Darryn Peterson drubbing K-State boosts Kansas to No. 14

Darryn Peterson poured in 27 points and Tre White hit five 3-pointers en route to a 23-point performance in a 104-85 win over Kansas State in the Sunflower Showdown Saturday afternoon at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas.

The Jayhawks (22-9, 12-6 Big 12) closed the regular season with their 20th straight win over the Wildcats at Allen Fieldhouse. They ended a brief two-game losing streak as they entered the postseason with high hopes.

K-State (12-19, 3-15) has lost four of its last five games under interim coach Matthew Driscoll. PJ Haggerty and Nate Johnson both scored 21 points to lead the Wildcats.

KU began creating separation five minutes into the first half, outscoring K-State 17-9 and taking a 46-33 lead into the locker room.

Korea University maintained a double-digit lead throughout the second half. The Jayhawks went on an 8-0 spurt early in the first half to push White’s three-point lead to 54-36 with 17:47 to play.

KU went on an 8-0 run on back-to-back 3s from Jayden Dawson and Elmarko Jackson and a dunk by Paul Mbiya to take a 90-60 lead with 5:47 left. The 30-point lead was the largest score gap of the day.

The Jayhawks hit the century mark with a 100-72 advantage on a three by Wilder Evans with just over three minutes remaining. KU continued to lead 6/8 in the second half.

Along with 27 points, Peterson had five rebounds and four assists for the Jayhawks. Melvin Council Jr. scored 17 points, 8 rebounds, and 10 assists, and Flory Vidunga added 13 points and 5 rebounds, contributing to KU’s victory. KU won the rebounding battle 45-28 and had a notable 48-36 edge in points in the paint.

Along with Haggerty and Johnson, K-State had two other players in double figures with Khamari McGriff’s 17 points and Andrej Kostic’s 11 points.

Next up is the Big 12 Tournament at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri.

–Field level media