LAWRENCE, Kan. – Sophomore guard Devon Dotson drained a game-high 22 points as the No. 3 Kansas Jayhawks won their 47th-straight home opener with a 74-62 victory over UNC Greensboro Friday night inside Allen Fieldhouse.
The Jayhawks extend a 47-game home opening streak that dates back to the start of the 1973-74 season, as Kansas was led by four players in double-figures in scoring, including Dotson, who was 6-of-14 from the field in the game. The 22 points from Dotson were the second most of his career and the most since scoring 25 a season ago at TCU.
Joining Dotson in double-figures was sophomore Ochai Agbaji (13), junior Marcus Garrett (10) and senior Udoka Azubuike (10). Azubuike notched his ninth-career double-double by adding a team-high 12 rebounds, in what was his first double-double since Nov. 12, 2018 vs. Vermont.
The first half was a back-and-forth affair that featured eight lead changes in total. Kansas’ Dotson and UNC Greensboro’s Isaiah Miller traded blows throughout the first half, with Miller leading scoring at the half with 17 points, while Dotson led the Jayhawks with 14 points.
As a unit, Kansas out-shot the Spartans in the first half, connecting on 41 percent (12-of-29) from the floor, while the Spartans, scored on 36.1 percent shooting (13-of-36). Kansas’ advantage from the field and the free throw line gave them a 36-32 advantage at the break.
Out of the break, the Jayhawks rallied for a 12-2 run to bring the score to 48-34 with 16:04 on the clock. Over that stretch, the Jayhawks benefited on 3-pointers from Agbaji and Isaiah Moss, while KU held UNC Greensboro to connect on just one of their first nine shots from the field.
The Jayhawks outscored the Spartans 28-11 in the first 12 minutes of the second half, which was capped off by a dunk by Azubuike that gave Kansas its largest lead of the night at 64-43.
With under six minutes left, the Spartans rattled off a 9-0 run to bring the score to just 10 with 3:52 remaining. The Jayhawks responded by keeping the margin at double-digits, as Kansas secured a 74-62 victory.
As a team, Kansas shot 45.8 percent (27-of-59) from the floor and 38.5 percent (10-of-26) from beyond the arc, while holding UNC Greensboro to just 38.7 percent (24-of-62) on the night.
UP NEXT
Kansas will return home to Allen Fieldhouse on Friday, November 15, when the Jayhawks host the Monmouth Hawks at 7 p.m., on Big 12 Now on ESPN+. A season ago, Monmouth finished with a 14-21 record including a 10-8 record in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. Friday’s matchup between the Jayhawks and the Hawks will be the first meeting between the two schools.
