National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Kansas 80, New Mexico 63
When: 7:00 PM ET, Saturday, December 14, 2013
Where: T-Mobile Center, Kansas City, Missouri
Officials: # John Higgins, # Paul Janssen, # Rick Randall
Attendance: 18493

No. 13 Kansas 80, New Mexico 63: Perry Ellis had 21 points and nine rebounds as the Jayhawks pulled away late in the Kansas City Shootout at the Sprint Center.

Joel Embiid added a season-high 18 points, four blocks and three steals and fellow freshman Andrew Wiggins added 11 points for Kansas (7-3), which avoided a three-game losing streak. Naadir Tharpe moved back into the starting lineup at point guard after coming off the bench the last two games and contributed eight points and nine assists.

Kendall Williams and Cameron Bairstow scored 24 points apiece for New Mexico (7-2). Alex Kirk, who came in averaging 18.6 points and 10.4 rebounds for the Lobos, battled foul trouble most of the game and was limited to five points and five rebounds.

Both teams lost their centers to early foul trouble as Kirk picked up his second with 16:45 left in the first half and Embiid departed with his second at the 10:50 mark. Bairstow helped pick up the slack by scoring 16 first-half points and Williams had 12 as the Jayhawks took a 39-38 lead into the break.

Kirk picked up his third foul in the opening minute of the second half but stayed in the game as Ellis and Embiid combined to score the first 16 points of the second half for the Jayhawks, extending their lead to 13 with 13:24 left. The Lobos went on a 16-8 run to get within five with 7:52 left, but that was as close as they would get.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Tharpe replaced freshman Frank Mason in the starting lineup. …. New Mexico PG Hugh Greenwood played with a sore right wrist and went scoreless while attempting just one shot. .. Ellis, who shot 47.5 percent from the floor last season, was 9-for-14 to bump his season percentage to 60.9.
Top Game Performances
 
New Mexico   Kansas
Cameron Bairstow 24 Scoring Perry Ellis 21
Kendall Williams 2 Assists Naadir Tharpe 9
Cameron Bairstow 6 Rebounds Perry Ellis 9
Cameron Bairstow 10 Free Throws Made Joel Embiid 8
Cameron Bairstow 2 Steals Joel Embiid 3
Cameron Bairstow 1 Blocks Joel Embiid 4
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
New Mexico 63 33.3 2-14 25-29 8 28 2 4 10
Kansas 80 51.9 5-14 19-26 19 35 7 7 9