Hunter Dickinson recorded 20 points and eight rebounds to help No. 8 Kansas notch a 78-65 victory over No. 4 Houston on Saturday afternoon in a Big 12 showdown at Lawrence, Kan.
Kevin McCullar Jr. had 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting and collected seven rebounds in his return from a one-game absence due to a bruised knee for the Jayhawks (18-4, 6-3 Big 12). Johnny Furphy also had 17 points on 6-of-7 shooting and collected eight boards for Kansas, which shot a stellar 68.9 percent from the field against the nation’s top defensive team.
L.J. Cryer scored 24 points and made six 3-pointers for Houston (19-3, 6-3), which had a five-game winning streak halted. J’Wan Roberts had 11 points and 13 rebounds and Emanuel Sharp also had 11 points for the Cougars.
The normally dominant Houston defense gave up a season-worst point total for the second straight game. The Cougars entered Saturday allowing 52.9 points per contest while holding opponents to 35.5 percent shooting from the field.
KJ Adams Jr. added 10 points and seven assists for the Jayhawks, who were 6 of 13 from 3-point range and held a 40-24 rebounding edge.
The Cougars made just 36.2 percent of their shot attempts and were 9 of 29 from behind the arc. Jamal Shead had nine assists but just seven points on 2-of-9 shooting.
McCullar opened the second half with back-to-back baskets to boost the Kansas lead to 47-28.
The Cougars later crept within 51-38 on a 3-pointer by Sharp with 15:07 remaining before Dickinson scored five points during a 7-0 burst to give the Jayhawks a 58-38 lead with 12:23 to play.
Cryer answered with eight points during a 10-2 burst as Houston moved within 60-48 with 9:08 left.
The Cougars were within 10 after Cryer drained a 3-pointer with 5:03 remaining. But the Jayhawks scored six of the next seven points — four by Dickinson — to take a 74-59 lead with 3:26 left and cruised to the finish.
Furphy scored 14 points on 5-of-5 shooting as Kansas held a 43-28 lead at the break. The Jayhawks shot 68 percent (17 of 25) in the first half and held the Cougars to 31.3 percent (10 of 32).
McCullar slammed home a breakaway dunk to make it 30-15 with 7:37 remaining in the first half.
The Cougars pulled within nine on Cryer’s basket with 6:11 left before Furphy scored seven straight points on a 3-pointer, layup and dunk to give the Jayhawks a 37-21 advantage with 4:38 remaining.
–Field Level Media
