🏀 Seniors Shine in Dillons Sunflower Showdown Victory Over Kansas State, 90-68

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Kevin McCullar Jr. had 19 points in his Allen Fieldhouse farewell and Hunter Dickinson added 15 points and 20 rebounds as No. 14 Kansas took down Kansas State, 90-68, in the Dillons Sunflower Showdown on Tuesday night.

Nick Timberlake added 18 points and KJ Adams Jr. had 16 for the Jayhawks (22-8, 10-7 Big 12), who beat the Wildcats at home for the 18th straight time and won their 40th in a row on senior night, a run that stretches back to the 1983-84 season.

Will McNair had 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Wildcats, but leading scorers Tylor Perry and Cam Carter were shut down. Perry had two points after scoring 26 against the Jayhawks in February, and Carter had three points on 1-of-7 shooting.

Two schools separated by about 80 miles of highway, and who have played 300 times since 1907, naturally harbor a little bit of animosity toward each other. And that was on display during a first half in which they nearly came to blows.

Problem for the Wildcats is they couldn’t do anything with resulting free throws. They were 10 of 21 at the line.

Throw in some sloppy offense — hardly new for a team that ranks 339th in Division I in turnovers per game — and the Wildcats were fortunate to trail the Jayhawks 41-33 as the bitter rivals headed to the halftime locker room.

Kansas quickly stretched the lead to double digits in the second half. And after making one 3-pointer over the first 25 minutes, McCullar and fellow senior Timberlake hit them in quick succession, stretching the lead to 53-38 with 13:30 to go.

The Jayhawks eventually pushed the lead past 20 before the senior night celebration began and eventually closed out the Wildcats with a 90-68 win.

Kansas finishes the regular season on Saturday, March 14 when the Jayhawks travel to Houston. The game will tip off on ESPN at 3 p.m.