TCU Loses To Kansas
Perry Ellis set the tone and ultimately carried his Kansas teammates to an impressive victory.
The senior forward had 23 points and 10 rebounds for his 15th career double-double as the No. 7 Jayhawks rolled to an easy 75-56 win over TCU on Saturday in Big 12 play at Fort Worth, Texas.
“Perry was so efficient and solid today,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “I thought he went after the ball and played with great urgency.”
Sophomore guard Devonte’ Graham added 15 points as the Jayhawks (19-4, 7-3 Big 12) won their third straight game. Junior guard Frank Mason III contributed 12 points and six assists as Kansas jumped out to a big lead and cruised to the victory.
Freshman forward JD Miller and junior guard Brandon Parrish scored 13 points apiece to lead the Horned Frogs (10-13, 1-9). Sophomore guard Chauncey Collins added 10 points for TCU, which shot just 28.6 percent from the field while losing for the seventh time in eight games.
Ellis operated at will in the interior and made 11 of 14 field-goal attempts while scoring in double digits for the 18th consecutive game. The 20-point outing was the eighth of the season for Ellis.
“We played with so much energy defensively and that just carried us to the top,” Ellis said. “We played real well.”
Kansas possessed a 46-14 edge in points in the paint and
posted a 46-25 rebounding edge.
“This game was decided by their maximum effort and our lack of it,” Horned Frogs coach Trent Johnson said.
The Jayhawks were off the mark from outside and made just 6 of 22 from 3-point range.
Kansas broke the game open with a 17-1 first-half run. The scoring splurge gave the Jayhawks a 24-point lead and they led by 18 at the break.
The Horned Frogs hung around and trailed by 15 after two free throws by Parrish with 8:53 remaining. Ellis responded with a layup and Graham drained a 3-pointer to push the lead to 63-43 with 7:38 to play.
TCU moved within 15 points less than two minutes later and Ellis again stymied the charge. He slammed home two dunks in a 1:21 span as Kansas led 71-51 with 4:03 left.
The Jayhawks’ lead topped out at 24 points on a 3-pointer by freshman guard Lagerald Vick with 2:22 remaining.
The blowout loss resulted in distressing feelings for some of the Horned Frogs.
“A game like this where we didn’t show much fight doesn’t look good for us or the program as a whole,” Parrish said.
Ellis had 11 points and five rebounds in the first half as Kansas soared to a 38-20 halftime lead.
The Jayhawks scored the first seven points and opened up a 21-10 advantage on a layup by Ellis with 8:59 left in the half. A basket by TCU junior forward Karviar Shepherd cut Kansas’ lead to eight points with seven minutes left before Kansas exploded and the Horned Frogs went 5:25 between field goals.
Graham and Mason connected on back-to-back baskets to give the Jayhawks a 29-13 lead. Ellis converted a three-point play to push the lead to 20 and Ellis’ tip-in with 2:31 remaining capped the 17-1 surge that saw Kansas hold a 38-14 lead.
