Fast recap: Kansas comeback attempt hits wall against Duke

Kansas cut the deficit to four multiple times against Duke but couldn’t get over the hump, falling to the Blue Devils 78-66 at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday. The Jayhawks competed without Darryn Peterson but didn’t have enough firepower to come out with a win.

Tre White stepped up in a big way without Peterson. He was aggressive all night, finishing with 22 points on 7/13 shooting. White, Flory Bidunga, and Melvin Council Jr. combined for 51 points, while the rest of the Jayhawks struggled to provide offensive contributions.

Duke’s star freshman Cameron Boozer led the Blue Devils with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Isaiah Evans added 16, including the dagger three to put Duke up eight with less than four minutes to play.

First half: Kansas slowed after struggling with foul troubles

Kansas relied on its front court to build an early lead. The trio of Bidunga, White, and Bryson Tiller scored 12 of the Jayhawks’ first 14. Kansas scored three baskets on the fast break and held a 14-10 lead at the first media timeout.

Duke started to get closer after Melvin Council Jr. converted an and-one to cap a 7-0 run. White was aggressive, knocking down a mid-range jumper. Isaiah Evans made an and-one of his own to make it a two-point game with 11:14 to play in the first half.

Kohl Rosario dunked off a backdoor cut as Kansas continued to play from in front. The Jayhawks got out on the break again, with Jayden Dawson turning the Blue Devils over and tossing a lob to Bidunga. Cameron Boozer broke a three-minute scoring drought with a downhill drive.

Kansas’ offense hit a wall, enduring a one-for-seven stretch from the floor. Duke scored four straight, and Bill Self called a timeout after no one picked up Caleb Foster on a fastbreak drive.

Bidunga picked up his second foul with 6:40 left in the first half. The Jayhawks’ offense looked sluggish, going over four minutes without a field goal. Their best offense was getting White to the free-throw line.

Duke took its first lead since the early stages of the half, going on a 6-0 with consecutive trips to the line. White quickly tied things up, finishing a layup through a lot of contact.

Kansas fell behind as White and Bidunga both sat on the bench with two fouls. The Blue Devils scored five straight to lead 35-30. Self called a timeout after Evans got out on the break for a transition dunk.

The Jayhawks didn’t score for over three minutes, falling behind by as many as eight. White hit a three from the top of the key to break the drought. However, Evans countered with one of his own to give Duke a 41-33 lead at halftime.

Second half: Jayhawks’ comeback attempt can’t get over the hump

Bidunga scored a pair of baskets as he got back on the floor in the second half. However, Duke traded baskets to hold its lead. Boozer and Dame Sarr knocked down threes to put the Blue Devils’ lead at 51-41 at the second half’s first media timeout.

Cayden Boozer and Council powered each team’s offenses for a stretch near the middle of the second half. After a shaky first half, Council seven straight points for the Jayhawks, putting them down five on multiple occasions. However, Kansas failed to get stops, getting beat on a Maliq Brown back cut to push Duke’s lead to 60-53 with 10 minutes left.

Kansas once again cut it to five with a layup from Tiller. Bidunga followed by picking up his fourth foul with 7:28 to play, but Self kept him on the floor following the media timeout.

Keeping Bidunga in proved to be impactful, throwing down a dunk over Cameron Boozer. Self also stuck with Tiller after he picked up his fourth foul, as the Jayhawks trailed 67-61 with 5:21 remaining.

Evans hit a three with the shot clock expiring to hit a three that felt like the dagger, putting the Blue Devils up 72-64 with under four minutes to play. Duke put the game away with an 8-0 run as Kansas endured a four-minute scoring drought.