National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Kansas 80, Eastern Kentucky 69
When: 4:10 PM ET, Friday, March 21, 2014
Where: Scottrade Center, Saint Louis, Missouri
Officials: # Donnie Eppley, # Robert Riley, # Lamont Simpson
Attendance: 17955

Kansas 80, Eastern Kentucky 69: Andrew Wiggins scored 19 points and Jamari Traylor posted career highs of 17 points and 14 rebounds as the Jayhawks slipped by the Colonels in Midwest regional play in St. Louis.

Perry Ellis contributed 14 points and 13 rebounds and Tarik Black added 12 points and four blocked shots for second-seeded Kansas (25-9), which advances to face 10th-seeded Stanford in Sunday’s round of 32. Traylor’s career-best outing helped the Jayhawks record a 43-19 rebounding advantage while softening the loss of center Joel Embiid to a back injury.

Glenn Cosey scored 17 points for 15th-seeded Eastern Kentucky (24-10), but the Colonels experienced severe matchup issues in the interior and allowed Kansas to shoot 60.4 percent from the field. Tarius Johnson and Eric Stutz added 15 points for Eastern Kentucky, which trailed by only three points with 3:39 to play before wilting down the stretch.

The Colonels had a 56-53 lead after a 3-pointer by Jeff Johnson with 9:12 to play before Kansas scored the next nine points to take a six-point advantage with 7:35 to go. After the Jayhawks’ lead dwindled to three, Traylor responded with a three-point play and scored seven points during a decisive 12-3 burst that gave Kansas a 12-point advantage with 49 seconds remaining.

The Jayhawks shot 66.7 percent from the field in the first half but also committed 13 of their 14 turnovers during the stanza, as the game was knotted at 32 at the break. Kansas opened up a seven-point advantage four-plus minutes into the second half before Tarius Johnson scored eight points during a 10-0 run as the Colonels took a 48-45 advantage with 12:52 left.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The Colonels went 12-of-31 from 3-point range while Kansas missed all seven of its attempts. … Traylor had seven of the Jayhawks’ 14 offensive rebounds. … Eastern Kentucky dropped to 0-8 in NCAA tournament play.
Top Game Performances
 
Eastern Kentucky   Kansas
Glenn Cosey 17 Scoring Andrew Wiggins 19
Glenn Cosey 3 Assists Conner Frankamp 4
Tarius Johnson 5 Rebounds Jamari Traylor 14
Marcus Lewis 4 Free Throws Made Andrew Wiggins 5
Corey Walden 3 Steals Perry Ellis 2
Eric Stutz 1 Blocks Tarik Black 4
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Eastern Kentucky 69 38.6 12-31 13-16 14 17 1 8 7
Kansas 80 60.4 0-7 16-24 17 42 7 2 14