The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
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Kansas
Men's Basketball falls to Kansas in overtime, 88-84, in Big 12 Championship game
03.11.2007 | Men's Basketball
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Sherron Collins scored 20 points and No. 2 Kansas rallied after another hot start by Texas' Kevin Durant to beat the 15th-ranked Longhorns 88-84 in overtime Sunday and claim their second straight Big 12 title.
Durant, the Big 12 player of the year, matched his career high with 37 points but took only two shots in overtime and did not score.
Russell Robinson hit a jumper from the left wing to put Kansas on top 83-81 with 2:19 left in the extra period, and Julian Wright added a free throw to push the lead to three. D.J. Augustin had a 3-point attempt and a runner in the lane blocked on consecutive Texas possessions, and Darnell Jackson's two free throws extended Kansas' lead to 86-81 with 13.2 seconds left.
A.J. Abrams hit a 3-pointer from the right wing to give Texas one last chance, but Robinson hit two foul shots with 5.3 seconds left to seal the win. Durant's final shot -- a 3-pointer from the right wing -- caromed away with 2 seconds left.
"That's one of the best games I've ever been a part of. That comeback in Lawrence paled in comparison," said Kansas coach Bill Self, whose team came back from 16 points down against Texas one week earlier.
Wright and Brandon Rush each added 19 points, and Mario Chalmers -- who hit the tying 3-pointer to force overtime -- scored 17 for Kansas, which has won five Big 12 titles. The Jayhawks enter the NCAA tournament on a season-best 11-game winning streak.
Abrams added 19 points for Texas, which led by 22 points in the first half. Two days after rallying from 20 points down against Baylor in the biggest comeback in Big 12 tournament history, the Longhorns gave up an even bigger lead.
Durant still set a Big 12 tournament record with 92 points in Texas' three games -- breaking the record Iowa State's Marcus Fizer set by scoring 79 in three games in the 2000 tourney. The 6-foot-9 freshman also had 10 rebounds to pass LaSalle Thompson's record for rebounds in a single season for Texas. It was Durant's 20th double-double of the season.
Like he did in the teams' regular-season meeting a week earlier, Durant got off to a hot start and pushed the Longhorns to a huge lead before Kansas came back.
Durant got his first shot swatted but bounced back by scoring eight consecutive points -- including a pair of 3-pointers -- to get Texas started on a 19-2 run. He followed a jumper in the lane with another falling away on the left side to give the Longhorns a 21-6 edge.
He had seven more points, the last on a 3-pointer from NBA range, before Augustin carved his way under the basket for a layup that ended an 11-0 spurt and made it 32-10.
That didn't mean the infinitely-deep Jayhawks were out of it, though. Only a week earlier, Kansas rallied from 16 points down -- eliminating a 12-point halftime deficit in 5 minutes -- to beat Texas 90-86 and claim the Big 12 regular season title outright.
Rush nailed a 3-pointer to get Kansas on track after a 4-for-18 start, and Wright beat Durant for a dunk and a layup as the Jayhawks started picking up steam.
Rush added two more 3-pointers, and Durant appeared rattled as the Jayhawks outscored Texas 24-7 to close within 39-34 at the half. In the final 90 seconds of the period, Durant stepped out of bounds, let a pass squirt right through his hands and missed the rim entirely on a driving runner from the right side.
Abrams and Damion James combined to score Texas' first 10 points of the second half, and Durant's two free throws gave the Longhorns a 51-42 lead before Kansas closed to within two with seven straight points from Rush and Wright.
Collins hit a 3-pointer and a jumper to cut the deficit to 55-54 with 11 1/2 minutes let, but then had his driving layup for the lead blocked by Durant. The Jayhawks finally completed their comeback when Chalmers hit two foul shots during a 9-0 run that gave Kansas a 65-60 lead.
Durant erased that deficit with a basket off an offensive rebound. Craig Winder's layup off a fast-break miss gave Texas a 73-71 lead.
The Jayhawks rallied from a 78-74 deficit in the final minute when Collins hit a jumper and Chalmers hit a 3-pointer from the right wing with 15 seconds left.
In between, Winder missed one of his two free throws to open the door for Kansas.
Durant missed a turnaround jumper from the right side that would have given the Longhorns the win.
POSTGAME NOTES
Team
- Texas played in its third finals of the Big 12 Championship in the last four years.
- Texas reached the ninth finals of a conference tournament in the last 17 years, including four times in the Big 12 (2001, 2004, 2006, 2007).
- Texas is 34-30 (.531) all-time in league tournament games, including 13-11 (.542) in 11 Big 12 Championship appearances.
- Texas and Kansas participated in the first overtime game in Big 12 Championship title game history and the highest scoring title game (172 total points).
- Today's game was the fifth overtime contest for Texas this season. The Longhorns have a record of 2-3 in those games.
- Texas' 24 made free throws is UT single-game record in the Big 12 Championship (23, against Oklahoma on Mar. 11, 2000).
- Texas' 71 FG attempts is UT single-game record in the Big 12 Championship (70, against Texas Tech on Mar. 14, 2003).
- Texas had a player score at least 20 points for the 32nd time in 33 games this season.
- Texas has made at least one 3-pointer in 543 consecutive games.
A.J. Abrams
- Abrams was selected to his first Big 12 Championship All-Tournament team.
- With three made three-point field goals, Abrams has 114 for the season, putting him alone in second place on the Big 12 single-season list, passing Kareem Rush (111), Missouri, 2001-02. The record is 118 by Clarence Gilbert of Missouri in 2001-02.
- Abrams has scored in double figures in 27-of-33 games this season. He has reached 15 points in 19 of those games.
- Abrams has made at least three 3-pointers in 23 of 33 games this season and has made at least one 3-pointer in 36 consecutive games dating to last season.
- After hitting 6-of-7 from the free throw line today, Abrams has a career percentage of .958 (23-24) in the Big 12 Championship, which qualifies him for the career lead in Big 12 Championship history (min. 20 attempts). The record had been .929 (26-of-28) by Jimmy McKinney of Missouri, 2003-06.
Connor Atchley
- Atchley recorded at least two blocks in 2-of-3 games in the Big 12 Championship.
D.J. Augustin
- Augustin finished the Big 12 Championship with 16 assists, tied for seventh in tournament history.
- Augustin has record at least six assists in 22-of-33 games.
Kevin Durant
- Durant became the first Texas player to win Big 12 Championship MVP honors.
- Durant matched his career high with 37 points. It is the fourth time this season he has reached that mark. The 37 points was one shy of the Big 12 Championship single-game record (38, Marcus Fizer, Iowa State, vs. Baylor, Mar. 10, 2000).
- Durant recorded his 10th 30-point game of the season, setting a new UT record. The previous record was nine by Raymond Downs (1955-56).
- Durant became the 14th player in Big 12 Championship history to record a 30-point game and is the first Longhorn to do so.
- Durant set a new Big 12 Championship scoring record with 92 points. The previous record was 79 by Marcus Fizer of Iowa State in 2000.
- Durant recorded his 20th double-double of the season, tying him for second on the UT single-season list with Chris Mihm (1999-2000) and LaSalle Thompson (1981-82).
- Durant set his career high for blocks in a game with six. He previously had record five on two occasions.
- In two games against Kansas, Durant has score 47 points in the combined first halves.
- Durant set the UT record for field goals in a game in the Big 12 Championship with 12. The previous record was 11, held by Durant (vs. Oklahoma State, March 9, 2007), Chris Mihm (vs. Colorado, March 5, 1999) and Kris Clack (vs. Texas Tech, March 5, 1998).
- With 10 rebounds, Durant has 373 for the season, setting a new UT single-season record. The previous high was 370 by LaSalle Thompson (1980-81).
- Durant is now alone in third on Big 12 single-season rebounds list with 373, passing James Thomas of Texas (363, 2002-03).
- Durant topped the 20-point mark for the 28th time this season and has reached double figures in all 33 contests.
- Durant has made at least three 3-pointers in 15-of-33 games this season. He has made at least one 3-pointer in 28 games.
- Durant has recorded at least two blocks in five of the last six games.
- With six blocks, Durant has a total of 64 this season, which ranks second on the UT freshman list (Chris Mihm, 90, 1997-98) and third on the Big 12 single-season freshman list.
- With two steals, Durant has a total of 62 this season, which is second on the UT freshman list (72, T.J. Ford, 2001-02) and tied for fifth on the Big 12 single-season list.
Damion James
- James equaled his career high with 14 rebounds (at Tennessee, Dec. 23, 2006).
- James recorded his 10th double-figure rebounding game of the season and his second of the Big 12 Championship.
- James has collected at least seven rebounds in 18-of-32 games this season.
- James has recorded at least one block in 13 consecutive games has a total of 22 blocks in those games.
Craig Winder
- Winder's five rebounds matched career high in Big 12 play with yesterday's performance against Oklahoma State. His overall career high is eight rebounds against Louisiana-Monroe (Nov. 11, 2005).
- Winder's 25 minutes are a career high, his previous high was 20 which he set against Oklahoma State yesterday.
