Jan. 30, 2008

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MANHATTAN, Kan. - For the first time ever in Bramlage Coliseum and after 24 consecutive wins overall in Manhattan, the University of Kansas men's basketball team fell 84-75 to Kansas State Wednesday night in front of a raucous Wildcat crowd of 12,528.

The setback moved Kansas to 20-1 overall and 5-1 in Big 12 games while K-State improved to 15-4 overall and became the only undefeated team in conference play at 5-0.

Three-point shooting proved to be a big difference as the Wildcats drained 12 long-range shots compared to just six for the Jayhawks.

Mario Chalmers paced Kansas with 19 points.  Brandon Rush scored 15, including 12 in the first half.  Darrell Arthur and Sherron Collins each chipped in 12 points, while Arthur and Rush each had seven boards.

Michael Beasley (25), Bill Walker (22) and Jacob Pullen (20) accounted for 67 of KSU's 84 points.

The Jayhawks controlled the opening tip and took a 3-0 lead when Rush nailed a three-pointer.  The Wildcats immediately answered on the other end and went on an 11-2 run and claimed their biggest lead of the period at the 16:02 mark when it was 11-5.

After six ties and five lead changes, KSU led 38-36 at the half.  It marked just the second time of the season that KU had trailed at intermission, with the other time coming when the Jayhawks trailed by two at the break at USC.

Rush paced the Kansas attack with 12 first-half points to go with five boards.  Arthur added six points in just seven minutes due to three fouls.  K-State was led by Walker with 12 at the break, with Beasley and Pullen each chipping in eight points.

The second half started much like the first with Kansas scoring first to tie the game at 38.  K-State countered and eventually pushed its lead to 57-45 at the 10:03 mark largely as a result of pinpoint shooting from beyond the arc.  The Jayhawks responded by taking the ball to the rim and picking up the defense. 

KU scored its next 8-of-10 at the charity stripe and limited the Wildcats to just two points for a stretch that lasted from the 10:03 mark to the 6:50 point.  Despite the defensive effort, the Jayhawks were unable to gain enough momentum on offense and Kansas State held its lead to win 84-75.

KU will stay on the road when it travels to Boulder, Colo., to face the Colorado Buffaloes at 2:30 p.m. (CST) on Saturday in a game televised by ABC.