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 couldnt miss. The young Jayhawks are growing up-- and theyre putting it together in time for another run through the Big 12. Tharpe scored a career-high 23 points on just nine shots, Wiggins of Vaughan, Ont., 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 straight win 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 weve had," Kansas coach Bill Self said. "But since we started conference play, theyre having as much fun as any team weve ever had." The Jayhawks had plenty of reasons to smile in perhaps their most impressive win of the season. 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 and led the rest of the way, handing the Cyclones (14-2, 2-2) their second consecutive loss after a 14-0 start. Iowa State doesnt start anyone taller than 6-foot-7, and its lack of size is threatening to become an issue. "This is a couple of games in a row now where, probably the difference has been on the glass," Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg said. "We were pretty good in the non-conference portion of the schedule. You dont want this to be a trend moving forward." It wasnt all good news for Kansas either. The Jayhawks committed 24 turnovers but they survived by shooting 49 per cent from the field and dominating the glass. "We handled the ball miserably. Looked like a third grade team out there offensively sometimes taking care of the ball. But we made up for it by being pretty good on the glass. It was a great win," Self said. DeAndre Kane, who sprained an ankle in the loss to Oklahoma on Saturday, had 21 points for Iowa State, which lost to Kansas for the 17th time in 18 games. The Cyclones, the Big 12s top 3-point shooting team, were a dreadful 4 of 25 from beyond the arc. Kane, who led the Big 12 with 22.7 points, 6.3 assists and 3.3 steals through three league games, responded well enough to around the clock treatment on his left ankle that he has able to start. It didnt provide the early boost the Cyclones were looking for. Kansas jumped all over Iowa State, rolling to a quick 15-4 lead less than 5 minutes in. But the Cyclones fought their way back to tie the game at 36-all on Kanes 3 at the halftime buzzer. The Jayhawks started the second half the way they did the first. Perry Ellis extended their lead to 52-41 with a slam with 13:32 left, and Embiid wrapped two baskets around a blocked shot as Kansas went ahead 64-53. Kane could have made it a one-possession game with under a minute left, but he missed a layup and Tharpe answered with two free throws. Kane said his ankle was an issue -- and he was also kneed in the thigh with about 4 minutes left. "I really couldnt cut and go change of pace. But thats no excuse. I played 37 minutes. I was out there enough. I just didnt do enough to help my team win," Kane said. Melvin Ejim had 15 points for Iowa State, but forward Georges Niang had 11 points on 4-of-20 shooting from the field. Iowa State was just 9 of 37 from the field in the second half. "We came out hard. We came out hungry," Wiggins said of his teams second-half surge. Iowa State had longed for another crack at Kansas at home after the Jayhawks rallied for a contentious overtime win here last season. But Iowa States inability to knock down 3s theyd normally make was too much to overcome -- and Embiid and the Jayhawks confounded the Cyclones with their size and length. "I think Embiid is the best player in the country," Hoiberg said. "Hes huge. Hes got great length. He can shoot, hes got incredible footwork and hes been playing the game for about two years." Jakub Vrana Jersey . Colorado came up big against Chicago last spring, and repeated that performance Tuesday night. Varlamov stopped 36 shots and Paul Stastny had a goal and an assist for the Avalanche in a 5-1 victory over the Blackhawks. John Carlson Jersey . Zimmermann became the National Leagues first 16-game winner, pitching seven solid innings to lead the Washington Nationals past the Philadelphia Phillies 3-2 Wednesday night. http://www.officialcapitalsfanstore.com/authentic-nicklas-backstrom-capitals-jersey/ .The Ottawa Senators winger was relegated to a corner seat in the locker-room to allow Daniel Alfredsson to return to his regular stall one last time. Dale Hunter Jersey . The result means Atletico Madrid now tops the table, with Madrid level on points in second and Barcelona a point behind in third with nine games remaining as the title race shapes up to be the closest in years. Washington Capitals Jerseys .com) - The Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies have finalized their agreed-upon trade that sends former National League MVP Jimmy Rollins to the West Coast for a pair of minor league pitching prospects. NEW ORLEANS -- Ryan Harrow scored 20 points and R.J. Hunter had 16 as top-seeded Georgia State eased to a 72-45 win over fourth-seeded Arkansas State in the semifinals of the Sun Belt Conference tournament on Saturday. Georgia State broke the game open with a 16-5 second-half run, led by Manny Atkins six points. Arkansas State, coming off a four overtime win on Friday, was held without a field goal for over 9 minutes during Georgia States run. Atkins finished with 12 points for Georgia State (25-7).dddddddddddd Harrow was 9 of 14 from the field and Hunter made three 3-pointers. Kendrick Washington led Arkansas State (19-13) with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Harrow scored 14 first-half points, including back-to-back 3-pointers capping a 12-3 Georgia State run and the Panthers led 32-24 at the break. Georgia State has now won eight games in a row and 22 of its last 23. ' ' '