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Ellis, Kansas hold off Texas

Mar 1, 2015 - 2:19 AM Lawrence, KS (SportsNetwork.com) - Perry Ellis boosted his claim for Big 12 Player of the Year with another dominant performance, as No. 8 Kansas held off Texas 69-64 to remain unbeaten at home.

Ellis tallied 28 points and 13 rebounds for the Jayhawks (23-6, 12-4 Big 12), who improved to 14-0 at Allen Fieldhouse this season. It was Ellis' third straight 20-point game.

Kelly Oubre Jr. finished with 15 points and nine rebounds and sealed the win with a pair of late free throws. Frank Mason III added 12 points.

"Perry was great," said Mason. "He did an unbelievable job on the boards and on the offensive end."

The Longhorns (17-12, 6-10) were projected to challenge Kansas for the Big 12 title, but uneven offensive performances have contributed to them dropping four straight games and eight of 11.

Now, they will have to finish the season with strong performances at home against Baylor and Kansas State and make noise in the Big 12 tournament to even reach the NCAA Tournament.

Isaiah Taylor posted 17 points, eight assists and six rebounds in the setback.

Neither team led by more than three during a back-and-forth first half that featured 16 lead changes. Demarcus Holland hit a 3 with seconds remaining to break a 31-31 tie and send the Longhorns into halftime with a slim advantage.

Taylor's layup at 11:43 of the second half gave Texas a 48-42 advantage. It was the largest lead of the game.

Ellis led Kansas back, scoring six of the game's next eight points. Oubre then converted a three-point play to put the Jayhawks back in front, 53-52.

KU owned a pair of five-point leads after that, but Texas answered. Holland and Kendal Yancy hit 3s just over one minute apart to cut the deficit to 66-64 with 1:28 remaining. Taylor had a chance to tie it from the free throw line with 47 seconds to play, but he missed the front end of a 1-and-1.

"We had a chance to tie the game," Texas coach Rick Barnes said. "I'm disappointed for our guys. They deserved some better fate, but it didn't happen."

Kansas milked the shot clock all the way down on its next possession, which ended on Mason's missed layup. After a brief review, Texas pushed the ball up the floor with Taylor, who drove right to the basket, but his layup missed badly. Oubre secured the rebound and made two at the line to put the game away.

Game Notes

Kansas has won 24 straight home games ... Kansas freshman Cliff Alexander did not play while Kansas and the NCAA investigate his eligibility ... Texas fell to 4-7 on the road ... Texas coach Rick Barnes remains stuck on 399 career wins ... Holland scored 15 points ... Texas blocked 14 shots, led by Myles Turner's five.