Kansas hands Iowa State second loss in a row

AMES, IOWA – Kansas freshman Andrew Wiggins grabbed every rebound in sight. Joel Embiid was nearly unstoppable in the paint in the second half, and Naadir Tharpe seemingly couldn't miss.

The young Jayhawks are growing up — and they're putting it together in time for another run through the Big 12.

Joel Tharpe scored a career-high 23 points on just nine shots, Wiggins had 17 points and a season-high 19 rebounds and No. 15 Kansas beat No. 8 Iowa State 77-70 on Monday night for its third consecutive victory to open conference play.

"The thing about it is, if you have followed our team closely, you could make the case that this team probably enjoyed playing less than other teams we've had," coach Bill Self said. "But since we started conference play, they're having as much fun as any team we've ever had."

Embiid had 12 of his 16 points in the second half to go with five blocks for the Jayhawks (12-4, 3-0), who outrebounded Iowa State 53-36.

Kansas opened the second half with a 16-5 run in handing the Cyclones (14-2, 2-2) their second consecutive loss after a 14-0 start.

DeAndre Kane, who sprained an ankle in the loss to Oklahoma on Saturday, had 21 points for Iowa State, which doesn't start anyone taller than 6-7. Its lack of size is threatening to become an issue.

HIGHLIGHTS

MEN

• LATE THREE LIFTS DUKE: No. 23 Duke beat visiting Virginia 69-65 after Rasheed Sulaimon made the go-ahead three-pointer with 18.8 seconds left. Sulaimon finished with 21 points for the Blue Devils (13-4, 2-2 Atlantic Coast Conference). Virginia (12-5, 3-1) went on an 11-0 run to take its first lead of the game at 65-64 with 36.5 seconds remaining on Malcolm Brogdon's three.

• SYRACUSE DOES ENOUGH: Trevor Cooney had 21 points and No. 2 Syracuse followed some lackluster play with a dominating stretch to stay unbeaten, fighting off Boston College 69-59. The Orange improved to 17-0, 4-0 in the ACC.

• COLORADO LOSES TOP SCORER: No. 21 Colorado has lost leading scorer Spencer Dinwiddie for the rest of the season because of a knee injury. The school said the junior guard had an ACL injury and will require surgery.

• FISCHER TO MARQUETTE: Center Luke Fischer transferred from Indiana to Marquette, and he will be eligible to play for the Golden Eagles on Dec. 14. Fischer, from Germantown, Wis., played in 13 games as a freshman for the Hoosiers.

WOMEN

• UCONN ENDS BAYLOR'S HOME STREAK: Odyssey Sims had never walked off Baylor's home court after a loss — until No. 1 Connecticut came to town. Sims scored 20 points, on 4-of-25 shooting and 10 free throws, and the No. 7 Lady Bears' national-best 69-game home winning streak came to an end in a 66-55 loss to the Huskies (18-0). Baylor (14-2) hadn't lost at home since March 7, 2010.

• DUKE LOSES POINT GUARD: Duke point guard Chelsea Gray will miss the rest of the season after breaking her kneecap. The reigning ACC Co-Player of the Year averages 10.8 points and leads the ACC in assists and steals for Duke (16-1).

ASSOCIATED PRESS