East Tennessee St. Buccaneers vs Kansas Jayhawks Box Score on Nov 19, 2019

Senior center Udoka Azubuike scored 21 points and added seven rebounds Tuesday as No. 4 Kansas overcame cold 3-point shooting to down East Tennessee State 75-63 at Lawrence, Kan.

The Jayhawks also relied on drives from sophomore point guard Devon Dotson, who added 19 points and six assists. The matchup was the last tuneup for Kansas (3-1) before it plays next week in the Maui Invitational.

After netting 14 3-pointers and almost shooting 50 percent from behind the arc four days earlier in a romp over Monmouth, the Jayhawks managed to shoot just 1 of 14 on treys Tuesday.

The victory was the 24th in a row at home for the Jayhawks, who also received 13 points and six rebounds from junior guard Marcus Garrett.

After trailing by 18 in the first half, East Tennessee State (3-1) closed within five on the second of back-to-back 3-pointers by junior guard Patrick Good with 5:55 remaining. The Jayhawks then responded with six unanswered points.

The Buccaneers, picked to finish first in the Southern Conference after returning 80 percent of their scoring, were led by junior guard Bo Hodges, who scored 22 points, including five 3-pointers.

Senior center Lucas N'guessan, an Oklahoma State transfer, added 11 points. Senior forward Jeromy Rodriguez snagged 10 boards to lead a 33-32 edge on the glass, though Kansas scored 54 points in the paint.

Kansas shot 63.3 percent in the first half before settling for a 43-31 lead at halftime. Dotson collected 13 points and five assists, while Azubuike added 10 points and six rebounds.

An 8-0 run was part of an 18-2 flurry that gave the Jayhawks a 27-10 cushion before 11 minutes had elapsed. A layup by Garrett with 7:39 remaining was the last of a 6-for-6 onslaught that pushed the lead to 31-13.

East Tennessee State showed some veteran poise, bouncing back at the end of the half as Hodges scored 13 points, two below his team-high average, by halftime. The Buccaneers shot just 40.7 percent in the half but forged an 18-13 edge on the glass to erase some of their early deficit.

--Field Level Media