Missouri Topples 3rd-Ranked Kansas

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Just like last season and the year before that, Missouri brought its A-game out of the cobwebs for Kansas.

Playing with a dislocated shoulder, sixth man Tyron Lee hit two free throws with 11.4 seconds to play as Missouri upset No. 3 Kansas for the third straight time at home, winning 74-73 Monday night.

“They’re a top 10 team when we play them, in this building at least,” Kansas guard Ryan Robertson said.

“It’s unfortunate for them that they can’t duplicate that performance every time they step out on the floor.”

Victories over Kansas were highlights to the past two seasons for Missouri (10-7 overall, 3-3 Big 12). Last year Missouri handed the then-top-ranked Jayhawks their first loss 96-94 after a 22-0 start, and in 1996 Kansas was ranked No. 3 when it lost 77-73 at Missouri.

Lee injured his left shoulder during a battle under the basket with 8:11 to go. He also hit a 3-pointer with 2:13 to play that put Missouri ahead 70-67.

Albert White scored a career-high 23 points for Missouri.

Kansas (21-3, 5-1 Big 12) probably played its last game without center Raef LaFrentz, who has missed nine games with a broken right hand. LaFrentz is expected back for Saturday’s game against Texas Tech.

“We’re a better team with Raef than we are without him,” Kansas coach Roy Williams said. “I’m not going to say we lost that game because we didn’t have Raef.”

At least one Missouri player said it wouldn’t have made any difference.

“He’s just another player,” center Monte Hardge said. “He’s a great player, but we’ve got people who I think can match up with LaFrentz.

“LaFrentz played last year and they lost.”

St. John’s 64, (8) UConn 62

At New York, Lavor Postell scored all 13 of his points in the second half as the Red Storm (13-6, 5-3 Big East) edged the Huskies (16-3, 6-2) for their fourth straight victory.

Ricky Moore, who led Connecticut with 18 points, scored on a rebound to get the Huskies within 53-50 with 3:51 left, but Postell, who came in averaging 9.4 points and had reached double figures just once in his last six games, hit a 3-pointer as the shot clock wound down to give the Red Storm a six-point lead with 3:24 left.

Felipe Lopez led St. John’s with 18 points.

TCU 83, (24) Hawaii 76

In a late Western Athletic Conference game at Honolulu, the Texas Christian Horned Frogs up-ended the Rainbows. No other details were available.