No. 12 Kansas 82, Tennessee 67: Perry Ellis posted season highs of 24 points and 13 rebounds as the Jayhawks held off the Volunteers in the semifinals of the Orlando Classic.
Freshman Cliff Alexander added a career-high 16 points for Kansas (4-1), which faces No. 19 Michigan State in Sunday’s title game. Wayne Selden Jr. poured in 12 points while Frank Mason III chipped 11 points, seven assists and six rebounds as the Jayhawks closed with a 20-5 run to break open a tie game with just under seven minutes to play.
Josh Richardson led the way with 16 points for Tennessee (2-2), which meets Marquette in Sunday's third-place game. Kevin Punter had 14 points and Detrick Mostella drained four 3-pointers to finish with 13 as the Volunteers missed eight of their final nine shots after connecting on 11 of their first 18 in the second half.
Mostella’s four-point play midway through the first half gave Tennessee its only lead at 17-15 before Kansas fired back with a 17-5 spurt, highlighted by 3-pointers from Selden and Brannen Greene. The Jayhawks widened the gap to as much as 13, forcing an early second-half timeout from the Volunteers after Mason hooked up with Alexander for back-to-back alley-oop dunks.
Kansas managed only a free throw over the next five-plus minutes and Mostella hit consecutive triples during a 13-1 surge to draw Tennessee within one before the Volunteers tied it at 62 with 6:49 to go. The Jayhawks refused to give up the lead, however, as Alexander and Ellis converted three-point plays over the next four minutes to stretch the margin back to double figures with three minutes left.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Kansas doubled up Tennessee on the boards 44-22. … The Volunteers committed 28 fouls after entering Friday averaging 26.3 – the second-highest mark in the country. … Selden was charged with a flagrant-1 foul for a blow to the head on a breakaway layup by Punter with 2½ minutes left in the first half. Punter hit the shot and both free throws while Richardson converted a layup seconds later, resulting in a six-point possession.
Tennessee | Kansas | |
Josh Richardson 16 | Scoring | Perry Ellis 24 |
Robert Hubbs III 2 | Assists | Frank Mason 7 |
Josh Richardson 5 | Rebounds | Perry Ellis 13 |
Armani Moore 5 | Free Throws Made | Perry Ellis 11 |
Kevin Punter 2 | Steals | Frank Mason 2 |
Derek Reese 1 | Blocks | Cliff Alexander 1 |