The Kansas Jayhawks, who played in countless close games this season, finally got a blowout today, getting a 87-53 victory.
The beginning of the this game had a little bit of excitement, with neither team gaining more than a 10 point lead. Dedric Lawson dominated in the paint, making shot after shot. Even with Lawson’s dominant play, a balanced scoring effort by different players. Kansas started to pull away, going on a 17-6 run to close the half.
The second half was all KU, jumping out to a 20 point lead with 12 minutes left and never looking back. With help all around from Dedric and KJ Lawson, Devon Dotson, and Ochai Agbaji, Northeastern never stood a chance. The team who usually shoots around 45% from three struggled a lot today, going 21% from behind the arc. Kansas shot terrifically, going 55% from the field.
Dedric Lawson led the Jayhawks today with 25 points and 11 rebounds. Devon Dotson gave them 18 points himself, including 4 rebounds and two steals. KJ Lawson and Ochai Agbaji both scored 13 points for Kansas.
Northeastern only managed to get one double digit scorer, Jordan Roland, who scored 12 points. Bolden Brace scored 7 and had 8 rebounds, but clearly not enough.
This is a huge win for Kansas, who have a very hard matchup on Saturday against Auburn. Auburn is coming off a close win against New Mexico State and is hoping to keep their tournament run alive. Bill Self knows how to win in the tournament, and proved today you can never doubt him or his team.