Jayhawk fans were shaking in their tennis shoes Sunday afternoon, January 6, 2013. Dismantling an 11 point KU lead to take a 54-50 lead with seven minutes to play, Temple looked to be on the verge of beating another top ten team on the opponent's home court. Kansas seniors shouldered the load as Elijah Johnson, Kevin Young and Travis Releford scored 15 of KU's final 19 points to defeat Temple, 69-62 inside Allen Fieldhouse. Veteran consistency and a pair of rookie dunks closed the game on a 19-8 run, handing KU its 30th-consecutive win in Allen Fieldhouse.
Kevin Young keeps proving he belongs on the starting rotation and reinforces his value at the leadership position on the team as he goes a perfect 6-for-6 from the line in the final five minutes. That combined with a three-pointer from Releford cemented the game in favor of the Jayhawks. Young led the Jayhawks with 16 points and added 10 rebounds for his first double-double as a Jayhawk, while Releford and McLemore followed with 14 and 13 points, respectively. Senior center Jeff Withey completed the game one block and one bucket short of a triple-double with a final line of eight points, 11 rebounds and nine blocks.
Kansas finished the game shooting 44 percent (24-for-55) from the floor, snapping a six-game streak of shooting 50 percent or better, but held the Owls to a season-low 30 percent (19-for-63). Senior guard on Temple, Khalif Wyatt, lead the Owls the floor with 26 points, including three three-pointers.
Kansas got punched in the face by the Owls while shooting poorly and committing costly turnovers. Turnovers alone accounted for 8 more points for the Owls than Kansas that lead to the demise of the Kansas lead in the first half. But, thanks to a much improved mental toughness, the Jayhawks weathered the storm, kept calm and stayed within striking distance of Temple. There was no arguing with teammates, no finger pointing, just patience and positive frame of mind to correct the errors and stay in the game. That toughness and resiliency allowed Kansas to take back control of the game and send the Owls packing. It wasn’t the most convincing win, but teams need to face adversity to find out what their made of.
Kansas will open league play when they host Iowa State on Wednesday, January 9, at 6 P.M. on ESPNU.
Kansas Stats at a Glance
- FG Percentage - 43.6
- 3-Point FG Percentage - 35.7
- FT Percentage - 88.9
- Offensive Rebounds - 11
- Defensive Rebounds - 35
- Total Rebounds - 46
- Turnovers - 14
- Points in the Paint - 34
- Points off Turnovers - 4
- Second Chance Points - 6
- Fast Break Points - 11
- Bench Points - 9
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