Fast recap: Kansas beats Fort Hays State to end exhibition play
Kansas concluded exhibition play with a 71-35 win over Fort Hays State in Allen Fieldhouse on Tuesday night. The Jayhawks mixed and matched lineups, playing without Darryn Peterson, often relying on their defense to get through inconsistent offensive stretches.
Peterson did not appear against Fort Hays State after dealing with cramps and not practicing Monday. Kansas struggled at times to find a consistent offensive threat, often settling for late shot clock attempts and being at its best in transition. Melvin Council Jr. pushed the pace as Kansas’ primary ball-handler and finished with a team-high 16 points.
On the other side of the ball, the Jayhawks locked down the Tigers. Kansas forced a lot of difficult shots, as Fort Hays State shot just 26.7% from the floor and one of 19 from three.
First half: Kansas struggles to generate offense, limits Fort Hays State to 21% shooting
Neither team got out to the cleanest start as Kansas took an early lead. Fort Hays State turned it over twice and made just one of its five shots. The Jayhawks struggled to generate offense in the half-court without Peterson. Kohl Rosario knocked down a three and Council scored off an offensive rebound to hold a 9-2 through the first four minutes.
The Tigers continued to struggle from the floor, making one of their next seven shots. Tre White stepped into a fast break jumper to spark a quick 6-0 spurt, capped by Elmarko Jackson finding an open Bryson Tiller for a dunk down low.
Kansas hit a dry spell, going on a near four-minute scoring drought. Lucas Hammeke jumped a passing lane and scored on the other end to cut the Jayhawks’ lead to five, 15-10, and Bill Self called a timeout.
The Jayhawks relied on their defense, holding Fort Hays State scoreless for a stretch of five minutes. However, the offense failed to really extend Kansas’ lead, scoring just six points over the same stretch. Kansas’ offense looked sloppy overall, forcing late shot-clock attempts on clunky possessions.
Kansas started to take more shots from outside, as Jamari McDowell and White each hit threes as part of an extended 14-3 run. White knocked down a contested two, and the Jayhawks took a 33-16 lead into the half. While the offense struggled, Kansas limited Fort Hays State to 21.1% from the floor and just one of 11 from three.
Second half: Increased pace helps offense get going as Kansas closes out win
The second half started equally ugly, with Kansas turning it over two times in the first two minutes. Fort Hays State scored six straight to cut the deficit to 11. Self called a timeout and subbed out all five players.
Kansas brought some life back into a marginally-full Allen Fieldhouse after Paul Mbiya converted an and-one. Council followed with a steal and dunk to extend the Jayhawks’ lead to 38-22 at the under-16.
The Jayhawks started to build momentum as they ramped up the defensive pressure and offensive pace. Kansas pressed and took quicker offensive possessions. White hit an early shot clock three to put the lead at 20.
Kansas threw down a couple of highlight reel dunks as it extended its lead. Council connected with Bidunga for their second lob of the game. Tiller then punched in a transition dunk off a steal to force a Fort Hays State timeout.
The Jayhawks made four straight shots as they extended their lead to 30, 65-35, at the under-four timeout. White scored in transition, while Tiller and Jackson knocked down mid-range jumpers.
Kansas empited its bench and closed out its exhibition schedule with a win. The Jayhawks will open the regular season against Green Bay on Monday, November 3rd. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
