KANSAS CITY, Mo. _ Kansas' basketball team continues to feed off a steady diet of Thanksgiving week tournament opponents.
The Jayhawks, 4-1, who won the Maui Invitational in 2015, the Orlando Classic in 2014 and the CBE Hall of Fame Classic in 2012, made it four turkey-week holiday titles in five seasons Tuesday night, jolting Georgia 65-54 for a second-straight CBE championship. KU went 2-1 in the Battle 4 Atlantis in 2013 in the Bahamas.
A zone defense, of all things, helped the Jayhawks shake off a slow start, which included getting burned for 17 first-half points by Georgia junior forward Yante Maten.
KU trailed 20-19 with 9:54 left in the first half, but a simple 2-3 zone sparked a 16-4 run that gave the Jayhawks a 35-24 lead right before halftime. Frank Mason, who finished with 19 points and five rebounds, and Devonte Graham, who scored 14, had six points apiece in the run.
The Jayhawks had five players pick up two fouls in the first half, including big men Carlton Bragg, Landen Lucas, Udoka Azubuike and Dwight Coleby, as well as guard Lagerald Vick. Georgia went 0 for 8 on three-pointers in the first half (3 of 18 for the game against the zone) and 9 of 15 at the line (13 of 23 for the game).
KU's Mason and Graham each hit a pair of threes in the first half. Georgia hit just 8 of 28 shots before halftime, with Maten cashing seven in 12 tries. His teammates were just 1 of 16.
The Jayhawks opened in man-to-man the second half, but went back to a zone early as Maten opened the half with a three. Georgia, 3-2, sliced KU's lead to 35-30 at 18:59, but the Jayhawks went on a 17-4 run to open a 52-34 advantage at 10:40. Graham had five points and Josh Jackson (11 rebounds, 15 points) and Mason had four in the run.
KU's Graham and Mason made the all-tournament team with MVP Jackson.
Georgia went on a 9-0 run to cut a 17-point Jayhawk lead to 57-49 with 4:52 left, but didn't pull off the comeback victory.
In the third-place game on Tuesday, UAB defeated George Washington, 81-74. UAB went 1-1 in the tourney and George Washington, an 81-73 loser to Georgia on Monday, was 0-2.
