Lawrence, KS – Jeff Withey recorded the second triple-double in Kansas history and the No. 10 Jayhawks held off the San Jose State Spartans, 70-57, at Allen Fieldhouse.
Withey totaled 16 points, 12 rebounds and a school-record 12 blocks for the Jayhawks (5-1), who were coming off a CBE Hall of Fame Classic title. Travis Releford, Elijah Johnson and Ben McLemore each netted 13 points in the win.
Kansas appeared to pull away with an 18-0 run in the early stages of the second half, but made just two field goals in the final 11 1/2 minutes as the Spartans inched closer.
James Kinney scored 17 of his 30 points during Kansas' drought to turn a 24- point deficit into a single-digit affair, but it wasn't enough as San Jose State (2-3) had its two-game winning streak snapped.
The Spartans scored the final seven points of the first half and added two free throws immediately after the break to pull within 40-34.
But they were done in by missing 12 consecutive shots from the floor, and Kansas' subsequent 18-0 spurt put the game out of reach despite Kinney's best efforts.
Withey netted eight points during the seven-minute stretch, which ballooned the margin to 58-34 with under 12:43 remaining.
Kinney scored on four straight possessions to spark a 20-4 flurry, capped by his steal and layup off two pump fakes.
"We were down 24 points and we needed a spark somewhere," Kinney said "With me being a senior and being the leader of this team, I had to do that."
The margin was down to seven, 64-57, following a Kinney 3-pointer, but Withey blocked Xavier Jones in the paint before Johnson finally got a mid-range jumper to fall with 1:16 remaining.
San Jose State turned it over on its next touch, and the Jayhawks closed out a surprisingly close victory.
"Good thing we got up 24," Kansas head coach Bill Self said. "To let a team in our building go on a 16-0 run in the second half when you have a chance to knock them out...is very discouraging."
Game Notes
The only other Kansas player to record a triple-double was Cole Aldrich, who accomplished the feat during the NCAA Tournament in 2009 with 13 points, 20 rebounds and 10 blocks in a win over Dayton ... San Jose State shot just 29 percent (19-of-65) from the field ... Kansas made 43 percent (26-of-60) of its shots ... This was the first-ever meeting between the programs.
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