Kansas opens World University Games with 66-57 victory over Turkey

When translated to English, the nickname for the Turkey national basketball team is “Twelve Giant Men.” It’s a simple moniker, of course, and if you watched the first quarter of Kansas’ 66-57 victory over Turkey on Friday night in Gwangju, South Korea, it was a fitting name as well.

For the first 10 minutes of Kansas’ opener at the World University Games — which actually took place on Saturday afternoon in Korea — the Turkey men looked poised to dominate. They were bigger, and more physical and stroking threes from all over Dongkang Stadium.

The Giant Men, though, ran out of gas, and Kansas’ short-handed group of college players owned the final three quarters. Junior guard Wayne Selden finished with 19 points and nine rebounds, and senior forward Perry Ellis added 17 points and six rebounds while the Jayhawks opened pool play with a victory over a group of second-division pros from Turkey.

"We didn’t play very good individually but we did defend really well the last 45 minutes as a team," Kansas coach Bill Self told reporters after the game. "I think that was a difference, and I also think conditioning was a difference. They were so much better than us early on.”

The Jayhawks’ version of Team USA will be back on the floor against Brazil at 6:30 a.m. CT Sunday.

It wasn’t a perfect start for Kansas. Turkey staked a 21-12 lead after the first quarter, hitting the Jayhawks with a barrage of early three-pointers. Kansas trimmed the lead to two in the second quarter after a three-pointer from SMU guard Nic Moore. Moments later, the Jayhawks drew even at 23-23 on a layup from forward Hunter Mickelson.

The Jayhawks are playing the World University Games without four of their top 10 players. Sophomore guard Devonte’ Graham (quadriceps injury) and junior Brannen Greene (hip) are recovering from injuries while freshman big man Cheick Diallo and sophomore wing Svi Mykhailiuk are not eligible to represent the United States. Still, the Jayhawks wore down Turkey with a 10-man rotation.

"We wanted to try and get out and run as much as we could," Ellis said. "They slowed us down a little bit, but we still grinded the game out and won. That’s all that counts."

By halftime, Kansas had cut the Turkey lead to 36-32. Playing against a Turkey roster that could have reasonably looked at home in a 30-and-over league, the Jayhawks needed nearly a full quarter to find a flow. When they finally did, the Jayhawks turned up the defensive pressure, forced turnovers and looked like the fitter team.

“From the 15-minute mark on, I felt like if we could push the pace, that eventually they would wear down,” Self said. “They got tired."

The momentum appeared to shift early in the third quarter. The Jayhawks had weathered an early storm, and they had found comfort with the international rules. With more than six minutes left in the third quarter, Landen Lucas caught the ball near the elbow and kicked out to Selden for a three-pointer. The ball rattled home, and the Jayhawks led 42-38. Moments later, Florida Gulf Coast’s Julian DeBose finished on a putback that stretched Kansas’ lead to 44-38.

For Kansas, the highlights continued. Moore found Selden for an alley-oop in the final seconds of the third quarter, and the Jayhawks’ defense continued to confound Turkey’s outside attack for most of the fourth.

By the final seconds, a faint “Rock Chalk” chant could be heard inside the gymnasium in Gwangju. For Self and Kansas, it was a solid start to a grueling tournament schedule.

"The competition was high level against a team we’re not familiar with," Moore said after the game. "But we stuck it out and played all four quarters."

What caught our eye

▪  For the first 10 minutes, the comparison between Turkey’s older pros and Kansas’ college players was glaring. Put another way: Turkey dominated the facial-hair battle. But the talent of Kansas appeared to win out over the final three quarters.

▪  Just like in the exhibition games against Canada, Selden looked comfortable playing on the wing alongside two smaller guards. He also was a mainstay on the boards, snaring eight rebounds.

▪  SMU guard Nic Moore offered some experience, toughness and hit big shots throughout.

A stat to remember

The Jayhawks shot 39 percent from the floor — and they were even worse from three-point range. The offensive performance was a little choppy, but Ellis and Selden carried the day.

Freshmen watch

▪  Freshman forward Carlton Bragg played only days after suffering a broken nose during practice in Korea. Bragg wore a mask, and it appeared to affect his offensive game. But at times, he appeared active on the glass and gained some experience against Turkey’s bigger frontcourt.

Up next

Brazil.

With a victory under their belts, the Jayhawks will face Team Brazil at 6:30 a.m. (CT) Sunday back inside Dongkang Stadium. The Jayhawks will play five pool play games and must finish in the top two to qualify for the medal round. If they do not qualify for the medal round, they will be slotted into one of two consolation brackets.

KANSAS 66, TURKEY 57

TableStyle: SP-bkwideplayersCCI Template: SP-bkwideplayers

Percentages: FG .391, FT .774. Three-Point Goals: 5-20, .250 (Moore 2-5, Seldon 2-7, Ellis 1-3). Blocked Shots: 2 (Ellis, Traylor). Turnovers: 16 (Traylor 4, Mason 3, Ellis 2, Moore 2, Seldon 2, Bragg, Lucas, Vick). Steals: 12 (Mason 3, Moore 3, Debose 2, Traylor 2, Ellis, Seldon). Technical Fouls: None.

TableStyle: SP-bkwideplayersCCI Template: SP-bkwideplayers

Percentages: FG .353, FT .571. Three-Point Goals: 9-29, .310 (Senli 3-7, Toz 1-2, Onguner 1-3, Sancakli 1-3, Baygul 1-4, Sertac 1-4, Vardal 1-4). Blocked Shots: 2 (Sanli, Senli). Turnovers: 20 (Toz 4, Gedikli 3, Sertac 3, Gokalp 2, Onguner 2,Vardal 2, Baygul, Sancakli, Sekeroglu, Senli). Steals: 7 (Baygul 2, Toz 2, Erensoy, Gedikli, Sekeroglu). Technical Fouls: None.

Half: Turkey 36-32. Att: 8,xxx. Officials: Roberto Chiari, Scott Beker, Tanel Suslov.

AP-WF-02-11-15 0234GMT

This story was originally published July 4, 2015 at 12:24 AM with the headline "Kansas opens World University Games with 66-57 victory over Turkey."