BY TRISTAN SASSE
For the twelfth straight time at Allen Fieldhouse, the Kansas Jayhawks defeated the Kansas State Wildcats. In a back-and-forth Sunflower Showdown, No. 12 Kansas escaped with a 73-72 win. The Jayhawks have now won 54 of their last 59 games against the in-state rival Wildcats. Additionally, Kansas improves to 194-93 in the all-time series.
Game Recap
The Jayhawks stormed out to a 13-4 lead, but the Wildcats were able to set the tone for the rest of the half. Midway through the half, KSU had a 16-3 run to take their first lead of the game with under five minutes remaining. The Wildcats led by as many as six, but two three-pointers in the final 38 seconds by Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, tied the game at 34 heading into the locker room.
Kansas began the second half with a 15-4 run, including 11 unanswered during that stretch. As it looked KU was pulling away with a 49-38 lead, Kansas State responded with a 7-0 run to pull back within four. Shortly after, the Wildcats tied the game at 55. Teams continued to trade baskets and KSU took a three-point lead with less than six minutes left in the game.
At the four-minute mark, it was knotted at 64. The game continued to be back-and-forth and with 1:30 remaining, the Jayhawks led by one. After a pair of free throws by Xavier Sneed, the Wildcats regained the lead with 30 seconds left. Malik Newman followed with a pair of free throws to give the lead back to the Jayhawks. Kansas State’s Barry Brown missed a three-pointer as time expired and Kansas held on for a 73-72 victory.
By the Numbers
The Jayhawks shot 49% from the field, made 10 three-pointers, and hit 15-of-17 from the free throw line. Devonte’ Graham led Kansas with 23 points and five assists. Udoka Azubuike added 18 points and 8 rebounds, while Mykhailiuk finished with 11 points (all in the first half) and Lagerald Vick had 10. Also, Silvio De Sousa failed to score in his Kansas debut, after being cleared by the NCAA to play.
On the other hand, the Wildcats shot 49.1%, made eight three-pointers, and finished 10-of-11 from the line. Each team had 27 rebounds. Dean Wade finished with 22 points and six rebounds. Cartier Diarra added 18 points, while Sneed had 14 points and seven rebounds. Brown contributed 12 points, six assists, and five rebounds. Kansas State was also without their third-leading scoring, Kamau Stokes (14.3 ppg), for the second straight outing due to a foot injury.
Looking Ahead
Up next, Kansas (14-3 overall, 4-1 in Big XII) will travel to Morgantown, WV on Monday to take on the No. 2 West Virginia Mountaineers (15-1, 4-0). Meanwhile, on Tuesday the Wildcats (12-5, 2-3) will host the No. 9 Oklahoma Sooners (13-2, 3-1).