-up in front of the Kansas bench that had coaches from both teams dragging players away. Nash and Traylor both got technicals, making three in the first 8 minutes.

By the time the first half finally ended, the Jayhawks had emerged with a 32-28 advantage.

The foul-fest continued in the second half, but the Jayhawks slowly stretched their lead to 55-44 midway through. And while the game threatened to devolve into a battle of attrition, Kansas — despite its shorter bench — held tight to its lead the rest of the way.

“We missed a ton of easy shots around the rim, a ton of jump shots we normally make,” Mason said. “I think getting out in transition and getting easy baskets, that was the key for us.”

BENCH BONZANZA

Kansas may have the shorter bench, but it was also more productive. The Jayhawks had a 20-3 advantage in points from reserves, despite playing only nine guys. Oklahoma State played 12.

FORTE OK

Ford said that Forte, the Big 12’s leading scorer, should be fine after banging up his right leg. Forte’s only points in the second half came on jumper with 2:34 remaining.

TIP-INS

Oklahoma State: The Cowboys have won just two of the last 10 meetings with Kansas. … This was the first time in five matchups the outcome was decided by more than seven points.

Kansas: Mason was in double-figures scoring for the 13th straight game. … The Jayhawks won their 17th straight game at Allen Fieldhouse. … Kansas has held each of its first three Big 12 opponents below 60 points.

UP NEXT

Oklahoma State visits No. 18 Oklahoma on Saturday to open this season’s Bedlam Series.

Kansas heads to No. 11 Iowa State on Saturday in a matchup of unblemished Big 12 records.

— Associated Press —

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Kansas coach Bill Self made a deal with Devonte’ Graham: Prove in practice that he was ready to go after a nagging toe injury and the freshman guard would play against Texas Tech.

“I guess I practiced pretty good,” Graham said. “Let me play.”

Graham returned after for the first time in a month to provide a lift to the No. 12 Jayhawks, pitching in six assists and six rebounds in an 86-54 victory over the Red Raiders.

“He’s dead tired. His conditioning isn’t there at all, but it will be in a week,” Self said. “But you can tell, at least I can, regardless of if he’s scoring or not, we’re a totally different team … doing some things we don’t do nearly as well when he’s not with us.”

Perry Ellis broke out of a shooting slump by scoring a game-high 15 points for Kansas. Kelly Oubre Jr. added 14, Cliff Alexander had 12 and Frank Mason III 10 to help the Jayhawks (13-2, 2-0 Big 12) improve to 15-0 against the Red Raiders (10-6, 0-3) at Allen Fieldhouse.

Kansas has won 16 straight overall at the Phog.

Justin Jamison had a career-high 12 points off the bench for the Red Raiders, who have lost five of their last six after a 9-1 start. The last three of those games, which began league play, have been to teams ranked in the Top 25 in Texas, West Virginia and the Jayhawks.

“We just weren’t able to execute,” Texas Tech forward Zach Smith said.

Saturday’s game was basically over by halftime. And it wasn’t always pretty.

Texas Tech’s woebegone offense managed two field goals in the first 15-plus minutes, and finished with five by the break. The teams combined for 16 turnovers, including three straight by the Red Raiders during one insufferable stretch. The officials called 26 fouls, parading the teams to the free throw line 32 times over the first 20 minutes.

Relying on its frenzied man-to-man defense, Kansas forged a 10-point lead midway through the first half, then stretched the advantage to 38-17 with about 4 minutes to go.

Thanks to the abundance of fouls, eleven players took the floor in the first half for the Jayhawks. Among them was Graham, who had not played since the Georgetown game on Dec. 10 because of his severe turf toe. Moments after checking in, he lobbed a perfect pass to Alexander that his fellow freshman flushed for an alley-oop jam.

Perhaps inspired by the play, Wayne Selden hit Alexander for another alley-oop dunk.

“They’re a very talented team,” Red Raiders coach Tubby Smith said, poring quietly over the final box score. “Most talented team we’ve played so far.”

Free throws kept a miserable half for Texas Tech from being downright embarrassing.

The Red Raiders were 12 of 19 from the foul line — good numbers for a full game, let alone 20 minutes. That included a series of free throws in the final few minutes, when backup Landen Lucas went on a fouling binge that drew Self’s wrath.

There wasn’t much for him to be upset with after that.

Kansas scored the first 11 points of the second half, hitting five of its first six shots — one of them a reverse jam by Oubre — and cruised the rest of the way.

“Everybody played well,” Self said. “The starters were good, but I thought our bench was solid, too. I thought everybody played well.”

INJURY WOES

The Red Raiders played without Alex Foster, who has a concussion, and fellow forward Justin Gray, who has tendinitis. Smith said that Gray, a freshman averaging 7.1 points, will be shut down for at least a week. “See how it goes,” he said.

GOING DEEP

Ellis went 3 for 3 from beyond the arc. The junior forward had been just 5 for 19 on 3s this season. “Just keep shooting and you’ll get through it,” Ellis said.

TIP-INS

Texas Tech: Leading scorer Devaugntah Williams was held to three points on 1-for-6 shooting. … The Red Raiders have not beaten a Top 15 team on the road since 2007.

Kansas: Mason has been in double-figures scoring in 12 straight games. … Christian Garrett, a senior, scored his first career points in the final minutes. … Graham had six assists.

UP NEXT

Texas Tech: Heads down Interstate 70 to play Kansas State on Wednesday night.

Kansas: Welcomes Oklahoma State to Allen Fieldhouse on Tuesday night.

— Associated Press —

WACO, Texas (AP) — Wayne Selden made three consecutive baskets when No. 12 Kansas needed them most, and the Jayhawks held on for a 56-55 victory over No. 21 Baylor on Wednesday night to win their 24th consecutive conference opener.

Selden was 1-for-6 shooting before scoring seven points in a row, including a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 2:17 left that put the Jayhawks (12-2, 1-0 Big 12) ahead to stay.

A jumper by Selden with 2:59 left tied the game, and he added a layup with 1:19 to go.

Jamari Traylor had 13 points for Kansas before fouling out with more than five minutes left. Brannen Greene scored 12, including two free throws with 6.3 seconds remaining.

Kenny Chery led Baylor (11-3, 0-2) with 25 points.

Kansas hasn’t lost a conference opener since January 1991, when the Jayhawks were still in the Big Eight.

— Associated Press —

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas football head coach David Beaty put another important piece of his staff in place Wednesday as he announced the addition of Zach Yenser to the Jayhawk coaching staff. Yenser will serve as the run game coordinator and offensive line coach at KU.

Yenser arrives at Kansas with seven years of coaching offensive line under his belt, including stops at Cal and Louisiana Tech. In addition, he had an outstanding four-year career playing on the offensive line at Troy.

“We are thrilled to have Zach join our staff,” said Beaty. “He is full of energy, enthusiasm and passion for the game. The production of his players at both Louisiana Tech and Cal has been extraordinary. His players love and respect him and that is important to me. Much Like the rest of our staff, Zach is a man of great integrity and character and we are happy to have him leading our offensive line unit.”

A native of Marietta, Georgia, Yenser recently completed a two-year stint as the offensive line coach on Dykes’ staff at Cal. During his time in Berkeley the offensive line showed great improvement as the Golden Bears experienced two of the greatest offensive performances in school history. In 2014, the Bears established four offensive season school records, including passing yards (4,152), passing touchdowns (37), total yards per game (495.2 ypg) and first downs passing (188).

Prior to his time at Cal, Yenser spent three seasons at Louisiana Tech. He was the assistant offensive line coach for a 2012 Louisiana Tech squad that posted a 9-3 record and led the nation in both scoring offense (51.50 ppg) and total offense (577.92 ypg), while ranking third in passing offense (350.75), seventh in fewest sacks allowed (0.83 spg) and 17th in rushing offense (227.17 ypg).

Yenser spent his first two seasons at Louisiana Tech from 2010-11 working with the offensive line as a graduate assistant after having previously been an offensive line consultant under current Cal offensive coordinator Franklin at Auburn in 2008 and Middle Tennessee State in 2009. Yenser was also a consultant at Texas Tech prior to the 2012 campaign.

“Zach has worked alongside some of the finest offensive minds in the country including Sonny Dykes and Tony Franklin,” said Beaty. “He spent time with Coach Franklin not only as a coach, but also as a player in the system while he was at Troy.”

In addition to working at Cal and Louisiana Tech, Yenser has made coaching stops Colquitt County High School (2009, assistant coach/offensive line), Henderson State (2008, assistant coach/offensive line) and his alma mater Troy (2007, graduate assistant/offensive line).

Yenser was a four-year starter at Troy and at one point appeared in 42-consecutive games from 2003-06 before graduating from the school with a bachelor’s degree in communication and fine arts in 2007.

— KU Sports Information —

LAWRENCE, Kan. –Kansas head football coach David Beaty announced the hiring of six members to his coaching staff, including the arrival of four on-field assistant coaches, on Tuesday.

With the role of defensive coordinator filled by assistant head coach Clint Bowen, Beaty announced that Rob Likens will orchestrate the offensive side of the ball as KU’s offensive coordinator.

Likens arrives at Kansas after serving two seasons on the coaching staff at Cal as the assistant head coach and passing game coordinator. Under his tutelage in 2013, the Golden Bears’ aerial attack set school records for completions, yardage and attempts. Likens and the passing game followed up their record-setting 2013 season by rewriting the Cal single-season passing yardage record in 2014 with 4,152 yards.

“I’m very excited to announce that we have added Rob Likens to our staff as our offensive coordinator,” Beaty said. “Rob has been a major player in some of the best offenses in the history of college football. I have always been a fan of Rob’s ability to develop players who produce at a high level. Rob has learned from some of the best in the country and is as fine of an offensive mind as I have been around. Rob is a man of integrity and character and I cannot wait for our team to be able to benefit from his wisdom.”

Beaty also revealed the additions of five other coaching components of his inaugural staff at Kansas.

Je’Ney Jackson will serve as the head strength and conditioning coach, while on the defensive side of the ball the linebacker position will be overseen by Kevin Kane and the defensive line will be coached by Calvin Thibodeaux. On offense, Klint Kubiak will coach the wide receivers, while Gene Wier will fill the post of Director of High School Relations.

“As I’ve said before, it’s really important for us to find the right people for this program,” Beaty said. “These six guys, they not only can teach, they can recruit and they can develop relationships and produce productive citizens off the field. We are excited to have all of them onboard.”

Jackson returns to Kansas – where he once coached cornerbacks and was an assistant strength coach for the Jayhawks – after spending the previous four and a half years at the helm of the strength and conditioning program for the University of Indiana men’s basketball team.

Over his time at Indiana, Jackson helped the Hoosiers to a 2013 Big Ten Championship and assisted in producing three first-round National Basketball Association draft picks. While at Kansas, he mentored cornerback Aqib Talib to consensus All-America honors and oversaw corner Chris Harris earn a Freshman All-America Honorable Mention selection.

“Je’Ney brings a great familiarity with the University of Kansas as well as a wealth of experience in the strength and conditioning world,” Beaty said. “His ability to develop and relate to our players will be a large part of our initiative moving forward. He is widely regarded as one of the top coordinators in this field. He is without a doubt, my most important hire and we are honored to have him here.”

Joining Jackson in a return to Lawrence is Kane who served as a former captain for the program and was a two-time all-conference linebacker from 2002-05. The Kansas City, Missouri native spent the last four seasons at Northern Illinois University where he coached the tight ends and fullbacks for one year, while spending the next three seasons coaching the linebackers. Additionally he served as the Huskies’ special teams coordinator in 2013-14.

“I always admired Kevin as a player, but I am even more impressed with his ability to teach and develop young players,” Beaty said. “He is a tireless recruiter and he is as well thought of in the Kansas City community as anyone I know. He will bring an energy and toughness to our team that we will all benefit from. It has been fun watching his linebackers play over the years and I’m glad that he is now coaching our guys.”

Thibodeaux joins the Kansas staff tasked with coaching the same position he held for the previous three seasons at the University of Tulsa. While at TU, Thibodeaux helped guide the team to an 11-win season and a Liberty Bowl victory in 2012. Prior to his time with the Golden Hurricane, Thibodeaux coached in the same capacity at Dartmouth College where the Big Green posted their first winning season in Ivy League play in seven seasons.

“Calvin is a tireless recruiter and a well-respected member of the defensive line coaching community,” Beaty said. “His players exhibit responsibility, toughness and passion and we are looking forward to him bringing those elements to KU. His ability as a coach is only surpassed by his upstanding character and integrity as a man.”

Kubiak comes to Kansas to coach the wide receiver unit after a stint in the National Football League. Kubiak worked with the Minnesota Vikings for two seasons where he doubled as the assistant offensive quality control coach and assistant wide receivers coach. He also spent three seasons at Texas A&M working closely alongside Beaty in 2012.

“Klint brings a wealth of knowledge and passion to our staff,” Beaty said. “He is as hard of a worker as I have ever seen in our profession. His ability to connect with his players in the NFL and at Texas A&M has been impressive to watch. Our wide receivers will benefit greatly from his experience.”

Beaty also introduced Wier as the program’s director of high school relations. In his position with the Jayhawks, Wier will oversee all of KU’s football camps and clinics among other responsibilities with recruiting. Wier spent time as a high school head coach in both Kansas and Texas. While in Kansas, Wier guided the Olathe North football program to six state championships during his 25-year tenure as the Eagles’ head coach.

“Gene is a well-respected high school coach in the state of Kansas who has a passion for our great university,” Beaty said. “Not only is he fulfilling a lifelong dream of becoming a Jayhawk, but he will certainly add a much-needed element to our staff. His long-standing relationships with the great coaches of the state will allow us to better understand and serve our coaches.”

With Beaty’s announcement of the six new staff members Tuesday and the retention of Bowen, Reggie Mitchell (recruiting coordinator/running backs) and Louie Matsakis (director of personnel) the Kansas football staff is taking formation in anticipation of the 2015 spring football season.

— KU Sports Information —

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The guy on the Kansas roster that UNLV coach Dave Rice placed at the top of the scouting report wasn’t one of the Jayhawks’ five-star prospects or McDonald’s All-Americans. It was Frank Mason III, their relatively unheralded 5-foot-11 point guard.

Evidently, the Runnin’ Rebels didn’t pay attention.

Mason had 18 points and seven assists in another virtuoso performance Sunday, helping the No. 13 Jayhawks pull away late in a 76-61 victory in their nonconference finale.

“Mason’s the guy that makes that whole thing go,” Rice said afterward. “He’s the guy that organizes things and gets the ball where it needs to go. … He’s the key to their season.”

Mason has emerged as one of the nation’s premier guards by not only giving Kansas reliable ball-handling but also some much-needed scoring punch. The sophomore has scored in double figures in 10 straight with at least five assists in seven of them.

Not that Mason didn’t have plenty of help.

Wayne Selden Jr. and Perry Ellis added 16 points apiece, Kelly Oubre Jr. had 12 points and 10 rebounds and Cliff Alexander finished with 10 points off the bench as the Jayhawks (11-2) tuned up for the defense of their Big 12 title by winning their 15th straight at Allen Fieldhouse.

“I always knew I was capable of being this good,” Mason said, “but I still don’t think I’m playing good. I’m just doing what my teammates need me to do, coach wants me to do.”

Christian Wood had 12 points and eight boards for UNLV (9-5), which has never beaten Kansas in five tries, two of those games in the unfriendly confines of the Phog.

Cody Doolin also had 12 points for UNLV. Rashad Vaughn and Jelan Kendrick had 10 apiece.

“I was pleased with our effort the first 32 minutes or so,” said Doolin, one of the Runnin’ Rebels’ lone upperclassmen. “I just think down the stretch they just out-executed us.”

The first half resembled a yo-yo, the Jayhawks quickly pulling away in spurts, only for the Runnin’ Rebels to reel them back. Kansas at one point led 21-12, but some frigid shooting down the stretch and back-to-back baskets by Patrick McCaw helped UNLV forge a 33-29 halftime lead.

Kansas scored the first seven points of the second half to regain control, but Rice’s team refused to crack amid the roaring din of Allen Fieldhouse.

Wood, the Runnin’ Rebels’ 6-foot-11 sophomore, knocked down 3-pointers on consecutive trips down floor, and Doolin’s layup gave them a 51-49 lead midway through the second half.

Wood picked up his third foul and took a seat a moment later, though, and Kansas finally took advantage of his missing paint presence. Mason scored five points during a 14-2 charge, giving the Jayhawks the lead back in what had for a while become a back-and-forth affair.

UNLV made one last run, closing to 63-57 on a foul shot by Kendrick with 5:49 to go. But that’s when Mason got creative with his passing, setting up Alexander for a layup and then giving the big freshman forward a nifty pass for a dunk to help put the game away.

“I don’t know if we’ve ever leaned on anybody as much as we’ve leaned on Frank,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “And the kid does play. He plays great. His line today was ridiculous for us.”

ROAD WOES

The Runnin’ Rebels are 7-0 at home this season but 0-3 in true road games. Their other losses are to Arizona State and in their Mountain West opener at Wyoming.

MEDICAL CHECK

Kansas F Brannen Greene played just 8 minutes while dealing with a sore neck. Self said that Greene told him before the game that he wasn’t sure he would be able to play at all.

TIP-INS

UNLV: Goodluck Okonoboh had six points, seven rebounds and five blocks. … The Runnin’ Rebels were outscored 19-4 on the fast break and 20-6 off turnovers.

Kansas: The Jayhawks have won 10 of their last 11 games. … Selden was 3 for 3 from beyond the arc in the first 4 minutes. He had not hit three 3s in a game this season. … The Jayhawks had 17 offensive rebounds, winning the battle of the boards 45-31.

UP NEXT

UNLV: returns to conference play against Nevada on Wednesday night.

Kansas: begins its Big 12 title defense Wednesday night at Baylor.

— Associated Press —

LAWRENCE, Kansas (AP) — With all else failing on offense for Kansas, Kelly Oubre Jr. took control of the game.

Oubre scored 20 points and No. 13 Kansas beat Kent State 78-62 on Tuesday night.

“I just got into a rhythm early,” Oubre said. “I was just playing in the confines of the game.”

He started out hitting his first six shots, including all four of his 3-pointers.

“He absolutely carried us in the first 10 minutes of the game,” Kansas coach Bill Self said.

This was the second game in the last three where Oubre scored at least 20 points. He had 23 in Kansas’ win over Lafayette on Dec. 20. With the near back-to-back performances, Self said Oubre solidified his starting position.

“Oubre, who I know didn’t start early in the year, he was unbelievable in the first half,” Kent State coach Rob Senderoff said.” I’m sure he’s just scratching the surface.”

Perry Ellis added 15 for Kansas (10-2). Blunders and bloopers were evident early for Kansas. On the first possession of the game, Oubre turned the ball over. Wayne Selden Jr. missed a dunk. The entire team ended up on the floor going after a loose ball.

“I thought the first half, the first 12 minutes, we didn’t play very well at all,” Self said.

Everyone but Oubre had shooting woes. Excluding the freshman’s perfect first half, Kansas was 10 of 30.

When the Golden Flashes were called for a foul, the Jayhawks only made 3 of 8 free throws. Kent State wasn’t any better. They only shot 25 percent from the line.

Some of the woes continued after intermission for each team.

Kansas allowed five offensive rebounds for Kent State in the second half along with six-second chance points. Kansas also had eight turnovers in the half.

When Allen Fieldhouse was starting to grow quiet, Cliff Alexander dunked life into the crowd. He scored six-straight points in 58 seconds and helped guide a 12-2 run that put Kansas up by 21 points.

“Cliff’s playing like how Cliff plays,” Oubre said. “Every time Cliff’s in the game it pumps us up because he’s getting rebounds, dunks. Everything he does is really athletic. That’s what he does.”

Kent State tried charging back in the final four minutes, but the deficit was too big.

“I didn’t think our shot selection was great,” Kent State coach Rob Senderoff said. “We fouled a little bit too much, we couldn’t get enough rebounds.”

Three of Kent State’s final points of the game came off a 3-pointer from Blake Vedder, a 7-foot-4 center.

The final basket of the game was a breakaway layup from Tyler Self, the son of coach Self. It was his first of the season. Self joked about how his son went up with his right hand on the left side of the basket.

“It was good that somebody off our scout team made a basket,” Self said.

Jimmy Hall scored 13 points and eight rebounds, and Khaliq Spicer added 11 points and five rebounds for Kent State (8-4).

TIP-INS

Kansas: Oubre scored 11 points in 6:23, being the fastest Jayhawk to 10 points on the season.

Kent State last came to Allen Fieldhouse in Feb. 2008, where Kansas won 87-68.

UP NEXT

Kansas hosts UNLV on Sunday.

Kent State hosts Texas-Pan American on Friday.

STAR POWER

Freshman guard Devonte’ Graham saw the doctor Tuesday for his turf toe injury he sustained on Dec. 10. He was allowed toss the walking boot. Coach Self said there is no current prognosis on Graham, other than he is moving in a positive direction.

— Associated Press —

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — As he tried to recall some of the game’s most pivotal plays, Fran Dunphy called one shot “impossible” and shook his head in disbelief when recalling two others that somehow banked in.

Temple’s coach was as surprised as anyone by just how thoroughly his team dominated No. 10 Kansas.

Led by 19 points from Will Cummings and 18 from Quenton DeCosey, the Owls stunned Kansas with a 77-52 rout Monday night that snapped the Jayhawks’ eight-game winning streak.

Jesse Morgan added 17 points and keyed a dominant second-half performance from the Owls, who were swallowed up after the game by a sea of Temple fans rushing the court at the Wells Fargo Center, home of the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers.

“I think we played about as well as we possibly could have,” Dunphy said. “It was our night.”

Frank Mason III scored 20 points for Kansas (9-2), which shot 32.1 percent from the field and committed 17 turnovers.

No one else on the Jayhawks hit double figures, and leading scorer Perry Ellis was held to five points on 1-for-10 shooting.

“We played tired,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “And we played like we were a half-step slow or even a full step slow, in my eyes.”

The win marked Temple’s first over Kansas since 1995 but continued an impressive streak for the Owls under Dunphy. Temple has beaten a top-25 team in each of the past eight seasons and has knocked off a top-10 team in six of the past seven seasons.

Temple’s last win over a top-10 team came against Syracuse at Madison Square Garden — two years ago to the day. Three seasons ago, when Cummings was as freshman, the Owls stunned Duke at the Wells Fargo Center.

“I really wanted it to happen again,” Cummings said. “I didn’t think the fans would rush the court again. It’s a great feeling for our fans to celebrate with us. It was a great crowd tonight, and we just wanted to give them something to celebrate.”

The Owls (8-4), who have won four of their past five, shot a blistering 58.3 percent from the field, including 69.2 percent in the second half.

Plagued by turnovers and poor shot selection, the Jayhawks never led. They cut a 10-point deficit to six after halftime, but the Owls went on a 26-9 run to build a 61-38 lead midway through the second half.

The stunning spurt was capped by back-to-back 3-pointers and a three-point play from Morgan, who made his second appearance for the Owls after transferring from UMass and sitting out the first semester due to NCAA eligibility rules.

The Owls have won two straight and outscored their opponents by an average of 22.5 points since Morgan and fellow transfer Devin Coleman (Clemson) made their Temple debuts.

Coleman added five points and hit a reverse layup to put Temple ahead by 25 with seven minutes left.

“Those two guys are great scorers,” Cummings said. “You can put the ball in their hands and trust them. That takes a lot of weight off my shoulders.”

After the game, Self said he was “very impressed” watching Temple’s guards drive through the lane almost at will and make a flurry of very tough baskets. But the Kansas coach was mostly disappointed his team couldn’t combat that by executing its own offense.

Kansas struggled right from the opening tip, missing nine of its first 10 shots to fall behind 12-2 about seven minutes into the game. Things didn’t get much better for the Jayhawks the rest of the first half, either.

After a few Temple played jumped on the floor to corral a loose ball, Texas transfer Jaylen Bond electrified the crowd with a one-handed slam that put the Owls ahead 22-10 with 9:46 left.

The Owls led by as many as 14 before two 3-pointers by Mason in the final minute cut Temple’s lead to 35-25 at halftime.

“They were so much better than us,” Self said. “It wouldn’t have mattered how much energy we had. They were far superior tonight.”

Temple and Villanova are a combined 3-0 at the Wells Fargo Center this season, while the 76ers are 0-14.

—

TIP-INS

Kansas: The Jayhawks had their three-game winning streak against Temple snapped. They still lead the overall series 8-4. … The Jayhawks committed 13 turnovers in the first half, matching their season average for a single game.

Temple: For the fourth straight time they’ve played at the Wells Fargo Center, the Owls took the subway to the game from their North Philadelphia campus. … The Owls hit 12 free throws in the first half, while the Jayhawks didn’t make any.

WISE MAN

When asked if he ever could have expected Temple to beat a top-10 team this season after the Owls lost three of their first seven games, Cummings smiled and nodded.

“Yes,” he said. “Coach Dunphy told us it was going to happen.”

UP NEXT

Kansas hosts Kent State next Tuesday.

Temple hosts Delaware State on Sunday.

— Associated Press —

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Brannen Greene’s tardiness turned into an opportunity for Kelly Oubre Jr., and the freshman made the most of a surprise start for No. 10 Kansas.

Oubre had 23 points and 10 rebounds, leading the Jayhawks to a 96-69 victory over Lafayette on Saturday.

“Today was a confidence booster, something to get me started,” Oubre said. “I’m just going to keep doing the things I’ve been doing, be patient and enjoy the process.”

Greene was expected to start, but coach Bill Self yanked the sophomore forward from the lineup because he was late to a weightlifting session.

“He wasn’t going to start today,” Self said of Oubre. “That was a gift from Brannen Greene.”

Oubre was 9 for 15 from the field in his second start of the season. He also was in the starting lineup on Nov. 18 against No. 1 Kentucky and had six points in just 13 minutes in the Jayhawks’ 72-40 loss.

Wayne Selden Jr. finished with 12 points, all in the second half for Kansas (9-1). Freshman Svi Mykhailiuk and junior Jamari Traylor each had 11 points, and freshman Cliff Alexander had 10.

“Everybody had a great week leading up to it,” junior Hunter Mickelson said. “We’re on break, everybody’s finishing up finals. I think putting all that together with everyone else having a great week, just kinda fitting in with getting everything right. We just had one of those weeks.”

Seth Hinrichs led Lafayette (7-3) with 15 points and seven rebounds.

“They’re the 10th-(ranked) team in the country,” Hinrichs said. “We competed for 30 minutes and I think we can be proud of that. We had a few turnovers and they went on a run.”

Kansas played without freshman Devonte’ Graham because of a toe injury, and junior Perry Ellis was limited to seven minutes in the first half.

“I don’t think Ellis felt well today,” Self said. “Something was up.”

Kansas used a 19-4 run to open a 26-11 lead with 8:43 remaining. Mykhailiuk made consecutive 3-pointer to increase the Jayhawks’ advantage to 45-28 at the break.

The Leopards rallied in the second half, closing to 59-52 on Monty Boykins’ 3-pointer. But Kansas pulled away again.

“We worked so hard to get back in the game and all of a sudden they would go right back up and quickly,” coach Fran O’Hanlon said. “I do think there was a point where they were battling against a good team. It was going to be hard to get back in that game.”

Kansas responded with a 15-4 run. Mason had two jumpers in the surge.

“When they made their run and we weren’t playing very well, the only reason why the game wasn’t closer because of Frank,” Self said.

TIP-INS

Kansas: The Jayhawks shot 50 percent (38 for 76) from the field and outrebounded the Leopards 44-26.

Lafayette: The Leopards are 0-3 against Big 12 opponents since O’Hanlon took over in 1995.

UP NEXT

Kansas visits Temple on Monday.

Lafayette hosts the New Jersey Institute of Technology on Dec. 28.

STAT LINES

Six different Jayhawks scored in double figures.

QUOTABLE

“I learned a lesson. I’m not gonna tell you guys who I’m starting.” — Bill Self

— Associated Press —

Just two weeks after taking over as Kansas football head coach, David Beaty announced Wednesday that eight student-athletes signed letters of intent Wednesday on the first day of the mid-year signing period.

The early signing class boasts three offensive linemen, three defensive backs a defensive lineman and a running back, with six hailing from The Lone Star State. The group also consists of two sophomores and six juniors.

“We are really pleased with all of the guys we’re able to have join our program today,” Beaty said. “I said when I came here that we want to build our program on high school players and that is certainly the long term vision. With these eight players signed today, we have addressed some of our immediate needs. Having the opportunity to get these guys on campus in January is crucial for our team moving forward.”

All eight signees are expected to report in January and enroll in classes full-time, while preparing for the spring football schedule. The octet is the first of a 2015 signing class that will be solidified in early February.

“Four of these guys were qualifiers out of high school who chose to go to the junior college route in order to better develop their skills,” Beaty said. “We are excited about how they have progressed during their time at junior college and believe we can continue to develop them into players who can move our program in the right direction.”

2014 MID-YEAR SIGNING CLASS

Player                          Pos.     Ht.        Wt.       Yr.        Hometown (Previous School)

D’Andre Banks               OL        6-3       320       Jr.         Killeen, Texas (Harker Heights HS/Trinity Valley CC)

Bazie Bates IV               DB        6-1       190       Jr.         Allen, Texas (Allen HS/Trinity Valley CC)

Jacky Dezir                    DL        6-1       300       So.       Chicago, Ill. (Bowen HS/College of DuPage)

Ke’aun Kinner                RB        5-9       185       Jr.         Little Elm, Texas (Little Elm HS/Navarro JC)

Michael Mathis                DB        6-2       210       Jr.         Crosby, Texas (Crosby HS/Kilgore JC)

Jayson Rhodes               OL        6-4       285       So.       Deer Park, Texas (Deer Park HS/Blinn College)

Will Smith                      OL        6-3       315       Jr.         Shawnee, Kan. (Shawnee Mission Northwest HS/Butler CC)

Brandon Stewart            DB        6-0       175       Jr.         Cedar Hill, Texas (Cedar Hill HS/Trinity Valley CC)

— KU Sports Information —