No. 8 Kansas romps to 84-62 victory over No. 14 Indiana
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Gradey Dick scored 20 points to lead six Kansas players in double figures scoring, Dajuan Harris Jr. added 10 points and 10 assists and the eighth-ranked Jayhawks roared to an 84-62 victory over No. 14 Indiana on Saturday.
Kevin McCullar Jr. had 11 points and 11 rebounds, and Jalen Wilson and KJ Adams scored 11 apiece, as the Jayhawks (10-1) beat their fellow college basketball blueblood for the seventh time in their last nine meetings.
Indiana (8-3) played most of the way without second-leading scorer Xavier Johnson, who hurt his right ankle less than 10 minutes into the game. The senior guard, who’d been averaging 10.9 points and 5.2 assists, was hurt scrambling for a loose ball. He returned on crutches wearing a walking boot to watch the second half from the bench.
By that point, Kansas already had jumped to a big early lead that eventually swelled to 22 in the first half. And while the Hoosiers briefly got within 10 in the second half, the Jayhawks simply turned up the pressure and pulled away again.
Trayce Jackson-Davis had 13 points and nine blocks for the Hoosiers, who couldn’t overcome 23 turnovers and a 50-24 disparity on points in the paint. Race Thompson and Jalen Hood-Scifino added 11 points apiece.
The Hoosiers, who had lost two of their last three, were fortunate to be within 44-29 at halftime.
Much like last week’s romp past Missouri, the Jayhawks made their first four shots, held Indiana to a single field goal over the first 5 minutes and jumped to a 21-8 lead by the under-12 media timeout. And the lead continued to swell as Dick heated up from beyond the arc, Wilson continued to get to the basket and Adams provided a physical paint presence.
By the time Dick knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers, and Bobby Pettiford Jr. coasted to a layup, the defending national champions had pushed their advantage over the Hoosiers to 42-20 — their biggest of the half.
Indiana gained a little momentum in the closing minutes, though, then stormed out of the locker room and continued to trim its deficit. Jackson-Davis, who had been quiet in the first half, asserted himself in the paint, and it was his basket with 16 minutes to go that got the Hoosiers within 48-38 and forced Kansas coach Bill Self to call timeout.
The Jayhawks scored the next six points to start a 10-2 run and regain control. And as Indiana’s turnovers began to mount, the lead again reached 20, allowing Kansas to coast through the final 8 minutes.
THE TAKEAWAY
Indiana could be without Johnson for a while after his injury, and his ballhandling was sorely missed against the Jayhawks, who finished with 17 steals. That allowed Kansas to have a 28-13 advantage in points off turnovers.
Kansas went through a malaise late in the first half and early in the second, but the veteran leadership of Harris and Wilson allowed the Jayhawks to overcome it. Harris had only three turnovers alongside his 10 assists.
UP NEXT
The Hoosiers play host to Elon on Tuesday night.
The Jayhawks welcome Harvard on Thursday night.
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