 with 29 points and 15 rebounds. Marcus Garrett added 16 points, Lagerald Vick had 14 and Dotson finished with 10, including the clinching free throws with 5.9 seconds left that effectively put the game away.''They move the ball so well,'' Garrett said, ''and it went from corner to corner and we couldn't guard it. Then we made the switch and we were able to contain.'' Iowa State (14-5, 4-3) still got within 72-71 on a driving layup by Marial Shayok with 1:44 to go, but Garrett followed a swap of empty possessions with a layup. Michael Jacobson hit a free throw for the Cyclones, but Lawson's 3 from the top of the key made it 77-72 with 22.3 seconds left.Shayok added the last of his team-high 26 points for Iowa State, and after Dotson made the second of two free throws, Tyrese Haliburton made two of his own to get within 78-76 with 7.5 seconds left.Dotson was immediately fouled on the inbound and this time he made both of his free throws.It allowed the Jayhawks to escape with a split of the season series after getting blown out at Hilton Coliseum earlier this month. It also kept Kansas from falling a game behind the Cyclones in what has already become a jammed race for the Big 12 championship.''I thought the biggest adjustment they made was just the physicality they defended us with,'' Cyclones coach Steve Prohm said. ''That's on me. This one is on me.'' Talen Horten-Tucker finished with 16 for the Cyclones. Jacobson had 10 points and 11 rebounds.The Cyclones took the lead in the opening minutes of the first half and never really relinquished it, even though the Jayhawks kept making brief runs that threatened to push them ahead.Iowa State maintained control with crisp passing, balanced offense and enough rebounding, while the Jayhawks relied heavily on Lawson, who had 15 points and eight boards at the break.The fact that Kansas was always a possession or two from taking the lead ramped up the nervous energy inside Allen Fieldhouse, turning it into a powder keg. And it finally erupted when Lagerald Vick slammed an ally-oop in transition to give the Jayhawks a 55-53 lead with 10:23 to go.Lindell Wigginton and Horten-Tucker had chances to stop the run, but they combined to miss three straight foul shots. It eventually reached 14-0 when K. J. Lawson scored on a scooping layup, giving the Jayhawks a 61-53 advantage with 8 1/2 minutes left in the game.Foul trouble soon became a problem for both teams.Ochai Agbaji, who provided a big lift off the bench in the first half, fouled out for Kansas on a loose ball with 6:32 to go. Horten-Tucker soon picked up his fourth, and the Cyclones' Cameron Lard was on the floor for about a minute before fouling out with no points and two rebounds.Kansas still led 69-62 when Wigginton knocked down a 3-pointer. Jacobson added a free throw, then made a spectacular defensive play before hitting a 3 of his own to knot the game 69-all.From there, it call came down to the final couple minutes.TITLE REUNIONFour members of the Jayhawks' 2008 national championship team were seated behind the Kansas bench in an impromptu reunion: Sasha Kaun, Mario Chalmers, Sherron Collins and Brandon Rush. All of them but Kaun have their names hanging in the rafters of the Phog.BIG PICTUREIowa State's hot shooting staked the Cyclones to an early lead, but a series of timeouts by Prohm did little to slow down the Jayhawks during their big second-half run. And when Iowa State had chances to stop it at the foul line, a series of misses cost dearly.Kansas improved to 14-2 at Allen Fieldhouse under Self, and is now 38-3 since the 2013-14 season when coming off a loss. The Jayhawks also avoided falling to 4-3 to start Big 12 play for the first time since the 2004-05 season.UP NEXTIowa State visits Mississippi on Saturday in the SEC-Big 12 Challenge.Kansas travels to Rupp Arena on Saturday to play No. 8 Kentucky.---More college basketball: http://apnews.com/Collegebasketball and http://twitter.com/-Top25)
Jan 20, 2019A matchup against the team that handed Kansas a lopsided defeat could help the No. 7 Jayhawks quickly refocus.Assuming, of course, they still aren't too dazed by the late rally they surrendered on Saturday.Kansas (15-3, 4-2 Big 12) plays host to Iowa State (14-4, 4-2) on Monday in a clash between two of the four co-leaders atop the conference. The other two teams with 4-2 league marks -- Kansas State and Texas Tech -- meet on Tuesday.The Jayhawks fell into that logjam on Saturday. They led last-place West Virginia by six points before failing to score over the final 2-plus minutes and losing 65-64 in Morgantown. A quick turnaround finds Kansas returning home to face Iowa State, which prevailed 77-60 over the Jayhawks in a Jan. 5 romp."We'll be OK," Kansas coach Bill Self said."You know, you can't get this one (at West Virginia) back, so you've got to put it in your rearview mirror, so to speak. Yeah, we'll be OK. We'll be excited to play Iowa State." But the Jayhawks will have to play better in the clutch. Granted, they have won more close games than they have lost, claiming eight wins by seven points or less, although some of those outcomes didn't have to come down to the wire.When asked about late-game gaffes, junior forward Dedric Lawson told the Lawrence Journal-World: "We do it at practice, too. We take it for granted in practice when we scrimmage against the (scout) team and they score at the end and we don't get stops. ... Guys have got to take that stuff seriously moving forward." Big 12 rivals are certainly taking Lawson seriously.Since the Jayhawks lost 7-foot center Udoka Azubuike (fractured wrist) and have continued to play without 6-9 Silvio De Sousa (eligibility inquiry), Lawson must battle underneath. Opponents have collapsed defenses realizing the Jayhawks struggle to shoot behind the arc.Lawson continues to average a double-double (18.9 points, 10.7 rebounds), but the Memphis transfer has failed to reach his scoring average in six of the past seven games. Kansas is getting an unexpected offensive boost from sophomore guard Marcus Garrett, who has scored 35 points in the last two games to boost his season average to 7.2."And, he can guard anybody," Self said.Iowa State presents a difficult challenge for defenders because several contributors are interchangeable.The Cyclones are coming off a 72-59 win over Oklahoma State. They were led by the Big 12's leading scorer, Virginia transfer guard Marial Shayock, with 20 points. He is averaging 19.4 points for the season.Not long after the final buzzer, coach Steve Prohm wasted no time issuing an advisory about Kansas."Them coming off a loss, I told our guys in the locker room that they're going to be as dialed up as ever," Prohm said. "They're going to be laser-focused and laser-sharp." Iowa State's Cam Lard returned against Oklahoma State after missing two games with a sprained ankle, providing a strong inside presence. The sophomore forward contributed 12 points, five rebounds and three blocked shots in just 14 minutes.--Field Level Media
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