KANSAS CITY, MO. (AP) - Markieff Morris had 12 points and 11 rebounds, and Elijah Johnson scored six points in a 12-0 run in the second half, leading No. 4 Kansas past Colorado State 76-55 on Saturday night.
Johnson came in off the bench and canned two 3-pointers after the Rams (4-3) pulled to 44-39 on a steal and driving layup by Travis Franklin early in the second half.
Marcus Morris, who’d been helped into the locker room in the first half with what looked to be a knee injury, blocked two shots in the take-charge run for Kansas (9-0). Marcus Morris’ slam was followed by a 3-pointer from Tyshawn Taylor as the Jayhawks won their first nine games for the second year in a row.
Markieff Morris, who had his third double-double, rebounded a missed free throw and dunked for a 49-39 lead. After Franklin’s bucket made it 59-43, Robinson missed a foul shot badly, barely hitting rim, but grabbed the rebound and dunked the ball, bringing a roar from the pro-Kansas crowd at Kansas City’s Sprint Center.
Taylor also had 12 points for Kansas and Tyrel Reed had 11.
Andy Ogide had 12 points for Colorado State while Franklin and Dorian Green had 10 each.
The Jayhawks outrebounded the smaller Rams 50-30.
Reed had two 3-pointers in a 10-0 run with about 6 minutes to go, putting the Jayhawks firmly in control of the Rams, who were playing their first game this season outside the state of Colorado.
The Jayhawks moved to 10-2 at Sprint Center, which is a “neutral” court in name only since it’s only about 40 miles east of the campus and is always crammed with Kansas fans.
Green, who grew up near the Kansas campus in Lawrence but chose to take a scholarship to Colorado State instead of walking on at Kansas, received a big ovation when he was introduced.
Marcus Morris, the Jayhawks’ leading scorer, threw a scare into fans early in the first half when he went down hard after going up for a rebound and appeared to hurt his knee or ankle. He was helped into the tunnel, trying not to put weight on his right leg.
But he returned with a little more than 2 minutes left in the first half to chants from the crowd of “Marcus Morris! Marcus Morris!” He wound up with eight points and four rebounds, the first time all year he has failed to score in double figures.
Kansas led by as many as 15 in the first half, taking charge early with a 15-3 run. The Jayhawks hit 10 of 12 free throws in the first half but settled for a 41-34 halftime lead.
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