SAN ANTONIO (AP) -Kansas played its usual stingy defense in taking a 33-28 halftime lead over Memphis on Monday night in the national championship game.
The Jayhawks, looking for their first title since 1988, kept Memphis, which averages 80 points a game, well off that pace with some great one-on-one defense against freshman point guard Derrick Rose and strong play up front.
Darrell Arthur had 10 points for Kansas, which closed the half on a 9-2 run. Mario Chalmers had seven points, including the Jayhawks’ only 3-pointer in six attempts.
Chris Douglas-Roberts, despite a good defensive performance by Brandon Rush, had 13 points on 5-for-8 shooting. Rose, who had 25 points in the Tigers’ 78-63 semifinal win over UCLA, had three points on 1-for-4 shooting and had four assists, but also committed three turnovers.
Kansas had uncharacteristic eight turnovers – it averages 13 per game – but made up for it by outrebounding the Tigers 19-11.
Memphis, which lost one game all season, was looking for its first national championship.
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