#5 Kansas 82, Colgate 68

(c) Copyright the News & Observer Publishing Co., 1995 (c) The Associated Press, 1995

DAYTON, Ohio (03-16-95) -- Kansas, the top seed in the Midwest Regional, wasted most of an 18-point lead before holding off Colgate 82-68 Thursday night in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

The fifth-ranked Jayhawks (24-5) got their 12th-straight first-round win despite an erratic performance against an overmatched opponent. Kansas played an inspired first half, then went flat and sloppy to give Colgate an opening.

The Red Raiders (17-14) got the crowd on their side by hitting 6-of-8 to open the second half. The crowd chanted, "Colgate! Colgate!" when Malik Cupid pulled up and hit a 3-pointer that cut it to 50-46 five minutes into the second half.

But in the end, the Jayhawks' depth and height advantage pulled them through. Jacque Vaughn scored off a drive to start a 14-4 spurt that put the Jayhawks back in control. The lead never got below double digits again.

Kansas had five players in double figures led by Billy Thomas with 19. Tucker Neale scored 25 on 10-for-20 shooting to lead Colgate.

On paper, it was the biggest mismatch in the Midwest Regional -- one of the most successful NCAA tournament teams against one making its first appearance.

Kansas became the sixth school to get 50 NCAA tournament wins. Colgate, the Patriot League champion, fell to 0-8 this season against teams that made the tournament.

The biggest question about Kansas is its experience. There's only one senior starter -- center Greg Ostertag, who was on the bench at the start of the game with a bruised foot.

It didn't matter much for the first 15 minutes. The Jayhawks blended their outside shooting and inside muscle during an 11-point run that put them in control early. A putback by B.J. Williams made it 36-18 with five minutes left in the half.

Neale, the Red Raiders' top shooter, hit a 3-pointer just before the intermission that cut it to 41-29, and Neale had seven points in the spurt that cut it to 50-46.

Five players scored in the 14-4 spurt that let Kansas relax.

Game Summary

#5 Kansas 82, Colgate 68 COLGATE (17-13)

Roberts 4-10 0-0 12, Bollin 1-3 2-2 4, Foyle 7-16 2-6 16, Maloney 0-2 0-0 0, Neale 10-20 0-1 25, Schaeffer 0-2 0-0 0, Touhey 1-2 0-0 2, Cupid 4-5 0-0 9, Murray 0-0 0-0 0 Totals 27-60 4-9 68 KANSAS (24-5)

Pearson 2-10 1-2 6, LaFrentz 4-8 4-5 12, Pollard 4-13 5-7 13, Vaughn 4-5 2-2 11, Haase 4-8 0-0 10, Ostertag 1-4 4-4 6, Thomas 6-11 3-4 19, Williams 1-1 0-0 2, McGrath 1-2 0-0 2, Gurley 0-1 1-2 1 Totals 27-63 20-26 82 Halftime--Kansas 41, Colgate 29 3-poing goals--Colgate 10-22 (Neale 5-11, Roberts 4-7, Cupid 1-2, Schaeffer 0-1, Touhey 0-1), Kansas 8-19 (Thomas 4-7, Haase 2-4, Vaughn 1-1, Pearson 1-6, Gurley 0-1) Fouled out--Foyle Rebounds--Colgate 34 (Foyle 10), Kansas 42 (LaFrentz 9) Assists--Colgate 16 (Maloney 10), Kansas 12 (Vaughn 5) Total fouls--Colgate 23, Kansas 13 A--NA