11/25/2007

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) -- Brandon Rush sneaked along the baseline behind Arizona's defense, sprang off both legs and threw down an alley-oop, bringing the crowd to its feet and sending vibrations across the floor.

Rush left no doubt: he's back.

Rush scored five of his 17 points in overtime, including two dunks on his surgically-repaired knee, helping fourth-ranked Kansas pull out a tough 76-72 victory over Arizona on Sunday night.

Rush expected to be playing in the NBA this season, but a torn ACL during a pickup game over the summer changed his plans.

After being eased back into the lineup his first two games back, he was much more of a factor against the Wildcats, driving hard to the basket, and bouncing up quickly after hitting the floor hard a couple of times.

After barely missing a miracle shot at the end of regulation, Rush scored on a breakaway dunk to put Kansas up 73-65 in overtime, then burst along the baseline to all but seal the Jayhawks' hard-fought win.

Darrell Arthur had 20 points and Mario Chalmers ?added 14 for Kansas (5-0), off to its best start since winning its first 14 games in 2004-05.

Arizona (3-2) rallied from an early deficit and kept it close to the end, thanks to Chase Budinger and Jerryd Bayless . Budinger had 27 points and helped the Wildcats come back from an 11-point deficit, and Bayless hit some key shots down the stretch to finish with 19.

The Wildcats, playing their fifth straight game under coach Kevin O'Neill while Hall of Famer Lute Olson is on a leave of absence for personal reasons, gave Kansas plenty of trouble, but were hurt by 25 turnovers, including seven by Bayless.