LAWRENCE — It started with Perry Ellis.
For a half, No. 2 Kansas looked timid and unsure of itself while trying to attack UC Irvine’s zone anchored by 7-foot-6 Mamadou Ndiaye.
A different — and more confident — KU team emerged from the second-half locker room, led by the senior forward Ellis in a 78-53 victory over UCI on Tuesday night at Allen Fieldhouse.
After scoring one point and attempting just one field goal in the first half, Ellis needed just nine second-half seconds to go directly at Ndiaye, spinning in the lane before putting in a short jumper with a foul.