LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Thomas Robinson had 19 points and 12 rebounds to lead No. 10 Kansas over Texas Tech 81-46 on Wednesday night.
Tyshawn Taylor scored 15 for the Jayhawks (13-3), who improved to 3-0 in Big 12 play for the sixth consecutive season. Meanwhile, the Red Raiders (7-8, 0-3) have dropped their first three conference games for the third straight year.
Kansas’ man-to-man defense shut down the passing lanes and the Jayhawks hammered the ball inside in the second half. The overmatched Red Raiders couldn’t keep pace.
Robinson, the only Big 12 player averaging a double-double, got his team’s first points outside the lane in the second half. The Jayhawks made their first eight field goals after halftime inside and then Robinson sank a 3-pointer to put the Jayhawks ahead 56-26 with 12:32 remaining.
Javarez Willis scored 12 to lead the Red Raiders. Their previous low this season was 49 points in a November loss to Indiana State.
Red Raiders freshman Jordan Tolbert, ranked 10th nationally in field goal percentage (62.4 percent) and the team’s leading scorer, had just four points.
The Jayhawks fell behind early but found their form as the first half wore on. Kansas finished with 38 points in the paint to 18 for Texas Tech.
Tech led 16-15, but Kansas ended the half on a 20-4 run to lead 35-20 going into the break.
Texas Tech’s Terran Petteway was ejected in the first half after he was called for a flagrant foul on Conner Teahan. Petteway elbowed Teahan and was escorted off the floor.
About 3 minutes earlier, Petteway got hit with a technical foul as Travis Releford tried to inbound the ball.
Texas Tech has the worst overall record in the Big 12 and hasn’t won a game over a ranked opponent in 17 tries since December 2009, when the Red Raiders beat then-No. 12 Washington 99-92 in overtime under Pat Knight.
Unlike their previous two Big 12 games, the Red Raiders could not mount a comeback. Last week they cut a 13-point lead to two in the closing minutes of a 67-59 loss at Oklahoma State and pulled within four late in the second half against No. 4 Baylor, which won 73-60 on Saturday.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
At Lubbock, Texas
MEN
Wednesday
No. 10 Kansas 81, Texas Tech 46
KANSAS (13-3)
Robinson 8-11 2-3 19, Withey 3-5 1-2 7, Taylor 6-14 2-2 15, Johnson 1-4 0-0 2, Releford 3-8 4-6 12, Tharpe 3-3 0-0 9, Teahan 2-6 2-2 8, Wesley 0-0 0-0 0, Roberts 0-1 0-2 0, Garrett 0-0 0-0 0, Lindsay 1-2 0-0 2, Juenemann 0-0 0-0 0, Young 2-3 3-4 7. Totals 29-57 14-21 81.
TEXAS TECH (7-8)
Petteway 0-1 0-0 0, Nurse 0-5 0-0 0, Willis 5-11 2-2 12, Lewandowski 1-4 0-0 2, Tolbert 2-6 0-0 4, Minnis 1-3 3-4 5, Wagner 0-1 0-0 0, Adams 1-2 0-0 3, Crockett 2-12 5-6 9, Lammert 2-2 3-4 7, Nash 2-4 0-1 4. Totals 16-51 13-17 46.
Halftime — Kansas 35-20. Three-point goals — Kansas 9-21 (Tharpe 3-3, Releford 2-4, Teahan 2-6, Taylor 1-2, Robinson 1-2, Roberts 0-1, Lindsay 0-1, Johnson 0-2); Texas Tech 1-11 (Adams 1-2, Petteway 0-1, Crockett 0-1, Willis 0-3, Nurse 0-4). Rebounds — Kansas 40 (Robinson 12); Texas Tech 24 (Crockett 6). Assists — Kansas 15 (Taylor 5); Texas Tech 7 (Nurse 2). Total fouls — Kansas 14; Texas Tech 14. Technical — Texas Tech Bench. A — 7,454.
