No. 4 Kansas cruises past Texas Tech
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Thomas Robinson scored 16 points and No. 4 50 win over Texas Tech.
Travis Releford added 12 points, Conner Teahan had 11 and Kevin Young scored 10 for the Jayhawks (22-5, 12-2 Big 12).
Kansas remained tied for first place in the Big 12 with No. 3 Missouri, which beat Texas A&M earlier in the day.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Jayhawks have won four in a row since Missouri beat them on February 4. They will get a chance for revenge when they host the Tigers next Saturday. In between, Kansas will play Texas A&M.
"We've got a hard schedule," said Kansas coach Bill Self. "The game Saturday against Missouri is so important for the conference race, but winning at A&M is just as important, winning at Oklahoma State (two days later) is just as important."
Javarez Willis scored a game-high 17 points to lead Texas Tech (8-18, 1-13) and Jordan Tolbert had 12. The Red Raiders have lost two straight since their only conference win on February 11 versus Oklahoma.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Kansas shot nearly 58 percent in the first half, building a 44-22 lead that was never threatened. The Jayhawks were 5-for-8 on three-pointers in the half, with Teahan knocking down a pair.
Five players scored at least six points in a well-balanced offensive effort, led by Robinson's eight. Taylor had seven of his nine points in the half and Jeff Withey scored six with six rebounds.
"It was a good performance by Kansas," said Texas Tech coach Billy Gillispie. "We had a few moments, but we just made too many mistakes offensively and defensively to be in the game with them."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Releford scored all four of his first half points in an 8-2 burst to open the game, which was finished off by Taylor's fastbreak layup. It was part of an overall 30-9 run that gave Kansas complete control of the game with about eight minutes left in the half.
Robinson and Taylor both scored seven points during the surge, with Taylor's three-pointer capping it at the 8:13 mark.
The Jayhawks then shot better than 54 percent in the second half and ended at 56.3 percent for the game, including 9-of-15 on three-pointers (60 percent), and their lead reached as high as 35.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}They are 89-1 in their last 90 games at Allen Fieldhouse.
Game Notes
Kansas leads the all-time series, 22-4, and has won five in a row against Texas Tech. The Jayhawks are 12-0 all-time versus Texas Tech at home.