No. 21 Kansas men’s basketball let a strong first half slip away in a 61-56 loss to No. 5 UConn on Tuesday night at Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks controlled the opening 20 minutes with defense and enough shotmaking to build a four-point lead, but UConn came out firing, and everything tightened after the break.

Kansas shot just 25 percent in the second half and made five field goals while UConn punished them on the boards and took over with second-chance points and some huge three pointers. 

The Jayhawks were without star freshman Darryn Peterson, but Flory Bidunga delivered another double-double, and Melvin Council Jr. and Elmarko Jackson provided scoring, but it wasn’t enough. Kansas kept the margin within a single possession multiple times after surrendering the lead, but came up empty on possessions. 

Kansas cut the UConn lead to just one after an electric sequence deep in the second half. Council flipped the momentum with a perfect alley-oop to Bidunga that brought the crowd to life, then buried a three that cut the lead to one and sent Allen Fieldhouse into a frenzy. 

Down three in the closing seconds, the Jayhawks had a chance to tie, but Jamari McDowell missed a tough layup before UConn iced it at the line.

Kansas drops to 6-3 and now turns to the Border War on Sunday against Missouri at T-Mobile Center. Tip is set for 12 p.m. CST, and the game will be broadcast on ESPN2.