Lucas Peltier/AP

Kansas forward KJ Adams (24) shoots the ball against Duke guard/forward Cooper Flagg (2) during the first half of an NCAA basketball game on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024, in Las Vegas.

Las Vegas – Kansas played some of its best basketball games against Duke early in each half on Tuesday night, but saw one extended lead after another – as many as 13 points early and eight points in the second half – fall by the wayside.

Still, the top-ranked Jayhawks held on against the 11th-ranked Blue Devils, and after ejecting star center Hunter Dickinson in the second half, his replacement Flory Bidunga made a game-changing play to force a turnover from Kon Knueppel in the final minute. . Rylan Griffen hit a pair of free throws, Knueppel’s final attempt fumbled and KU held on for a 75-72 win at T-Mobile Arena.

Dajuan Harris Jr. led four double-digit scorers for KU with 14 points and added nine assists, while Zeke Mayo earned a hard-fought 12 and AJ Storr scored 11 in his first game for the Jayhawks. Dickinson had 11 before being ejected for a flagrant foul.

Tyrese Proctor took all seven shots from beyond the arc and made five to serve as the game’s leading scorer. Freshman phenom Cooper Flagg struggled to get involved in the first half, thanks in large part to KJ Adams’ defense, but finished with 13.

Early in the game, KU jumped ahead 10-3, helped by three-pointers from Mayo and Dickinson, both of whom tried to hype up the KU-friendly section of the neutral crowd, and a pair of turnovers from Cooper Flagg. The Jayhawks further extended their early lead after a controversial jump shot from Storr that turned into a three-point play.

The Blue Devils got back within single digits on Flagg’s first points of the night, a pull-up jumper at the 14-minute mark, then Harris responded with an and-1 on a floater in the lane.

Duke had plenty of time to find its rhythm as the Jayhawks fell out of theirs for four minutes until Flory Bidunga finished off an alley-oop from Harris to make it 25-16, and then Storr hit a dead-center 3 from the ensuing emptied media. time-out.

KU regained some of its offensive verve, but also committed a series of fouls that put the Blue Devils in the bonus and allowed them to keep pace at the free-throw line. Proctor hit his second 3-pointer of the game with just under five minutes left in the half, and Maliq Brown made his first 3 of the season as part of a 12-0 run for Duke, tying the game at 32. Harris brought the run to a merciful end by connecting from the depths of himself.

The Jayhawks were in a favorable position with a 41-36 lead with the ball and shot clock off, but Griffen took transition 3 and missed badly, before Proctor connected at the buzzer on the other end to cut KU’s lead to two points on the other side. break.

Kon Knueppel gave Duke its first lead since 3-2 on a close-range fadeaway early in the second half, but Storr immediately erased it with a corner 3 and Adams scored twice as part of a 9-0 run.

The Blue Devils got hot from long range and Flagg hit a 3 for just his second field goal of the night, but Adams then blocked it inside to give KU an important bit of momentum by setting up a media timeout at 54- 48.

Once again, the strong start early in the half gave way to a slow middle, and with 10:26 to go, Dickinson was called for a flagrant 2 foul when he was fouled while going for an offensive rebound, over Brown on the ground fell and then appeared to extend his leg and poke Brown in the head while both lay on the ground. Freshman Bidunga was forced into prolonged action when Dickinson was sent off.

Duke briefly tied the game at 59 and 61 while repeatedly fouling, and then again at 65 before going ahead on a Flagg dunk with six minutes left, only for Griffen to call an off after a timeout -balance 3 hit. He then capped a lengthy and chaotic possession with a layup through contact for a more conventional three-point play.

Duke tied the game again, but Mayo banged in a go-ahead floater with two minutes left. With KU leading 73-72, Flagg turned the ball over for the Jayhawks to run some important clock, but Mayo couldn’t muster another heroic shot and Duke had a pair of late chances.

The Jayhawks, who remain undefeated, return to Lawrence to host Furman on Saturday at 5 p.m. in a game technically considered part of the Vegas Showdown.

Box score

PREVIOUS POST

‘No hard feelings,’ Colorado coach says after Jayhawk’s big hit on son

NEXT POST

Quick recap: Jayhawks hold on for dear life and emerge victorious over Duke 75-72

Written by Hendrik Groenstein

Henry is sports editor at Lawrence Journal-World and KUsports.com, and serves as KU beat writer while managing daily sports coverage. He previously worked as a sports reporter at The Bakersfield Californian and is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis (BA, Linguistics) and Arizona State University (MA, Sports Journalism). Even though he’s from Los Angeles, he’s often told he doesn’t exude a “California vibe,” whatever that means.

▼