By ,
Published May 02, 2016
Lawrence, KS (SportsNetwork.com) - Frank Mason III scored 16 points and grabbed a game-high nine rebounds to help No. 9 Kansas beat 24th-ranked Oklahoma State 67-57 on Tuesday.
Mason was 9-of-11 from the free throw line, where Kansas (14-2, 3-0 Big 12) spent much of the night. The Jayhawks made 32 of their 46 attempts at the charity stripe and only attempted 43 shots from the field.
"We have to do a better job defending without fouling," said Cowboys coach Travis Ford. "The way the game was played was tough for our basketball team. It was like an uphill battle. "
Kansas also got 14 points and six rebounds from Kelly Oubre Jr.
The Cowboys (12-4, 2-2) got 21 points from Le'Bryan Nash and 18 from Phil Forte, the Big 12's two leading scorers. The pair totaled 20 of those points on free throws as Oklahoma State went 22-of-25 from the line.
Beyond Nash and Forte, Oklahoma State got little production. The 10 other Cowboys that took the floor combined to shoot 7-of-29.
In the second half, Forte was in and out of the game with what appeared to be a leg injury. He attempted just two shots after the break, leaving Nash to shoulder the scoring load.
Nash scored 19 points in the second half, including 15 of the team's final 20. He cut the Cowboys' deficit to four with four free throws in a 30-second span with 12 minutes to play, but Kansas scored 10 of the next 13 points to restore its comfortable lead.
Jamari Traylor's dunk in transition with 42 seconds left extended the Jayhawks' lead to its final margin of 10.
After a sluggish start, Kansas was awakened by Cliff Alexander's powerful slam over Anthony Allen that resulted in a three-point play. Alexander got a technical foul for taunting, but the Jayhawks made four of their next five shots in a 9-0 run to take a 24-16 lead with 8 1/2 minutes left in the first.
"Yeah, I knew it was going to be a dog fight from the get-go. We just had to prepare ourselves for it," said Alexander.
The Cowboys used a pair of triples to help cut their deficit back down to one but neither team had much success from the field for the remainder of the half. Both the Jayhawks and Cowboys went into the break making just one of their last 11 shots, and Kansas held a 32-28 lead after one.
Game Notes
Kansas coach Bill Self is now 14-9 all-time against his alma matter ... The Jayhawks started 3-0 in Big 12 play for the ninth straight season ... Kansas is now 13-0 when allowing fewer than 70 points ... Forte's four-game streak of scoring 20-or-more points ended ... Each team is in action next on Saturday with Kansas traveling to Iowa State and Oklahoma State visiting rival Oklahoma.
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/mason-iii-leads-kansas-over-oklahoma-state