Collins Leads No. 4 Kansas Past Louisiana-Monroe

Jayhawks hit century-mark in season opener

Nov. 9, 2007

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) -Sherron Collins scored 22 points and fueled a 17-2 run early in the second half and No. 4 Kansas swamped Louisiana-Monroe 107-78 on Friday night to win its 35th consecutive home opener.

The Jayhawks (1-0) waltzed to a 47-35 halftime lead and then quickly turned it into a romp when the Warhawks' two top scorers, Tony Hooper and Lance Brasher, went to the bench with four fouls.

Collins, a sophomore guard, drove in for a layup, then Darnell Jackson had a thunder dunk off an alley-oop pass from Russell Robinson and freshman Tyrel Reed hit the first of his three 3-pointers. The lead went to 75-45 when the 6-foot-8 Jackson, who had a career-high 21 points, muscled inside for two points.

The Jayhawks, who will have four of five starters back when Brandon Rush returns from knee surgery around Dec. 1, had not scored 100 points in an opener since 1991. But their overwhelming advantage in depth and height - the Warhawks had only one starter taller than 6-4 - made it a complete mismatch.

Two consecutive 3-pointers by Collins raised the lead to 89-59 with 9:30 left. Then with 3:20 left, Jackson's bucket made it 101-68.

The Warhawks (0-1), favored in the Western Division of the Sun Belt Conference, got 19 points from Hooper and 12 from Brasher. Jordan Payne had 11 of his 17 points in the second half.