Jayhawks Sprint Past Sooners in Norman, 66-52

NORMAN, Okla. – Another strong defensive effort paired with a torrid shooting night from senior Isaiah Moss propelled the No. 6/7 Kansas Jayhawks to a 66-52 win over the Oklahoma Sooners Tuesday night inside Lloyd Noble Center. Moss led all scorers with 20 points and connected on six 3-pointers as KU held OU to 31% shooting on the night, a season-low for the Sooners.

The win improved Kansas to 13-3 on the year and 3-1 in Big 12 play. Oklahoma fell to 11-5 in its 2019-20 season and 2-2 in the league.

MOMENT OF THE GAME
Leading 42-40 with just over 11 minutes to play in regulation, Udoka Azubuike connected on a pair of free throws to kickstart a 14-5 KU run to finally put some distance between KU and the Sooners. Five different Jayhawks scored during the stretch, which was highlighted by a David McCormack alley-oop dunk at the 7:04 mark to put Kansas ahead 54-45. The Jayhawk defense limited the Sooners to just five field goals over the final 11 minutes of the game to close out the 14-point road victory.

STAT OF THE GAME
6 – With his name inserted into the starting lineup for the first time this season, Isaiah Moss took advantage, knocking down a season-high six 3-pointers en route to his second 20-point out of the year. The six triples were the most by a Jayhawk this season. Moss is now 8-of-19 (42%) from long distance over his most recent two outings, this after going 4-of-14 in his previous four contests.

NOTES (Full Notes)

The win made Kansas 96-13 in the Bill Self era in games coming off a loss.
Kansas forced Oklahoma to go 9-for-32 from the field in the first half, marking the seventh time this season that KU has held its opponent to under 10 makes from the field in the first half.
Kansas’ victory ended a two-game losing streak in Norman.
KU’s 14-point victory marked its largest over Oklahoma in Norman in the Self era and the largest by KU in Norman since Kansas defeated Oklahoma 69-54 on Feb. 8, 1975.
Oklahoma’s 52 points marked its fewest against KU in Norman since KU topped OU 60-50 on Feb. 20, 1999.
Kansas held OU to under 60 points, marking the fourth-consecutive true road game the Jayhawks have limited their opponent to under 60 and the ninth overall time this season. KU is now 8-1 in those contests with a 176-2 record in the Self era.
KU outscored Oklahoma 32-10 in points in the paint. The Jayhawks have outscored their opponent by 10 or more in the paint 12 times this season.
Azubuike, Moss and Garrett combined for 51 of Kansas’ 66 points.

QUOTE OF THE GAME

"That built momentum for me, seeing the ball go in early. (Coach Self) was telling me to shoot it, so I kept shooting it. "
Isaiah Moss

UP NEXT
Kansas will continue its two-game road trip at Texas on Saturday, Jan. 18. The game will start at 1 p.m. (Central) and be televised on ESPN. Kansas leads the overall series with Texas, 33-9, including a 10-7 in games played in Austin with all 17 battles in the Erwin Center. Dating back to the 2013-14 season, KU has won 11 of the last 12 meetings with UT claiming a 73-63 win last year in Austin.

Bill Self Postgame Press Conference

None

Make that six 3-pointers for MOSS

.@imoss38 steppin' up big time!

He knocks down his 5th three of the night to give #KUbball its biggest lead ??

Jayhawks up 49-42, under 8 to play. pic.twitter.com/rXHsGyjJQU

— Kansas Basketball (@KUHoops) January 15, 2020