LAWRENCE, Kan. – KU sophomore Ochai Agbaji turned in his third-career double-double as the No. 2/3 Kansas Jayhawks used an impressive defensive effort to top the No. 20/21 Colorado Buffaloes, 72-58, Saturday night inside Allen Fieldhouse. Agbaji led all scorers with 20 points as KU held the Buffaloes to 30 percent shooting on the night.
The victory marked the Jayhawks’ seventh-straight and improved their record to 7-1. Colorado suffered its first loss of the season, now sitting at 7-1 in its 2019-20 campaign.
Colorado was able to stick with KU in the early minutes with help from a trio of 3-pointers, pulling to within 10-9 by the 14:08 mark. Agbaji then sparked a 9-0 Jayhawk run that handed KU its first double-digit lead of the game, leading 19-9 just over midway through the opening half.
The Kansas defense continued to clamp down on the Buffalo shooters over the remained of the opening half and managed to hold CU to only three field goals over the final eight minutes of the first frame. Udoka Azubuike closed the half a with an emphatic dunk before time expired to give his team a 34-22 lead as the two squads headed to the halftime locker rooms.
The Jayhawks continued to swarm the CU offense into the second half. The Buffaloes managed just one field goal over the first eight minutes following the restart. Meanwhile, KU took advantage on the other end, getting a pair of 3-pointers from Agbaji to increase their advantage to 45-27 by the 15:08 mark.
Colorado would not be able to recover from the onslaught as the two sides would play even the rest of the way. KU ended the game holding the Colorado shooters to 30 percent shooting on an 18-of-60 clip from the field. This included a 7-of-34 mark (20.6 percent) from beyond the 3-point line. The Jayhawks also forced 17 Colorado turnovers, the sixth time in their eight outings this season that a KU opponent has tallied 15 or more giveaways.
Agbaji led the squad in scoring for the first time this season, hitting 8-of-15 shots en route to a 20-point effort. The Kansas City, Missouri native also added a career-high 12 rebounds to give him his third-career double-double.
Devon Dotson was not far behind his fellow sophomore. He closed his night with 18 points, which included a 10-of-11 tally from the free throw line. Dotson has shot 90.6 percent (29-of-32) from the charity stripe over his last five outings. Azubuike rounded out the Jayhawks to hit double-figures in scoring as the 7-0 center added 12 points and six rebounds in addition to three blocks.
UP NEXT
Kansas continues its homestand when it plays host to Milwaukee on Tuesday, Dec. 10, at 7 p.m. (Central). The game will be televised on Big 12 NOW on ESPN+. Kansas is 1-0 all-time against Milwaukee with the lone meeting a 73-62 win on Dec. 22, 2004, in Allen Fieldhouse.
