Long-building Peterson-Bidunga duo flashes ceiling against Baylor
Darryn Peterson completed a moment nearly 10 months in the making as Kansas took down Baylor on Friday night. With 5:21 remaining in the first half, Peterson launched a lob to Flory Bidunga. The Jayhawk big man threw down the dunk in space, extending Kansas’ lead in the first half.
Peterson came to Kansas to play with Bidunga, as he said in March. The freshman has battled injury throughout the season, but Peterson and Bidunga finally showed what they were capable of together.
“If you go back to like, an interview I had my senior year, it was like, ‘Who was I excited to play with? Flory, because I wanted to throw him some lobs,’” Peterson said. “It was good to actually get one today.”
Peterson and Bidunga powered the Jayhawks’ to an 80-62 win over Baylor. The duo combined for 49 points in an ultra-efficient 22/27 combined performance. Peterson scored 26 points in 23 minutes, while Bidunga finished with 23, 11 rebounds, and five blocks.
“We know what each other can do, and how good we are,” Bidunga said. “We just need to play to our abilities basically.”
Both players played to their strengths against Baylor, with each taking over during stretches of the game. Peterson launched the Jayhawks off to a hot start, scoring 13 of the team’s first 19 as they took a 19-4 lead in just over five minutes. While others pitched in to start strong against Iowa State on Tuesday, Peterson caught fire and carried the scoring himself.
“We actually did a better job of looking for him because he was kind of, you know, he was on a heater,” Self said. “That was fun to watch. That was impressive.”
Kansas made it a point to get the ball to Bidunga early, setting him up for a dunk on the first play of the game. Self has emphasized getting more touches for Bidunga recently. Bidunga’s 14 shots on Friday were his second-highest output of the season and most since November 26th against Tennessee.
“I actually think we made more of a conscious effort to throw it to him tonight,” Self said. “And I think his energy level was better after he got some touches early, no question.”
Bidunga carried the load offensively in the second half, with Peterson playing just seven minutes. The big man threw down seven dunks in the game, with four coming in the second half. Bidunga led the team with 13 second-half points on eight shots.
“I feel like me dunking, you know, hype up my teammates and then bring more energy,” Bidunga said. “So, as long as I keep doing it, I think it’s good for the team.”
