The Kansas Jayhawks battled back from a first-half deficit to defeat Vanderbilt and win the 2015 Maui Jim Maui Invitational, 70-63. It was the Jayhawks' second title all-time, having won the championship in 1996.
 
Vanderbilt, ranked 17th in the nation, hit the floor running and jumped out to an early 10-point lead on a jumper by sophomore Wade Baldwin at the 11:17 mark. Baldwin shot 5-for-12 on the night for 11 points and was one of three Commodores who scored in double figures. Leading the way was junior Damian Jones with a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds. Junior Luke Kornet added 14 points.
 
"It was a great win for us against a terrific opponent. Kevin obviously had his guys ready, and they were far better than us early on in the game", said Kansas Head Coach Bill Self. "I was so impressed with their team. We're fortunate they missed some shots, but we also defended them very well."
 
After heading into halftime down by four (30-26), Kansas got off to a quick start in the second half. At 18:52, junior Landen Lucas hit an open layup that tied the game at 31 and just under two minutes later a free throw by junior Wayne Selden Jr. put the Jayhawks on top for good. Kansas pushed its lead to as high as 13 and ended up winning by seven. With the loss the Commodores suffered their first defeat of the season and fell to 5-1.
 
Selden led all scorers with 25 points and chipped in seven rebounds. He was an impressive 8-of-11 from the field and 4-for-6 from three point range. Seldon was the Co-Most Valuable Player of the tournament along with teammate Frank Mason III. Mason scored 10 points on the night and added a game-high three assists.
 
"Wayne was absolutely fabulous in the first half when we had nothing going on"' said Coach Self. "He kept us in the game by making, I think, three threes that were guarded and basically kept us within striking distance."
 
As a team Kansas shot 45.5 percent (25-of-55) from the field and 50 percent (8-for-16) from beyond the arc. The Jayhawks also finished with a 39-32 advantage at the glass. Vanderbilt shot 41.1 percent (23-of-56) overall and 73.3 percent (11-for-15) from the free throw line.
 
With three victories this week, Kansas is now 13-6 all-time in the Maui Invitational, while Vanderbilt moved its tournament record to 10-5. 

Kansas Recap
Final Stats
Kansas Quotes
Vanderbilt Quotes