Jayhawks Scorch Nets to Top Iowa State, 91-71

By KU Athletics Release February 18, 2020

LAWRENCE, Kan. – An impressive shooting night paired with a stout second half on the defensive end helped the No. 3 Kansas Jayhawks to a 91-71 victory over the Iowa State Cyclones Monday night at Allen Fieldhouse. Sophomore guard Devon Dotson led all scorers with 29 points, 18 of which came from a career-high six 3-pointers, and was one of five Jayhawks to score in double figures.

The victory, which marked KU’s 800th inside Allen Fieldhouse, improved the Jayhawks to 23-3 on the year and 12-1 in Big 12 play. It was also Kansas’ 11th-straight win. Iowa State fell to 11-15 in 2019-20 and 4-9 in the conference.

MOMENT OF THE GAME
In the final minutes of the opening half, the Jayhawks were looking to put some distance between themselves and the hot-shooting Cyclones, who had connected on nine first-half 3-pointers, before the intermission. It was a group of Jayhawk underclassmen that sparked a closing run to help their team take a double-digit lead into the half. After Ochai Agbaji stuck in a putback at the rim to put KU up 40-35 with 3:30 left in the half, freshman Christian Braun swished back-to-back threes, the second following an acrobatic offensive rebound from sophomore David McCormack. Those eight-straight points from the Jayhawks were part of a 12-5 sprint to the halftime lockerroom that saw KU take a 50-40 edge to the break.

STAT OF THE GAME
56.7% – The Jayhawks were scorching the nets Monday night against the Cyclones, in fact, it was the best KU has shot against a Big 12 foe in almost two years. KU’s 56.7% (34-60) mark was its most efficient since hitting just over 60 percent against Texas on Feb. 24, 2018. Kansas now boasts a 48.8 field goal percentage on the season, a mark that leads the Big 12 and ranks among the top-10 in the NCAA. Monday night’s outing also marked the 10th time in 2019-20 that the Jayhawks have shot 50% or better in a game.

NOTES (Full Notes)

  • The victory gave the Jayhawks 12 conference wins for the 20th-consecutive season, a streak which started in 2000-01.
  • The win also marked KU’s 800th win inside Allen Fieldhouse and improved its record to 800-114 in the historic venue.
  • The Jayhawks 50 points were the most scored by Kansas in the first half since KU tallied 52 against Milwaukee on December 10, 2019. The 50 points were the most by Kansas in a half during Big 12 play. This marked the third time this season the Jayhawks have hit 50 points in the first half. 50 points also marked the most ISU had given up in the opening half this season.
  • Iowa State’s nine first-half makes from deep marked the most in a half by a KU opponent since Auburn tallied nine in the first half on March 23, 2019. In addition, the Cyclones 75 percent mark from deep in the first half was the highest percentage by a KU opponent in a half since Baylor shot 80 percent in the first half on Jan. 20, 2014.
  • KU followed up its 11 triples in its win over Oklahoma (2/15), with 12 makes from deep against ISU. The 23 combined makes from deep marked KU’s most in consecutive Big 12 games this season.
  • The Jayhawks scored 90 or more points for the fifth time this season, carrying a 5-0 record in those contests and a 69-1 mark in the Self era.
  • Sophomore Devon Dotson led the team in scoring with 29 points, just two shy of his career high of 31. Dotson also connected on six 3-pointers, which were a career-high.

QUOTE OF THE GAME (Full Quotes)

“We did some good things; it was good to see Dot (Devon Dotson) get the ball in the basket, Ochai (Agbaji) make a couple and Christian (Braun) got a couple of looks and made some threes and I thought that Marcus (Garrett) was rock solid again.”

– BILL SELF

UP NEXT
A massive match-up in the Big 12 race awaits Kansas when the Jayhawks journey to No. 1 Baylor on Saturday, Feb. 22. Tipoff from the Ferrell Center is slated for 11 a.m. (CT) on ESPN. KU leads the all-time series against the Bears at 32-6, but lost in this season’s first meeting, 67-55, on Jan. 11 in Lawrence. The Jayhawks are 13-3 all-time against Baylor in Waco, which includes wins in five of the last six contests in the Ferrell Center.

The game is also scheduled to follow ESPN College GameDay, which will originate from Waco prior to the game. KU has been one of the two teams in the “GameDay” game 18 times in the regular season and boasts a record of 12-6 in those contests.