Zeke Mayo led the way with 25 points while Hunter Dickinson contributed a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds as the University of Kansas, ranked No. 8, convincingly defeated Brown University 87-53 on Sunday.
Mayo’s performance was impressive, particularly as he connected on two of his five three-pointers on consecutive possessions, boosting the Kansas lead to 25 points with just 12 minutes left in the game. This game followed his strong outing against NC State on December 14, where he scored 26 points in a 75-60 victory.
Brown, with a current record of 7-4, kept the game competitive early on, trailing Kansas by only one point ten minutes into the first half. However, their shooting went cold, which made it challenging for them to keep pace. Kino Lily Jr. stood out for Brown with 18 points, while both Aaron Cooley and AJ Lesburt Jr. added six points each. Overall, Brown struggled, shooting just 26.7% from the field with 20 successful shots out of 75 attempts.
In contrast, Kansas managed to shoot 50% from the floor, hitting 34 out of 68 shots and finished with a three-point percentage of 36.4%, making 8 of 22 attempts. Brown’s efforts from beyond the arc were not fruitful either, hitting only 8 of 33 shots for a mere 24%.
With this victory, Kansas improved their record to 9-2 and have won two consecutive games after a previous setback with losses to Creighton and Missouri. The Jayhawks extended their home winning streak to seven games, showcasing their strong performance on their home court.
Key takeaways from the matchup revealed that Brown struggled to find offensive rhythm, particularly in the second half, where they could only muster 22 points. Kansas, on the other hand, faced challenges in the paint during the first half, allowing Brown to stay in contention early on. However, they managed to ramp up their defensive efforts in the second half.
A significant moment in the game came when Kansas scored the last six points of the first half. This spurt began with an alley-oop dunk by Flory Bidunga, assisted by Dajuan Harris Jr., allowing the Jayhawks to take a 42-31 lead heading into halftime.
Looking ahead, Brown will travel to face Kentucky on December 31, while Kansas will kick off their Big 12 play at home against West Virginia on the same day.