STILLWATER, Okla. - Darryn Peterson set the tone early for the Jayhawks, and the rest of the team followed suit. The freshman guard started the game with a five-minute spurt that included a perfect three for three from 3-point range and 13 minutes without a missed basket. Peterson's start fueled the Jayhawks the rest of the way, and No. 8 Kansas men's basketball took down Oklahoma State 81-69 on Wednesday night at Gallagher-Iba Arena.
Peterson ended his night with 23 points and six 3-pointers, but did not check back into the game after heading to the bench with 17:22 to go in the second half. His 23 points helped build a large enough lead for Kansas to run away with a win.
Kansas jumped out to an early 33-14 lead with eight minutes to go in the first half after Peterson hit his fourth 3-pointer of the night to put himself at 16 points, outscoring the Cowboys by himself.
The Jayhawks jumped out to their largest lead of the first half (23) with around five minutes remaining in the first half. All signs pointed to Kansas running away with the game in the first half, but the home team Cowboys, responded with an 11-0 run to cut the Kansas lead to just 12. A Melvin Council Jr. layup and a Bryson Tiller jumpshot broke the Oklahoma State run, and the Jayhawks entered the locker room leading 43-29.
Peterson, 20 points and five 3-pointers, and Tiller, 8 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists, led the Jayhawks in the first half.
The freshman guard picked up right where he left off and opened the second half with another 3-pointer, and his teammate Elmarko Jackson provided a quick five-point scoring burst to put Kansas up 51-38 with 16 minutes remaining in the game.
Tre White started the night missing his first three 3-point attempts, but responded with two made 3-pointers in a row to force an Oklahoma State timeout and put Kansas up 59-40 with 13 minutes to go in the game.
Jackson continued to be aggressive on his drive to the baskets, either scoring at the rim or finding an open teammate. He used two straight trips to the free throw line to reach 12 points and give Kansas a 15-point lead with eight minutes remaining in the game.
The Jayhawks' second-half lead was enough, and they cruised to an 81-69 road win over the Cowboys. Peterson ended his night with 23 points and six 3-pointers, but did not check back into the game after heading to the bench with 17:22 to go in the second half. Tiller recorded 10 points and a career high seven assists.
Kohl Rosario checked in toward the end of the game and provided a 3-pointer off the bench. In the end, it was Peterson's efficient night from behind the arc, Tre White's 14 points and Elmarko Jackson's aggressive night off the bench that pushed Kansas to a Big 12 road win. The win moves the Jayhawks to 10-3 in conference play and 20-6 overall.
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