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Robinson, Kansas pull away from Texas A&M

Jan 24, 2012 - 5:18 AM Lawrence, KS (Sports Network) - Thomas Robinson scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, and No. 5 Kansas pulled away from Texas A&M in a 64-54 victory at Allen Fieldhouse.

Tyshawn Taylor added 17 points for the Jayhawks (17-3, 7-0 Big 12), who trailed by two at halftime and took control late in the second half.

Robinson scored the first five points during an 11-3 run that gave Kansas a 55-45 advantage with less than five minutes to go, and the Jayhawks held on for a 10th consecutive victory.

"Defensively, they're good," said Kansas head coach Bill Self. "We weren't going to hang 80 on A&M tonight, I didn't think that at all. I thought it would be a lower-scoring game. But we shot the ball miserably, and we played selfish and we played soft, and we didn't play smart the first half."

Elston Turner poured in 24 points for the Aggies (11-8, 2-5), who were coming off Saturday's overtime win against Oklahoma.

"Thomas Robinson and their length, and their free throw shooting was a big key," said Aggies head coach Billy Kennedy. "I'm really proud of the effort our guys gave. I thought we executed our game plan about as well as we could tonight."

Texas A&M fell behind early, going scoreless for the first five-plus minutes, during which time Kansas poured in 11. Taylor began the game with a jumper and three-pointer, and the Jayhawks appeared to have control.

But the Aggies used a 10-0 burst to move in front. Daniel Alexander connected on two shots from beyond the arc to help Texas A&M grab an 18-15 edge midway through the half.

The Aggies led by as many as five during the half, which Dash Harris closed with a layup for a 30-28 lead.

The second half was back-and-forth until Kansas made its critical run. Thomas began it with a three-point play, then followed with two more foul shots. Jeff Withey closed the rally with four consecutive points, including a pair from the line to make it a 10-point margin with 4:41 on the clock.

Turner knocked down a three with under two minutes to play, bringing Texas A&M within 59-52, and the Aggies stole the ball from Taylor on Kansas' next possession. But Taylor grabbed it back and sank a layup with just more than a minute to go, effectively securing the outcome.

Game Notes

Kansas made 20-of-23 free throws, but only 4-of-20 three-point tries...Texas A&M sank 7-of-12 from beyond the arc, but attempted only 11 shots from the foul line.