🏀 Kansas Cruises to 97-64 Victory over Iowa State

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Four Jayhawks scored in double figures, including a team-high 19 points from Ochai Agbaji, as Kansas cruised to a 97-64 win against Iowa State inside of Allen Fieldhouse on Thursday.

Paired with Agbaji, redshirt freshman Jalen Wilson finished with his third straight double-double and his sixth of the season after scoring 16 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.

Agbaji led the team with 19 points, including tying a career-high five 3-point field goals made, while sophomore Christian Braun contributed 18 points of his own with five rebounds and a team-leading six assists.

Kansas got off to a hot start by opening the game on a 5-0 run and controlled the pace of the contest from the start. The KU offense served as a model of efficiency,

committing only one turnover in the first 20 minutes as KU was able to go into halftime with a 39-27 lead.

After coming out of the locker room, Kansas caught fire and built upon its lead. Agbaji went on a tear, scoring 14 second half points.

Freshman Bryce Thompson, who is recovering from an injury, saw action for the first time since January 12. Thompson brought added energy for the Jayhawks, scoring eight points, while grabbing four rebounds with three assists in 19 minutes of playing time.

The Jayhawks held the Cyclones to 20% (5-for-25) shooting from behind the arc and dominated in the paint, outrebounding ISU 44-32.

In a game where every Jayhawk saw action on the floor, all but two scored, as Kansas got 24 points from its bench.

With the win, Kansas improves to 14-7 overall and 8-5 in Big 12 play. Iowa State fell to 2-13 and 0-10.

STAT OF THE GAME

6 – Tonight’s contest marks the sixth double-double of the season for Jalen Wilson, including his third-straight, which now leads the team for the most this season.

MOMENT OF THE GAME

With the shot clocking winding down at the end of the first half, Wilson threw up a 3-point attempt and found the net to give Kansas a double-digit intermission lead and the momentum heading into the second half.

NOTES

Kansas set team highs for points (97), points in a half (58-2nd), field goal attempts (72) and field goals made (38).
Thursday’s margin of victory of 33 points was the most in the series since Kansas’ 89-52 win in Lawrence on February 24, 2007, spanning 31 meetings between the two teams.
Kansas scored 90+ points for the fifth time this season with 97 points.
Kansas improves to 5-1 when shooting 50% or better, shooting 53% tonight.
Eleven different Jayhawks scored for the game.
Junior Ochai Agbaji finished with 19 points, his 19th game in double figures this season and fourth straight. Agbaji’s 19 points lead all scorers and was his highest scoring output in 10 games when he scored 19 points at TCU (1/5).
Freshman Bryce Thompson played his first game since an injury sustained January 12th vs. Oklahoma State, finishing with eight points, four rebounds, and three assists, also adding two blocks. Thompson tied his career high and rebounds and set a new career high in assists.
Redshirt-freshman Jalen Wilson scored 16 points on the night, his sixth straight outing with double figures and 15th of the season.

UP NEXT

Kansas plays its second of back-to-back games at Iowa State on Saturday, Feb. 13. The contest will begin at 2 p.m. (CT) and will be televised on ABC.

Kansas leads the all-time series with ISU, 185-66, dating back to 1908. KU has won the last three, yet is 8-5 in the last 13 meetings. Kansas holds a 70-40 advantage in games played in Ames, including a 26-22 mark in Hilton Coliseum.