The 16,300 fans in Allen Fieldhouse sat in stunned silence as power forward Wayne Simien crashed to the floor and landed on his surgically repaired right shoulder in the first half of Friday’s basketball game between Kansas University and Tennessee-Chattanooga at Allen Fieldhouse.

Simien, who had shoulder surgery in March, picked himself off the floor, showing no ill effects from the fall sustained as a result of a hard foul by Alphonso Pugh, who nailed the 6-foot-9 forward as he drove toward the goal.

“I heard a lot of gasps in the crowd,” Simien said following KU’s 90-76 victory. “I’m glad it happened. It helped me confidence-wise because I didn’t think I could take a fall like that, ever.”

Simien was asked if the hard hit and tumble showed his shoulder was solid as ever.

“Yep, yep,” he said after scoring 21 points off 7-of-12 shooting, including perfect 7-of-7 free-throw shooting.

KU coach Bill Self also cringed as Simien hit the deck.

“I didn’t know if it was his right shoulder,” Self said. “We’ll all take a deep breath when he goes down. But he is strong. His shoulder is strong. He’s not holding anything back.”

• Sore knee limits Graves: KU senior forward Jeff Graves had no points and two boards in six minutes. He has been slowed by a sore right knee after falling in practice Monday.

Jayhawks tie up Mocs First-half swoon dooms Tennessee-Chattanooga Padgett shines in debut KU’s Simien shrugs off fall Get the stats: KU-UTC box score Photo gallery: KU vs. UTC Hear Bill: KU-UTC postgame comments Get the stats: KU-UTC box score 6Sports video: KU-UTC highlights

“He has not been himself,” Self said of Graves. “The thing is, sometimes when you are not yourself and want something good to happen, you don’t check in the game and shoot a turnaround jumper from 12 feet (as Graves did upon entering in first half after coming off bench). You play to your strengths.”

Graves, Self said, will have to adjust to his role as sixth man this season, noting freshman David Padgett — who had 13 points and 10 boards — had solidified himself as a starter.

“That all could change, but as of now, Jeff has to adjust to coming off the bench and giving us production,” Self said. “I told him, ‘You don’t have to make a great play to stay in the game, just be Jeff.’ Sometimes we get out of character. His knee probably didn’t allow him to play as he is capable.”

Graves should not miss any time because of his bruised knee, Self said.

• Dunk you very much: Freshman J.R. Giddens’ first hoop as a collegian came off a lob pass from Aaron Miles, Giddens putting down a dunk that cut a 21-12 deficit to 21-14 with 10:18 left in the first half.

The dunk energized the crowd, but wasn’t too spectacular, Giddens noted.

“It felt good. I didn’t even feel like I was in my own body,” Giddens said. “I was in a different world. I was like, ‘Man, J.R., don’t mess this up.’ In practice I’m used to catching it and ‘freaking’ it backward or pumping it, something real nasty. I just wanted to catch it and make it.”

• Near air-ball: Padgett nearly tossed up an air-ball on his first collegiate shot attempt. The ball barely hit the rim.

“I’d have been hearing about that until my senior year,” Padgett said with a grin.

• Uncle ill: Keith Langford played with a heavy heart Friday. He learned earlier this week that his uncle, Robbie Mitchell, had cancer of the liver and kidney.

“Of course I am thinking about him. I can only go out and do my best. I can’t use that to hurt my game, hurt my team,” Langford said.

• Halftime gift: KU officials received a $650,000 gift from the estate of Wilt Chamberlain in halftime ceremonies. The gift to the KU Endowment Association from Chamberlain, who died in 1999, established four endowed funds in Chamberlain’s name for scholarships, KU men’s and women’s athletics and a Special Olympics clinic.

One of the scholarships was for men’s basketball. The Special Olympics clinic will be sponsored by the men’s hoops program.

“Wilt Chamberlain was the greatest player to ever play at the University of Kansas and one of the of the greatest athletes of all time in any sport,” Self said. “Personally, I wish I would have had the opportunity to meet and get to know Wilt, but I never did. However, on behalf of our basketball program, we’d like to thank Wilt, his family and the estate for making such a generous donation for the university and the KU men’s basketball program.”

• This, that: Timeouts for Jayhawk TV games are 21/2 minutes this year, up from last season’s two minutes. … KU has won 31 straight home openers. … Langford eclipsed the 900-point milestone. … Miles collected his 500th career assist and is sixth on KU’s all-time list.