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Kansas takes care of Richmond

Dec 19, 2012 - 3:12 AM Lawrence, KS (Sports Network) - Jeff Withey posted 17 points and 13 rebounds as No. 9 Kansas took an 87-59 win over Richmond.

Ben McLemore scored 14 points to go with seven boards while Travis Releford and Naadir Tharpe each gave 11 points for the Jayhawks (9-1), who have won eight straight after an early loss to Michigan State.

"Our defense was good. We weren't great offensively, but we were pretty efficient and had a good, balanced effort," said Kansas head coach Bill Self.

Derrick Williams scored 14 points with five rebounds for the Spiders (9-3), who had a five-game winning streak stopped. Cedrick Lindsay had 12 points in the loss.

"Hats off to Kansas. They are every bit as good as advertised," said Richmond head coach Chris Mooney. "We were unable to compete as well as we would have liked."

Kansas took a lead it never lost with six straight points early on capped by a Releford layup for a 9-3 advantage about three minutes in.

The Jayhawks essentially put the game away with 18 straight points as Richmond was unable to put any points up for over eight minutes.

Elijah Johnson's two free throws with 4 1/2 minutes to play gave Kansas a 33-11 lead before the Spiders scored the next seven points.

The Jayhawks took a 39-18 lead into the second half and started that frame with a 6-2 run. Richmond was able to get its deficit under 20 just once, and Kansas put the game away with an 11-0 run just after the midway mark of the second half.

Game Notes

Kansas plays at Ohio State on Saturday ... Kansas has won two of the three meetings with Richmond, including a win in the Sweet 16 of the 2011 NCAA Tournament ... Richmond hosts George Mason on Saturday.