University of Missouri
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#4 Kansas
Tigers Topple No. 3 Jayhawks, 75-66
1/29/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 29, 2001
By R.B. FALLSTROM
AP Sports Writer
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) - After watching a 17-point lead evaporate against No. 3 Kansas, Missouri shrugged and went back to work.
Kareem Rush had 27 points and 11 rebounds for the Tigers, who didn't crumble in a 75-66 victory over the No. 3 Jayhawks on Monday night.
"We had to fight through it and tonight, for some reason we pushed through it," Rush said five days after a 15-0 run by Nebraska did in the Tigers. "Kansas may have been the reason, but hopefully we can stop those runs from now on and get some wins."
Kansas (17-2, 6-1 Big 12) has lost the last five times it has come to Missouri ranked in the Top 25. This time, Missouri (14-6, 5-2) ended Kansas' 10-game winning streak.
"The frustrating thing is I don't think they had their A game, and I think Quin (Snyder) would say the same thing," Kansas coach Roy Williams said. "But whatever letter grade you give their game, it was five or six times better than ours."
Brian Grawer added 14 points and was 4-for-7 from 3-point range and Clarence Gilbert had 12 for Missouri, which is 10-0 in the Hearnes Center. The floor was named for former longtime coach Norm Stewart during a halftime ceremony, and after the game Stewart was given the game ball.
Kansas erased a 17-point second-half deficit with an 18-0 run over a stretch of 5:50. Jeff Boschee had two 3-pointers in the run and Kirk Hinrich's 3-pointer gave the Jayhawks the lead for the first time at 44-43 with 12:20 left.
"There was a lot of time left and we just continued running our offense and running our plays," Grawer said. "We didn't get distracted by it."
Missouri quickly regained control. Rush scored eight points in a three-minute span as the Tigers pulled ahead 59-52 with 7:30 to go. Kansas, despite shooting 50 percent the second half, never got any closer than five points the rest of the way.
Snyder said Rush, who leads the Big 12 with a 21.6-point average, had his best overall game.
"It was his best because he competed and he didn't compete just with his jump shot," Snyder said. "He was mad when somebody didn't switch out on Kenny Gregory's jump shot."
Drew Gooden led Kansas with 19 points, Gregory added 16 and Boschee had 11.
But Kansas was only 7-for-18 at the free throw line, while Missouri was 17-for-23. Eric Chenowith missed all four of his attempts.
"I think we missed the possibility of six points in a row on the line when it was about a four- or five-point game," Williams said. "You have to be tough enough to step up to the line and make those free throws at that point."
Missouri is 5-4 against Kansas in Big 12 play, although the Jayhawks lead the overall series 152-90.
"I think the adrenaline got to us a little bit," Hinrich said. "We were uncomfortable at first and it took us a little too long to calm down."
Before the game, there was a moment of silence for victims of the Oklahoma State basketball crash on Saturday night. Both coaches as well as several others wore black and orange ribbons, the Oklahoma State school colors, during the game.
Missouri held Kansas to 35.5 percent shooting in the first half, leading 37-23. The Tigers were 5-for-10 from 3-point range and Gilbert had 11 points.
Kansas, which leads the nation with 52 percent shooting, began the game 2-for-12.
