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Sunday, January 11, 1998
No. 4 Kansas 102, Texas 72
By CHIP BROWN / AP Sports Writer
AUSTIN (AP) -- Fourth-ranked Kansas may have to wait another
month for All-America center Raef LaFrentz to return from a broken
finger on his right hand.
But Paul Pierce and Billy Thomas are doing everything they
can to hold things down until he gets back.
Thomas was 6-of-6 from 3-point range in the second half and
Pierce scored 31 points as the Jayhawks blew out Texas 102-72
Saturday, the Longhorns' worst home loss in 14 years.
"I can't wait for him (LaFrentz) to get back in the lineup,"
Pierce said. "Everyone can say, ÔWell, without him,
Kansas isn't as good.' Maybe not. But this might be a blessing
in disguise. Other players are stepping up now. It might be good
for us later on, when he comes back."
One of those players stepping up is Thomas, who helped the
Jayhawks (19-2, 3-0 Big 12) break from a 14-point halftime lead
by hitting three 3-pointers in the first five minutes of the second
half as Kansas went up 54-33 with 14:56 left.
"In the second half, I was just in the zone," said
Thomas, who was 9-of-13 from the field, including 8-of-11 from
3-point range, and finished with a career-high 27 points.
Kansas, playing its sixth consecutive game without LaFrentz,
won its third straight since a 76-65 upset by Hawaii.
Luke Axtell scored 18 points to lead Texas (6-8, 0-3), which
lost its third straight.
The Longhorns, playing without injured leading scorer Kris
Clack (knee), are off to their worst start since 1992-93, when
they opened 0-4 in the Southwest Conference and finished 11-17.
"The bright side for us is we have a lot of young people
who are going to get better," said Texas coach Tom Penders,
who starts two freshmen and two sophomores. "I have to stay
positive with them and help them gain their confidence. Kansas
is a great team with a great killer instinct."
The loss was the worst at home for Texas since a 103-72 defeat
by Southern Methodist on Feb. 29, 1984.
Pierce, who also had 10 rebounds, scored 15 points in the first
half to help Kansas break out of a sluggish start. The Jayhawks
opened 3-of-16 from the field as the teams played to a 13-13 tie
with 11:32 left in the first half.
But Lester Earl, who added 15 points for the Jayhawks, scored
on a thunderous dunk and Pierce scored four points in a 10-0 run
that put Kansas up 23-13 with 8:21 left.
The Jayhawks held Texas without a field goal for a four-minute
stretch that included the run and then held the Longhorns without
a field goal for 3:30 at the end of the first half as they built
a 39-25 lead.
Thomas took over in the second half, hitting 3s from all around
the arc as Texas seemed disoriented on defense and left him open
for most of his shots.
"I was surprised at how open I was," Thomas said.
"I think that enabled me to relax a little and concentrate
on my shot. I'm not one for bragging, but I'll put myself against
any shooter in the nation in a 3-point contest."
Kansas shot 48 percent from the field.
Texas was 9-of-36 (25 percent) from the field in the first
half, when the game was decided, and finished at 35 percent.
The Longhorns, who got 12 points from Gabe Muoneke and 10 each
from Ivan Wagner and Bernard Smith, were 5-of-20 from 3-point
range.
"We need to develop a consistent scorer, consistent rebounder
and consistent ballhandler," Texas guard Chico Vazquez said.
"Right now it's up in the air. Everybody's up in the air."
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