Darryn Peterson poured in 27 points, Tre White knocked down five 3-pointers en route to a 23-point performance as No. 14 Kansas cruised to a 104-85 victory over Kansas State in the Sunflower Showdown on Saturday afternoon at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kan.
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 skid as they’ll enter the postseason with high hopes.
K-State (12-19, 3-15) has lost four of its last five under interim coach Matthew Driscoll. P.J. Haggerty and Nate Johnson both finished with 21 points to lead the Wildcats.
KU started to create separation in the final five minutes of the first half, outscoring K-State 17-9 and taking a 46-33 lead into the locker rooms.
KU maintained a double-digit lead throughout the second half. The Jayhawks had an 8-0 spurt early in the half, taking a 54-36 lead on a 3 by White at the 17:47 mark.
KU went on another 8-0 run with consecutive 3s by Jayden Dawson and Elmarko Jackson, and then a dunk by Paul Mbiya, for a 90-60 lead with 5:47 left. The 30-point lead was the largest of the day.
The Jayhawks hit the century mark on a 3 by Wilder Evans for a 100-72 advantage with just over three minutes left. KU went 6-of-8 from deep in the second half.
Along with his 27 points, Peterson also grabbed five rebounds and dished four assists for the Jayhawks. Melvin Council Jr. had 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds with 10 assists, and Flory Bidunga added 13 points and five rebounds to contribute to KU’s win. KU won the rebounding battle, 45-28, and had a noticeable 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.
Up next for both is the Big 12 tournament at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo.
