National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Kansas 66, Texas A&M 58
When: 9:00 PM ET, Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Where: Reed Arena, College Station, Texas
Officials: # Doug Shows, # Patrick Adams, # Joe DeRosa
Attendance: 6868

KANSAS 66, TEXAS A&M 58: Elijah Johnson scored 18 of his 21 points in the first half and the No. 5 Jayhawks withstood a late charge from the host Aggies to move into sole possession of first place in the Big 12.

Kansas (23-5, 13-2 Big 12) is one game ahead of No. 3 Missouri, which lost at home to Kansas State on Tuesday. Kansas hosts the Tigers in a highly anticipated showdown at Allen Fieldhouse on Saturday.

Texas A&M (13-14, 4-11) trailed 31-21 at halftime and by as many as 21 in the second half, but Khris Middleton led a furious comeback with 11 points in a four-minute stretch. Middleton’s 3-pointer with 6:48 left sparked a 19-5 run that cut the lead to 60-56 with just less than two minutes left.

Kansas missed enough free throws down the stretch to keep giving Texas A&M extra chances, but Zach Kinsley and Elston Turner both missed corner 3-pointers that would’ve pulled the Aggies within one possession.

Middleton finished with 23 points for Texas A&M, while Thomas Robinson chipped in 10 points and 13 rebounds for Kansas before fouling out.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Robinson notched his 19th double-double of the season, which ranks second in the country. … Johnson had never scored more than 15 points in a Big 12 game during his three-year career. … The Jayhawks are in good position to earn at least a share their eighth straight conference title.
Top Game Performances
 
Kansas   Texas A&M
Elijah Johnson 21 Scoring Khris Middleton 23
Thomas Robinson 4 Assists Elston Turner 5
Thomas Robinson 13 Rebounds Ray Turner 8
Jeff Withey 5 Free Throws Made Khris Middleton 4
Elijah Johnson 2 Steals Zach Kinsley 1
Jeff Withey 4 Blocks Keith Davis 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Kansas 66 38.9 4-18 20-29 12 41 8 5 8
Texas A&M 58 38.2 6-18 10-14 12 30 1 1 10