LAWRENCE, Kan. _ Nobody has won more games in Allen Fieldhouse than Kansas' Bill Self.
KU's 14th-year head coach on Friday directed the Jayhawks to an 86-65 victory over Siena and in the process picked up his 207th home victory against nine losses. Ted Owens had been the leader in victories in the tradition-rich building with 206 against 47 defeats in 19 seasons.
Carlton Bragg scored a career-high 15 points and grabbed a career-best 11 rebounds as the Jayhawks (2-1) won their 43rd straight home opener. Overall, KU stretched its homecourt win streak to 41 games.
Frank Mason had 18 points, while Devonte Graham had 13, Lagerald Vick 12 and Josh Jackson 11. The Jayhawks hit just three of 12 3s and 17 of 26 free throws.
KU had problems stopping the inside-outside combo of Javion Ogunyemi and Marquis Wright, who scored 19 and 25 points respectively.
This one was close throughout. The Jayhawks led just 63-58 with 7:28 left, but rolled 18-2 and put it away 81-60 at 3:22. Mason scored eight points and Vick six in the surge.
Bragg scored 10 points and grabbed six boards, while Mason had eight points and Graham and Vick six apiece the first half, helping KU to a 40-30 lead at the break. KU hit just one of seven 3s the first 20 minutes, but did convert seven of 10 free throws and 50 percent of its shots overall.
In the initial half, Ogunyemi had 13 points, four boards, three blocks and guard Wright nine points. KU went on a 13-3 run to turn a 15-14 deficit into a 27-17 lead with 8:25 left. Five different Jayhawks scored in the run, Bragg leading the way with four points. Siena did cut the gap to 27-21, yet KU extended the lead back to 10 by the halftime horn.
KU wore the same uniforms it wore at the Armed Forces Classic. The name "Honor" was on the back of the jersey instead of the players' names.
Friday's game was one of two guarantee games for KU in the CBE Hall of Fame Classic.
KU will meet UAB on Monday at the Sprint Center and either George Washington or Georgia on Tuesday, also in Sprint Center.
KU will play UNC Asheville in another CBE Classic guarantee game on Nov. 25 in Allen Fieldhouse. KU will play home games against Long Beach State (Nov. 29), Stanford (Dec. 3), UMKC (Dec. 6) and Nebraska (Dec. 10).
KU then gets a break during finals week, taking several days off before tangling with Davidson on Dec. 17 at the Sprint Center.
This marks KU's third appearance in the CBE Hall of Fame Classic _ its first since winning the 2012 event at the Sprint Center. KU defeated Saint Louis 73-59 in the 2012 championship game and fell to Syracuse 89-81 in overtime in the 2008 title game, also in Kansas City. KU is now 8-1 in the Classic, with a 5-0 record in guarantee home games and 3-1 mark in the championship brackets.
KU is now 2-0 against Siena all-time, also winning 91-84 on Jan. 6, 2009, in Allen Fieldhouse. Kansas is 15-1 all-time against the current membership of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC).
