Pepperdine Falls Easily at Kansas

Sasha Kaun had 18 points and 12 rebounds, and Kansas used early and late double-digit runs to defeat Pepperdine, 63-43, Monday night at Lawrence, Kan.

The Jayhawks (5-4) beat the Waves (2-7) for the eighth consecutive time and lead the series, 8-1.

Kansas won despite shooting 38% (22 of 58) from the field, mostly because Pepperdine was even worse, making only 29% (17 of 58) of its shots.

The Waves shot under 40% for the sixth time in nine games and scored their fewest points since a 42-38 win over Santa Clara in the 1975-76 season, which was before the shot clock era. It was the lowest offensive output against the Jayhawks by an NCAA Division I opponent since a 77-43 victory over Southwest Missouri State -- now Missouri State -- on Dec. 30, 2000.

Derick Grubb’s three-point basket cut Pepperdine’s deficit to 45-38 with 9 1/2 minutes to go, but the Waves managed only two more field goals the rest of the way.

Tashaan Forehan-Kelly’s nine points led Pepperdine, marking the first time this season that no player reached double figures for the Waves.

Montana 77, UC Riverside 67 -- Sophomore center Andrew Strait scored a career-high 31 points at Riverside (0-7) and the Grizzlies (9-1) won their ninth in a row.

Montana shot 58.5% overall, including 68% in the second half, and out-rebounded the Highlanders, 31-23.

TOP 25 GAMES

No. 10 Gonzaga 75, Eastern Washington 65 -- Adam Morrison scored 29 points, just above his Division I-leading average, to lead the Bulldogs (8-2) at Spokane, Wash.

J.P. Batista scored 22 points for the Bulldogs, who have won four consecutive games overall and 20 in a row over Eastern Washington since 1990.

Morrison, who had been averaging 28.4 points, has scored at least 25 points seven times this season. Morrison scored seven points after the Eagles tied the score for the sixth time in the second half, 60-60, with 5 minutes 35 seconds to go.

Freshman Rodney Stuckey had 20 points for the Eagles (4-5).

No. 18 Indiana 71, Charlotte 54 -- Marco Killingsworth had 17 points and Robert Vaden and Marshall Strickland each made four of Indiana’s 13 three-pointers at Charlotte, N.C.

Indiana lost last season to Charlotte (5-5) and 49er fans wasted little time reminding the Hoosiers (6-2) of that, with a sign in the student section reading, “All I need 4 X-Mas is 0.7 seconds” -- the amount of time Brendan Plavich had to get off his game-winning shot from half court.