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Oubre shines as Kansas tops Kent St.

Dec 31, 2014 - 4:44 AM Lawrence, KS (SportsNetwork.com) - Kelly Oubre Jr. scored 20 points and 13th- ranked Kansas pulled away in the second half for a 78-62 victory over Kent State at Allen Fieldhouse.

Perry Ellis tallied 15 points and eight rebounds and Frank Mason III scored 14 for the Jayhawks (10-2), who bounced back from a 77-52 loss to Temple in Philadelphia on Dec. 22. Kansas ran its home winning streak to 14 going back to last season.

"I think we came out easier tonight. The guys were more active on the defensive end. We had more points in transition," Oubre said.

Jimmy Hall had 13 points with eight rebounds, Khaliq Spicer scored 11 and Kris Brewer had 10 points for the Golden Flashes (8-4), who fell to UTEP, 78-75, in the championship game of the Sun Bowl Invitational in El Paso, Texas, on Dec. 22.

The Jayhawks had their eight-game winning streak snapped versus the Owls, but got back on track Tuesday thanks to solid inside play. Kansas held a 44-31 rebounding advantage and limited the Golden Flashes to 10-of-31 shooting in the second half.

Kansas raced to a 10-3 lead, but Kent State rallied for the next seven points and eventually took a 22-16 lead following a Brewer jumper at the midway point.

The Jayhawks bounced back to grab a 39-33 edge at the half and stretched the cushion to 44-33 following a Oubre layup. Kansas led by as many as 21, and the advantage never dipped under nine.

"I was happy we were competing and in the game," Kent State coach Rob Senderoff said of the halftime score. "Obviously, you would like to be up at halftime but we were within striking distance. We didn't start the second half great and I thought that made it difficult for us."

Game Notes

Kansas hosts UNLV on Sunday, while the Golden Flashes conclude non-conference play against Texas-Pan American on Friday ... Kansas is 12-1 against current membership of the Mid-American Conference ... The Jayhawks shot 56 percent (14-of-25) in the second half and outscored Kent State, 19-0 in fast break points.