Rush Helps Jayhawks Hold Off Salukis

So. Illinois Misses Late Chances to Tie : Kansas 61, Southern Illinois 58

Southern Illinois' Tony Young grimaces as his desperation three-pointer bounces away and the Jayhawks begin to celebrate. Kansas shot 59 percent but had 19 turnovers. (By Marcio Jose Sanchez -- Associated Press)

SAN JOSE, March 22 -- Kansas guard Brandon Rush sensed his team needed a big play against Southern Illinois' smothering defense, so he adopted a strategy that had worked well before: go straight for the basket.

With 25 seconds left, Rush lowered his head and attacked, scoring two points that enabled the top-seeded Jayhawks to withstand critical mistakes in the closing moments of a 61-58 victory Thursday over fourth-seeded Southern Illinois in a West Region semifinal at HP Pavilion.

"Somebody had to step up and make a big play," said Rush, who scored a team-high 12 points for Kansas.

The Jayhawks earned a trip to the region final, where they will face UCLA, by making the most of the few open shots they had against one of the nation's best defenses. Kansas shot 59 percent but turned over the ball 19 times.

Both teams will remember the closing moments for the missed opportunities: the Salukis, with the chance to pull the upset; the Jayhawks, with the chance to put away the game.

The final close call came with 2.2 seconds left, when Kansas forward Julian Wright missed two free throws with his team leading by three. Southern Illinois' Matt Shaw grabbed the rebound of the second miss, then fired to senior guard Tony Young, whose desperation heave from near midcourt missed as time expired.

With that, the Jayhawks exhaled, having withstood a late-game onslaught by Missouri Valley Conference player of the year Jamaal Tatum. After going 1 of 8 from the field (including 0 of 5 three-point attempts) in the first half, Tatum made a three-pointer and a baseline jumper in the last 90 seconds, each getting the Salukis within one possession.

After Rush's layin put Kansas up by three, Tatum had a chance to draw the Salukis even. With 11 seconds left, he got an open look at three-point attempt, but the shot caromed off the rim. Salukis forward Randal Falker grabbed the offensive rebound, but he forced a pass that led to a turnover and Wright's ill-fated free throws.

"The last shot I took, it's a shot I've practiced numerous times in the gym late at night and in the morning, between classes," said Tatum, who led the Salukis with a game-high 19 points. "It felt good; the release felt good."

The Salukis were able to slow the game to their preferred slogging pace, but the Jayhawks proved more than capable in the half court, holding Southern Illinois to 36 percent shooting.

"Whatever the circumstance is, we can adjust," Kansas guard Mario Chalmers said. "I think tonight was proof of that. Even though we like to play an up-tempo game, try to get in the 80s and stuff like that, we can slow it down; we can take our time."

Rush, who made all six of his shots, also tied Darnell Jackson for the team lead with five rebounds. Chalmers, Russell Robinson and Darrell Arthur added nine points apiece.

Falker struggled almost as much as Tatum in the first half. Falker, the team's second-leading scorer and the MVC defensive player of the year, went 1 for 4 before picking up his second foul. He watched the latter part of the second half from the bench.

Kansas, which jumped to a 10-2 lead, beat the Salukis' tough half-court defense for several easy transition baskets. But Southern Illinois clamped down defensively, holding Kansas scoreless for nearly four minutes as part of an 11-4 run to take a 24-21 lead.

Kansas scored the final six points of the half to take a 27-24 lead at intermission despite committing 10 turnovers and allowing Southern Illinois to grab 10 offensive rebounds in the first 20 minutes. But when Kansas managed to hang onto the ball, it made Southern Illinois pay, shooting 61.9 percent in the first half.