National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Kansas 74, SE Missouri St. 55
When: 8:00 PM ET, Friday, November 9, 2012
Where: Allen Fieldhouse, Lawrence, Kansas
Officials: # Terry Davis, # Paul Janssen, # Kelly Self
Attendance: 16300
By SportsDirect Inc.


No. 7 Kansas 74, Southeast Missouri State 55: Jeff Withey had 17 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks as the Jayhawks overcame a dismal first-half shooting effort to win their 40th straight home opener against the Redhawks in the first-ever meeting between the schools.

Highly touted freshman Perry Ellis finished with 15 points and eight rebounds in his college debut for Kansas (1-0), which won despite hitting only one of its first 20 3-point attempts.

Despite shooting 28 percent from the field in the first half, the Jayhawks held a 32-17 halftime advantage by forcing more turnovers (eight) than the Redhawks had field goals (six).

But Southeast Missouri State (0-1) scored 20 of the next 31 points over the first 8:50 of the second half to pull with six before a pair of free throws from Withey sparked a 17-6 run as Kansas pulled away and led by as many as 21 points in the final seconds.

Nick Niemczyk finished with a team-high 14 points and Nino Johnson added 12 for the Redhawks.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Kansas, which finished 2-of-21 beyond the arc, improved to 19-0 all-time against the Ohio Valley Conference. …. Southeast Missouri State hasn’t won a season opener since 2005. … The Jayhawks are 146-7 at home under coach Bill Self.

Top Game Performances
 
SE Missouri St.   Kansas
Nick Niemczyk 14 Scoring Jeff Withey 17
Lucas Nutt 3 Assists Ben McLemore 5
Nino Johnson 9 Rebounds Ben McLemore 12
A.J. Jones 5 Free Throws Made Jeff Withey 7
Nick Niemczyk 3 Steals Perry Ellis 1
Nino Johnson 2 Blocks Jeff Withey 5
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
SE Missouri St. 55 29.0 4-16 15-20 6 32 2 8 12
Kansas 74 38.7 2-21 24-28 12 46 10 5 13