Kansas guard Frank Mason III (0) chases down a loose ball after stripping it from Rhode Island guard E.C. Matthews (0) during the first half on Thursday, Nov. 27, 2014 at the HP Field House in Kissimmee, Florida.

There clearly was no concern about the tryptophan effect for the Kansas University men’s basketball team on this Thanksgiving in Orlando.

Playing in the quarterfinals of the Orlando Classic on the Walt Disney World resort, the Jayhawks stormed out of the gate and put Rhode Island in a big hole in a hurry en route to a 76-60 victory over the Rams.

The win improved KU to 3-1 on the season and came because of some hot shooting, solid defense and smooth transition play.

For the second straight game, Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk and Landen Lucas joined Frank Mason III, Wayne Selden Jr. and Perry Ellis in the starting lineup and the KU fivesome helped the Jayhawks race out to a 31-11 lead, which settled into a 43-25 margin by halftime.

The Rams (3-1), who upset No. 21 Nebraska a few days back, fought back in the second half and never fully went away, but that early lead built by the Jayhawks was far too much to overcome. Rhode Island trimmed the KU lead to as little as 13 points with 5:35 to play in the game, but KU’s size inside and superior ball movement prevented the Rams from getting any closer.

Ellis led the Jayhawks with 17 points and Mason (12), Wayne Selden (10) and Devonté Graham (10) all reached double digits for the Jayhawks.

Here’s a quick look back at some of the action:

• The game turned when: KU found its stroke from long distance early. Behind two triples from Selden and one from Brannen Greene, Ellis and another from Mason, the Jayhawks drained five of their first seven three-point tries to open up a 20-10 lead. Rhode Island was 0-for-5 from downtown during that same stretch.

• Offensive highlight: With just over 8 minutes to play in the first half, Selden, who had already knocked in a couple of shots from long range, rose up for a three-pointer from the wing but spotted Lucas all alone underneath and zipped a pass to the big man inside instead of pulling the trigger. Lucas did the rest and put in a reverse layup to put KU up 27-11, but the pass was as pretty as any of the nine assists Selden delivered against Rider earlier in the week.

• Defensive highlight: The Jayhawks finished with 7 blocked shots and a couple of them were highlight worthy — one first-half swat by Cliff Alexander was particularly strong — but it was really KU’s defense around the rim as a whole that stood out in this one, particularly in the first half. Rhode Island shot just 35 percent for the game.

• Key stat: Bench points. So much has been made about KU’s starting lineup lately, but the Jayhawks’ talented depth will be this team’s strength all season and it was on full display in this one. KU’s bench outscored Rhode Island’s 33-14, with Graham and Alexander (9 points, 8 rebounds) leading the way.

• Up next: The Jayhawks will take on Tennessee (2-1), a 64-57 winner over Santa Clara on Thursday, at 11 a.m. in Friday’s Orlando Classic semifinals.