First half

•  Key play: Ben McLemore stole an pass at the top of the key on the KU end, raced to the other hoop and threw down a slam with authority that gave KU a 29-18 lead with about eight minutes left in the half.

•  Key stat: Trailing 37-24, Oregon State put together a 13-0 run and tied the score with 2:18 remaining. The Jayhawks missed three shots, two free throws and committed two turnovers, and the Beavers cashed in each time.

Second half

•  Key play: McLemore’s two free throws with 13.9 seconds remaining made it 82-77.

•  Key stat: Travis Releford didn’t miss a shot in the second half. He made all six from the floor and four from the free-throw line for 16 points.

Notes

Friday marked the first game between Kansas and Oregon State but the schools share a strong connection — Ralph Miller. He won 359 games at the Beavers’ head coach from 1970-89, and was a two-sport star at Kansas in the early 1940s. Miller was a starter on the 1940 KU team that reached the final of the second NCAA Tournament.

• The Jayhawks haven’t been behind in any of their last four games.