Field Level Media
Jan 8, 2020
Sophomore point guard Devon Dotson recorded 20 points Wednesday as No. 3 Kansas broke away with a first-half blitz and trounced Iowa State 79-53 at Ames, Iowa.
Although he leads the Big 12 in scoring, Dotson went 5-for-15 in each of the previous three games before thawing out with a 7-for-13 performance against the Cyclones.
The Jayhawks (12-2, 2-0 Big 12) closed the first half with a 21-3 flurry, including nine straight points before the break, to establish a 20-point halftime bulge. They were never threatened in a renewal of last season's championship game of the Big 12 Tournament won by Iowa State.
Senior center Udoka Azubuike added 10 points and seven rebounds for Kansas, which claimed its 10th double-digit victory.
Sophomores Ochai Agbaji and David McCormack added 16 points apiece for the Jayhawks, who shot 51.9 percent. McCormack also snagged seven boards as part of a 37-30 rebounding advantage.
Kansas entered with a .693 all-time win percentage in Big 12 road games but prevailed on just three of nine trips last season when its 14-year string of conference titles was snapped.
Sophomore guard Tyrese Haliburton, the second-leading scorer in the Big 12 behind Dotson, did not score for the Cyclones (7-7, 0-2) until the 15:29 mark of the second half.
Haliburton netted just five points in 36 minutes after posting the sixth triple-double in Iowa State history four days earlier against TCU.
Sophomore guard Rasir Bolton scored 12 points to lead the Cyclones, who shot a season-low 34.5 percent.
The Jayhawks made the last six shots they attempted in the first half to gain a 46-26 lead at the break, finishing the half shooting 55.2 percent. They went 16 of 29, including 6 of 8 from 3-point range.
Dotson scored 11 first-half points and Azubuike added 10.
Over the final eight minutes of the half, the Cyclones were limited to one hoop, a 3-pointer by sophomore forward Zion Griffin with 3:38 showing. They trailed 25-23 before missing all but one of their last 10 attempts.
--Field Level Media