HOFSTRA DROPS OPENER AT TOP-RANKED KANSAS

11/14/2009 3:00:00 AM

Lawrence, Kansas (Nov. 13) - Freshman forward Xavier Henry had 27 points and senior point guard Sherron Collins added 23 to lead the top-ranked Kansas Men's Basketball team to a 101-65 win over Hofstra in the season opener for both teams at Phog Allen Fieldhouse on Friday evening.

Junior guard Charles Jenkins (Queens, NY) led Hofstra with 23 points, 18 of which came in the second half. Freshman forward Halil Kanacevic (Staten Island, NY) had 12 points and 12 rebounds off the bench for a double-double in his collegiate debut.

Henry scored eight of Kansas' first 11 points to help stake the Jayhawks to an early 11-4 lead. Foul trouble then plagued the Pride, as starting forwards Greg Washington (Centereach, NY) and Miklos Szabo (Szeghalom, Hungary) both picked up their third fouls midway through the first half, forcing the Pride to go small as Kansas stretched its lead to 28-12.

Kanacevic sparked a mini-rally off the bench for the Pride, tallying seven points and seven rebounds in the first half alone. He grabbed a rebound and fed Jenkins on a backdoor lay-up to bring the Pride within 31-22 with 5:57 left in the first half, forcing Kansas to call its second time-out in less than a minute.

However, Kansas used its inside strength to get to the foul line and continue to get Hofstra in foul trouble, as both Kanacevic and Jenkins picked up their third fouls late in the first half. A Henry steal and dunk and two fouls shots from Collins capped a 10-0 run and stretched the Kansas lead back up to 41-22, before the Jayhawks took a 48-27 lead into the break.

Henry then scored 11 straight Kansas points early in the second half to build the lead up to 61-34, hitting a pair of three-pointers and making all three foul shots after being fouled in the act of shooting another three and the Jayhawks were able to cruise from there.

Hofstra was playing its first-ever game against a top-ranked team, as its previous high at the NCAA Division I level was No. 5 Maryland in the 1998-99 season opener.

The Pride will next be in action when it travels to participate in the NIT Season Tip-Off in Storrs, Connecticut on Monday and Tuesday. Hofstra faces Yale in the first round on Monday and then will face either Colgate or No. 12 Connecticut on Tuesday.

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