University of Kansas Athletics

FORT WORTH, Texas – No. 7 Kansas outmuscled TCU in the paint with a plus-21 rebound margin and a plus-32 scoring margin in the lane on the way to a 75-56 road victory at Schollmaier Arena.

Kansas (19-4, 7-3 Big 12) snaps a three-game road losing streak in league play while maintaining at least a tie for second in the Big 12 standings entering Tuesday’s tilt against West Virginia for the upper hand in the Big 12 title race.

Senior forward Perry Ellis scored 23 points on 11-of-14 shooting with 10 rebounds for his third double-double this season. Ellis scored 22 of his 23 points in the paint on 11-of-11 shooting in the lane.

“Perry was so efficient and solid today,” KU head coach Bill Self said after the game. “I thought he went after the ball today and played with great urgency.”
KU’s backcourt effectively controlled the pace of the game as sophomore Devonte’ Graham scored 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting and junior Frank Mason III contributed 12 points with six assists and four rebounds.

Jamari Traylor’s stat line of six points and seven rebounds in 15 minutes didn’t accurately reflect the impact the senior forward had on the Jayhawks’ effort on the road.

“I thought we played hard together as a team,” Bill Self said after the game. “Jamari Traylor was the best player of the game. He extended plays and gave us confidence that made us really, really good on the glass.”

KU’s strength on the glass was highlighted by advantages of 46 to 25 in rebounding and 46 to 14 in points in the paint. It is KU’s highest scoring margin in the paint this season and highest rebound margin during Big 12 play this season.

The Jayhawks shot 50 percent from the field while holding TCU (10-13, 1-9) to 29 percent from the field. TCU’s J.D. Miller came off the bench to record 13 points and five rebounds in just 21 minutes.

NEXT UP
Kansas returns home to face West Virginia on Tuesday night (6 p.m., ESPN2) in Allen Fieldhouse. The second matchup between the Jayhawks and Mountaineers will prove to be pivotal in the Big 12 regular season title race as KU enters Tuesday in a tie for second place in the Big 12 standings, while WVU began Saturday in a tie for first place.