Fast Recap: Kansas blows out Towson without Darryn Peterson
Kansas led wire-to-wire, beating Towson 73-49 at Allen Fieldhouse on Tuesday night. The Jayhawks played without Darryn Peterson, ruled out with quad cramps late afternoon before tip-off.
Flory Bidunga, Tre White, and Melvin Council Jr. accounted for the bulk of the Jayhawks’ offense. The trio combined for 49 points points. Bidunga tallied a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Bryson Tiller also scored in double-figures with 11.
After playing seven straight games against high-major competition, Kansas got a more extended look at its bench. The Jayhawks came into the game ranked 349th in D-1, averaging 14.6 bench points per game. The non-starters scored nine points against Towson, with most coming in mop-up duty.
Kansas held Towson to 27.5% shooting from the field and 3/24 from three. Dylan Williamson led the Tigers with 19 points on 8/20 shooting. Despite getting blown out, Towson outrebounded the Jayhawks 45-43.
First half: White and Bidunga lead Kansas to comfortable first-half lead
Flory Bidunga scored the first six points for Kansas, taking advantage against a smaller Tiger frontcourt. Towson struggled to score, enduring a scoreless stretch of three minutes. Kansas broke off a 9-0 run, getting a pair of baskets in transition. Melvin Council Jr. knocked down a three to put the Jayhawks’ lead at 13-3 at the first media timeout.
Chike Ndefo got a pair of baskets inside, but Kansas’ frontcourt continued to take advantage. Bryson Tiller threw down a dunk, while Bidunga scored and racked up fouls for Towson. Tyler Tejada, the Tigers’ leading scorer, picked up two quick fouls.
Dylan Williamson picked off a pass for a fastbreak layup, but Towson trailed 19-11 with 11:18 remaining.
Tre White got going as Kansas started to extend its lead. He scored four straight as part of a 6-0 spurt that pushed the Jayhawks’ lead to 14. However, Jack Doumbia reseponded with five of his own, cutting the score to 25-16.
The game drew into a quick lull as Towson was held without a field goal for five minutes, and Kansas didn’t score for 2:27. White broke the drought with an open three. He then found Tiller for layup to put the Jayhawks ahead 33-18 with 3:46 to play in the first half.
Kansas sputtered again as the game neared halftime, going scoreless for three minutes. Williamson knocked down a pair of shots to cut Towson’s deficit to 10. Council broke the ice with a late three, and the Jayhawks took a 36-25 lead into the break.
Towson shot 27.8% from the floor and 2/12 from three. Kansas controlled the game, with White, Bidunga and Council combining for 29 first half-points.
Second half: Jayhawks close out wire-to-wire win
Towson reeled in four offensive rebounds on its opening possession of the second half, finally coming away with a layup. Kansas responded with seven straight points, holding the Tigers scoreless for nearly four minutes. Tejada got another second-chance bucket for Towson, before Council made a three to put Kansas ahead 46-29 at the under-16.
Bidunga scored four straight for the Jayhawks as they put their lead to 17. Towson called a timeout after allowing Bidunga to score on a putback. Bryson Tiller made his first three since November 15th against Princeton, and Kansas held a 53-35 lead with 11:45 to play.
Kansas went on a 13-4 run to put its lead over 20. White knocked down a three and scored in transition. The Jayhawks had firm control, leading 66-41 with 7:23 remaining.
Bill Self went to a lineup made up with a majority of bench players with the game in hand. The group went scoreless for nearly three minutes, before Kohl Rosario broke the drought with a three.
Jayden Dawson threw down a second-chance dunk to wrap up the win, putting Kansas’ lead at 73-48 with 0:46 left.
