Hunter Dickinson scores 21 as No. 3 Kansas cruises past Oklahoma State 90-66
STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Hunter Dickinson believes Kansas' offense is starting to reach its potential.
The 7-foot-2 center had 21 points and seven rebounds, and the third-ranked Jayhawks rolled past Oklahoma State 90-66 on Tuesday night.
In front of a crowd that was maybe half full and included a significant number of Kansas fans, the Jayhawks shot 62% and never trailed.
“We were kind of due for one of these wins where we build an early lead and maintain it throughout the game," Dickinson said. "We’re very talented, and I think it was just a matter of time before we put the offense together and everybody just had a really good game at once. I think we just did a really good job of not getting complacent.”
Kevin McCullar Jr. scored 18 points and KJ Adams Jr. scored 16 for the Jayhawks (15-2, 3-1 Big 12).
Johnny Furphy matched a season high by scoring all 15 of his points in the first half for Kansas. The 6-9 freshman guard from Australia also had seven rebounds in just his third start.
“I think Johnny’s done a really good job these past couple of games when he’s been in the starting lineup just being confident and being himself," Dickinson said. "I think the four vets are just looking for him to go out there and play his game.”
Bryce Thompson led Oklahoma State with 20 points. The former Kansas guard surpassed 1,000 career points after entering the night with 986.
Javon Small, Oklahoma State's season leader with nearly 15 points per game, finished with two on 1-for-10 shooting as the Cowboys (8-9, 0-4) dropped their fourth straight.
Oklahoma State was winless in the conference, but they had taken then-No. 18 Baylor to overtime in their last home game on Jan. 6. And the Cowboys had registered home wins against the Jayhawks in 2018 and 2021 under coach Mike Boynton.
Kansas took control of this one early, shooting a blistering 67.7% from the field in the first half to take a 48-33 lead at the break.
Late in the first half, Nicolas Timberlake dunked on Thompson to give Kansas a 46-27 edge.
“That was a great play,” Furphy said. “I passed that ahead. I didn’t fully expect him to get up that high, but I heard Kev (McCullar) scream out, ‘Dunk that!'”
Thompson hit a 3-pointer as time expired in the first half to cut Kansas' lead to 15 at the break.
The Jayhawks kept the pressure on, and their largest lead was 28 points in the second half.
"We lost to a really good team that played well tonight,” Boynton said. “That’s really the bottom line, and for us we’ve got to figure out what we want to have as the identity and the legacy of this particular team. And we need to have those answers before Saturday when we play again.”
BIG PICTURE
Kansas: The Jayhawks followed their school-record low two-turnover performance against Oklahoma by producing 21 assists to 11 turnovers against the Cowboys.
Oklahoma State: The Cowboys scored just 42 points on 32% shooting in a loss at Iowa State on Saturday, then shot 40% against Kansas.
UP NEXT
Kansas: Visits West Virginia on Saturday.
Oklahoma State: Visits Kansas State on Saturday.
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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
