Quick Recap: Kansas holds on to beat Kentucky 77-68 in Lexington
A hot start by Kentucky wasn’t enough to rattle No. 9 Kansas out of the win column on Saturday night, as the Jayhawks beat the Wildcats 77-68 in Lexington.
Jalen Wilson led KU (17-4, 5-3 Big 12) with 22 points and eight rebounds. KJ Adams Jr. scored 17 points on 8 of 10 shooting. Gradey Dick added 13 points and Dajuan Harris finished with eight points. Kansas ended the night shooting 31 of 63 (49%) from the field and 9 of 10 (90%) from the stripe.
Kansas starting five: Dajuan Harris, Gradey Dick, Jalen Wilson, Kevin McCullar Jr., and KJ Adams Jr. Kentucky starting five: Jacob Toppin, CJ Frederick, Chris Livingston, Cason Wallace, and Oscar Tshiebwe.
Kentucky opened the game on 4 of 5 shooting, rolling to a 9-4 lead on a fastbreak layup by Cason Wallace before the under-16 timeout. Two short-range jumpers by Wilson were the only production for KU, with Dajuan Harris and Gradey Dick coughing up two early turnovers to the Wildcats.
Harris buried two 3s before the under-12 timeout, aiding Kansas in taking a 16-15 lead briefly with just over 13 minutes left in the first half. Kentucky, now holding eight points in transition, led KU by a basket midway toward the break.
KJ Adams, now up to seven points, picked up his second personal foul (fifth team foul) at the 7:58 mark heading into the under-8 timeout. Kansas, leading UK 34-29 with just under five minutes until halftime, saw its first point(s) from Dick on two 2-pointers.
Down 5 late in the first, Kentucky made just 2 of its last 5 attempts heading into the locker room. Ernest Udeh Jr., stepping up late in the first, contributed four points before the half, helping the Jayhawks stay out front 41-34.
Tshiebwe returned to the floor with four points before the under-16 timeout, guiding Kentucky back within 4 of Kansas with 16:10 remaining in the second. Adams also started the second half with four points on 2 of 3 shooting.
Kentucky, trailing Kansas by 6, called a timeout with 11 minutes remaining in the second. Five points between Wilson and Dick preceded the timeout, completing a 5-0 run for the Jayhawks.
Digging Kentucky within 4, Wallace buried a pair of free throws to give the Wildcats some energy, trailing Kansas 58-54, with eight minutes to go. Wallace made it a one-possession ballgame just moments later.
Kansas, staring down a one-basket lead with five minutes left, got some lift on two 3s dropped consecutively by Dick and Wilson. McCullar reached the double-double mark (11 pts, 12 reb) when he drilled a late 3 to send Kansas up 73-66 with three minutes to go.
Down by 7 with 1:49 left, Kentucky missed its last five attempts from the field and couldn’t race back into contention before the end of regulation.
*We will have more to come in our postgame coverage.