Jayhawks Rout Tigers in Second Half

LAWRENCE, Kan. -- Missouri played about as good as it possibly could during the first half against Kansas on Monday night, yet the Tigers still went into halftime trailing by four points.

The second half wasn't nearly as close as the No. 2 Jayhawks ran away with an impressive 103-86 over their rivals in front of a packed house at Allen Fieldhouse. Kansas' 103 points were the most scored against Missouri since 2002.

A major reason for the offensive production was an outstanding performance from the Jayhawks reserves. Mario Little came off the bench to score a career-high 17 points, while Travis Releford added 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field as Kansas' bench outscored the 20th-ranked Tigers 36-16.

The production of the reserves almost overshadowed strong performances from the Jayhawks starters. Marcus Morris, who scored just five points in the first half, finished with a game-high 22 points, while his twin brother Markieff Morris finished with 16 points and guard Tyshawn Taylor added 13 points. With the win Kansas improved to 23-1 and 8-1 in the Big 12 to stay in contention for the league title.

Missouri, which led by as many as six points in the first half, fell apart defensively early in the second half and just couldn't recover. Kansas shot nearly 67 percent from the field in the second half while leading by as many as 17 points in the final 20 minutes. A big part of that was Kansas getting the ball inside to the Morris twins, who then put pressure on the Tigers' front line. Ricardo Ratliffe and Laurence Bowers both fouled out of the game. The Jayhawks also dominated the boards, outrebounding Missouri 38-21.

Bowers led five Tigers players in double figures with 19 points, while Phil Pressey added 17 points.

The Tigers (18-6, 4-5) remain winless in five Big 12 road games.

How It Was Won: With freshman Josh Selby, the Jayhawks best 3-point threat out due to injury, Kansas got production from all over the floor. Mario Little's 17 points, which included 7-of-9 shooting from the field and 3-of-3 shooting from 3-point range, were critical.

How It Was Lost: The Tigers are usually among the best defensive teams in the Big 12, but they have abandoned their full-court press and it's taken something from them. Kansas worked the ball down the floor and then inside to its post players with almost ease in the second half.

Key Stat: The Jayhawks bench outscored Missouri's 36-16.

What we liked/Don't like: The Jayhawks likely would love to have the Texas game -- their lone loss -- back right about now. They are playing much better team ball right now, which makes their expected Big 12 Tournament matchup with the Longhorns even more anticipated.