Syracuse Orange vs Kansas Jayhawks Match Player Stats On Dec 02, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Dec 2, 2017

MIAMI -- Senior guard Devonte' Graham tied a career high for points for the second straight game to lead No. 2 Kansas to a 76-60 victory over Syracuse in the Hoophall Miami Invitational at AmericanAirlines Arena on Saturday.

Coming off a 35-point game against Toledo, Graham put on a 3-point show, going 7 of 13 from behind the arc and scoring 35 again for the Jayhawks (7-0).

Guard Tyus Battle scored 22 points to lead the Orange (6-1).

Kansas scored the first six points of the second half to go up 41-21 and led 47-26 less than three minutes into the period. With the score 49-31, the Orange went on an 11-0 run that got them to within seven points, 49-42, before the Jayhawks regained control, pushing their lead back into double digits with a 5-0 spurt.

The Orange got their deficit down to single digits twice after that, but the Jayhawks had an answer each time.

Both teams got off to rather sloppy starts both in their shooting and floor play. Just over 12 minutes in the Orange were up 14-13 when the Jayhawks began to come out of their doldrums.

Over the last eight minutes of the first half, Kansas outscored Syracuse 22-5 with Graham leading the surge with 11 points, nine of them on three consecutive long 3-pointers. He finally missed with four seconds left and the Jayhawks had to settle for a 35-21 lead at the break.

Syracuse finished the first period just 5 of 23 from the field with 12 turnovers. Kansas had eight turnovers and was 12 of 25 over the same span.

NOTES: Kansas C Udoka Azubuike entered the game tied for the national lead in field-goal percentage (75.9). The 7-0 sophomore was 3 of 3 Saturday, all on dunks, making him 47 of 61 (77.0 percent) for the season. ... Syracuse's first three baskets were 3-pointers, but the Orange missed their next 13 attempts from beyond the arc until G Tyus Battle ended the drought early in the second half. ... The Jayhawks are 7-0 for the first time since 2010-11, when they started 18-0, and for the fifth time under coach Bill Self in 15 seasons.