Kansas basketball: Jayhawks edge past No. 4 UConn to pick up marquee win

Kansas basketball handed Dan Hurley and No. 4 UConn its first loss in nine months as the Jayhawks escaped with a victory in an Allen Fieldhouse thriller.

There was a truly magical feeling Through the Phog last night in the Jayhawks’ victory over the reigning national champions. The Kansas basketball team put on a show for one of the best crowds in recent history en route to a 69-65 victory.

UConn vs. Kansas Basketball Recap

It didn’t take long for KU to get going. A Hunter Dickinson 3-pointer gave Kansas an 11-point lead just five minutes into the contest. Although they hovered over the Huskies by double digits for most of the first half, some heroics by Tristen Newton cut their deficit to seven at the break.

After a slow start to the second period, UConn went on a 9-4 run and eventually took the lead with a Newton 3-pointer. His 31 points were the highest in the game and a career-high for him in a Husky uniform.

Kansas basketball trailed by as many as five points with over eight minutes remaining, but an onslaught of 3-pointers put them up by seven before anybody in the arena could blink.

As always, KU made it interesting for their opponent. A long exchange of fouls and free throws led to what could have been a game-altering turnover by Elmarko Jackson in the final minute. Dajuan Harris also missed a pair at the charity stripe with 16 seconds to go and Kansas leading by two. Thankfully, Rutgers transfer Cam Spencer missed the go-ahead 3-pointer and KJ Adams sealed it with two free throws.

Kevin McCullar led the team in scoring with 21 points on 6-of-10 shooting (3-of-4 from beyond the arc). Dickinson also connected on three trey-balls on the way to a 15-point, 9-rebound, and 4-block outing. The most impressive performance was by Adams, who dropped in 18 and five rebounds while sinking some late-game clutch foul shots despite coming into the contest with an abysmal 25% percentage.

This was a marquee win for the Jayhawks and a really encouraging showing following the team’s upset scare to Eastern Illinois. Their next game comes against UMKC on Tuesday, December 5, which is a tune-up for the Border Showdown against bitter rival Mizzou.