Pennsylvania Quakers vs Kansas Jayhawks Match Player Stats On Mar 15, 2018

Graham, a consensus first-team All-American after earning Big 12 Player of the Year honors, was instrumental at preventing the Jayhawks from becoming the first No. 1 seed ever to lose to a No. 16 in the NCAA Tournament.

Kansas will play Saturday against No. 8-seeded Seton Hall, which handled No. 9 North Carolina State 94-83 on Thursday.

Penn led by 10 in the first half and was still within single digits after a bucket by sophomore forward AJ Brodeur made it 62-54 with 6:24 remaining. The Ivy League champion Quakers were hurt, however, by 5-for-14 shooting from the foul line.

The Jayhawks (28-7) countered by missing just two free throws on 17 attempts. They claimed their 12th consecutive first-round win as part of their 29th straight tournament appearance. The NCAA game was the first for Kansas in the state's largest city since 1980.

Junior guard Lagerald Vick added 14 points for the Jayhawks, while senior guard Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk and sophomore guard Malik Newman scored 10 apiece. Sophomore Mitch Lightfoot, who started in place of hobbled center Udoka Azubuike, added nine points, 11 rebounds and three blocks.

Brodeur led Penn (24-9) with 14 points and nine boards. Senior guard Caleb Wood came off the bench to add 14 points, though the Quakers shot just 39.3 percent from the field in their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2007. Eleven makes from 3-point range (11-for-29) kept Penn in it for most of the game.

Kansas trailed by double digits in the first 12 minutes, but closed the first half with a 22-5 flurry to lead 33-26 at the break. Graham single-handedly fueled the charge, scoring 15 of his 19 first-half points over the final 7:03.

Penn was good at the outset coming off ball screens and applying sticky defense, but missed eight of its last 12 shots while the Jayhawks were on their run. The Quakers shot just 35.7 percent from the field in the first half and were outscored 9-2 off turnovers.

Azubuike entered in the first half after missing all three games of the Big 12 Tournament with an MCL sprain. The 7-foot sophomore wore a protective brace on his injured knee, but did not return in the second half.

--Field Level Media