Kansas vs. Vanderbilt: Score, Highlights, Reaction from Maui Invitational 2015

Led by Wayne Selden Jr.'s 25 points, No. 5 Kansas defeated No. 19 Vanderbilt 70-63 to win the Maui Invitational on Wednesday night.

It's the second time Kansas has won the Maui Invitational, winning its first in 1996.

Selden's 25 points tied a new career high as he shot 8-of-11 from the floor, including a 67 percent effort from three-point range.

Trailing by four after a first half in which its offense looked out of sorts, Kansas outscored Vanderbilt 44-33 in the second half to earn its fourth win of the season.

The Commodores entered Wednesday night having not trailed at all during their first two games of the Maui Invitational. That didn't change in the first half.

Vanderbilt was getting things done through its duo of 7-footers Damian Jones and Luke Kornet. The 7'0" Jones recorded 17 points and nine rebounds, while the 7'1" Kornet added 14 and four, respectively, plus a pair of three-pointers.

It was Kornet pacing the Commodores early, helping them open up a 10-point lead midway through the first half.

Vanderbilt's ability to control the game's pace caused an uncomfortable Kansas start. A team that likes to run at a frenetic pace, the Jayhawks were slowed by Vanderbilt's ability to milk possession and the shot clock.

Once Kornet left the floor, Vanderbilt's fortunes changed, as Sports & Entertainment Nashville's Blake Lovell pointed out:

Selden, who scored 11 of Kansas' first 14 points to end its slow start, fueled the Jayhawks' comeback, as the Kansas City Star's Rustin Dodd watched:

Forward Perry Ellis, Kansas' top player and member of the Wooden Award watch list, struggled throughout, putting up five points on 1-of-8 shooting. The senior has become a target on the Internet due to his four-year tenure at Kansas, as demonstrated by this tweet from Pro Football Talk's Zac Jackson on a night when Ellis was a non-factor:

He was held scoreless in the first 20 minutes despite Kansas' being able to tie the game at 22 with a few minutes remaining in the half. But two consecutive Vanderbilt threes helped the Commodores stake a four-point lead at halftime.

The Jayhawks came out running in the second half, using a 7-1 run to take their first lead of the game. Ellis had to wait until more than four minutes were gone in the second to get his first basket, an uncontested dunk.

For some, like 247Sports.com's Matt Scott, it was hard to believe Kansas led despite Ellis' offensive struggles:

The Jayhawks were cruising thanks to Selden as they went on another run; this time it was 6-0 to open up a seven-point lead. The Cauldron shows one of Selden's flashiest buckets of the night:

Once ahead, Kansas didn't look back, as it was able to disrupt Vanderbilt's offense by taking control of the game's pace and forcing Vandy into quick shots en route to the victory.

The Commodores have a week to recover and will have the Detroit Titans waiting for them. They'll look to sort out their offense and get more from players not named Kornet and Jones. Just four other players made Wednesday night's scoresheet.

Kansas has six days to get back to the continental United States, where it will be unleashing a new talent as freshman forward Cheick Diallo makes his debut against Loyola (Maryland) on Tuesday. Adding another scoring threat to a squad that was able to handle the 19th-ranked team in the nation handily in the second half, Kansas looks dangerous moving forward.

Postgame Reaction

Despite a solid second half, the game could have been out of reach for Kansas had it not been for Selden's play, and Kansas head coach Bill Self realized that. For him, it was nice to see Selden play with such success, as it had not been seen since the preseason overseas, per Dodd:

For Vanderbilt head coach Kevin Stallings, Selden's performance was almost expected, per the Lawrence Journal-World's Matt Tait:

Selden wasn't the only one Stallings' team failed to shut down, per Tait:

Even though it's an early-season tournament, the triumph holds value for Self, per Kansas Basketball:

This is by far Kansas' most impressive win of the season, as it lost its only other game against a ranked opponent in Michigan State. A solid win over Vanderbilt should be able to boost the team's confidence heading into an easier stretch of the schedule. 

Winning without a big contribution from Ellis should help too. A team that has secondary scoring and can beat ranked opponents is going to be a successful one.

Stats courtesy of ESPN.com.