In a game marked by a sluggish beginning, No. 1 Kansas rallied to defeat UNC Wilmington 84-66 on Tuesday night, delivering head coach Bill Self his 800th career victory.
Hunter Dickinson led the Jayhawks with a double-double, contributing 15 points and 15 rebounds, while Dajuan Harris Jr. added 16 points. David Coit and Zeke Mayo supported the team with 13 and 10 points, respectively. Kansas (5-0) entered halftime with a narrow 43-38 lead before igniting a decisive 12-2 run to start the second half, ultimately extending their advantage to 20 points and securing their 18th consecutive nonconference home victory.
The Jayhawks will next face No. 12 Duke in the Vegas Showdown on Tuesday.
For UNC Wilmington (4-1), Khamari McGriff led the scoring with 18 points, and Noah Ross contributed 10 points along with nine rebounds. The Seahawks, predicted to finish third in the Colonial Athletic Association after a successful 21-win season last year, showed resilience in front of a sold-out crowd at Allen Fieldhouse, having previously defeated Kentucky at Rupp Arena.
Despite Kansas’s initial energy, UNC Wilmington matched their intensity throughout the first half. However, it was Harris’s leadership that sparked the Jayhawks’ second-half surge, effectively sealing the game.
Notably, UNC Wilmington’s Donovan Newby, who scored 20 points in a recent victory over USC Upstate, was limited to just seven points in this matchup.
The Jayhawks faced a setback when freshman Flory Bidunga suffered an injury in the first half and was unable to return, raising concerns about the team’s interior depth.
Key Moment: Kansas’s explosive start to the second half proved pivotal in determining the outcome of the game.
Key Stats: The Jayhawks managed to secure the win despite a challenging night from beyond the arc, shooting just 6 of 25 from three-point range.
Up Next: UNC Wilmington will take on Colgate on November 27, while Kansas prepares to face the Blue Devils on Tuesday.
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