Manhattan ? If Darrell Arthur can give the type of compensation he did Monday on a regular basis, Russell Robinson surely would step in and take one for the team anytime.

Probably with a smile on his face, as well.

After all, Robinson, Kansas University’s junior guard, did just that at the 12:09 mark in the second half of KU’s 71-62 grinder of a win in Bramlage Coliseum over Kansas State, and Arthur simply added a couple of highlights to his 13-point, 12-rebound night.

Arthur was visually sparked after Robinson stepped in to take a technical foul to prevent Arthur, KU’s freshman forward, from getting T’d up during a squabble.

“He was trying to set a screen, and I think it was Cartier (Martin who) wasn’t letting him screen, and they got into a little pushing match,” Robinson said. “Nothing too big, but I just stepped in there for my freshman and got a tech, and he definitely made up for it with those.”

The retribution Robinson spoke of after the offsetting technicals on himself and K-State’s Martin were a pair of offensive rebounds by Arthur, the first of which was the result of full extension and turned into an easy bank shot. The second time he went hard to the rack again, and this time the points came from the free-throw line.

The jumper put KU up 43-40, and K-State never led again after that.

“It was real big,” Arthur said. “We needed to find a way to score. I was just really trying to attack the glass and trying to do my team a favor.”

The two gritty rebounds came just a couple of weeks after KU coach Bill Self called out his big men for playing “soft'” against Colorado on Jan. 27. Self sang a different tune following Monday’s win.

“I thought he rebounded the ball like a man tonight,” Self said. “He’s on an uptick now, and he’s just kind of relaxed a little bit and playing not so sped up offensively.”

Monday also marked just the seventh time in 13 conference games in which Arthur was able to play 20 or more minutes.

Arthur was called for just one personal foul. It was the second straight contest in which he’d done so and just the fourth time all year he’s had a lone infraction in the final box score.

“That makes (the game) very easy,” Arthur said. “Two games, back-to-back with one foul. I’m trying to keep it that way.”