Hunter Dickinson, No. 7 Kansas pound host UCF

Field Level Media|published: Sun 5th January, 18:33 2025

Jan 5, 2025; Orlando, Florida, USA; UCF Knights guard Jordan Ivy-Curry (0) defends Kansas Jayhawks center Hunter Dickinson (1) during the first half at Addition Financial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images

Hunter Dickinson dominated host UCF with 27 points, nine rebounds and three blocks as No. 7 Kansas trounced the Knights 99-48 on Sunday in Orlando, Fla., for the Jayhawks' first win in the series.

Dickinson narrowly missed his fifth consecutive double-double, but it was more than enough to help Kansas (10-3, 1-1 Big 12) avoid an 0-2 start in conference play for the first time since the 1990-91 season.

Freshman Flory Bidunga added 12 points and a career-high six blocked shots -- Kansas had 12 blocks total -- as the Jayhawks evened the series at 1-1. The third meeting between the two teams is scheduled for Jan. 28 in Lawrence, Kansas.

Rylan Griffen came off the bench and scored 14 points, including 4-of-4 shooting from 3-point range. KJ Adams had a solid all-around performance with nine rebounds, seven points, three assists and two blocks; Dajuan Harris Jr. added 11 points and six rebounds; and Zeke Mayo dished out eight of Kansas' 30 assists.

The visit to Orlando clearly brought Kansas out of the doldrums that surfaced during a New Year's Eve loss to visiting West Virginia, when the Jayhawks scored a season-low 61 points.

With Mississippi State transfer Shakeel Moore making his first start of the season, Kansas led 44-25 at halftime. Dickinson scored 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting, while the Jayhawks enjoyed a 36-4 advantage in points in the paint and a 29-14 edge on the boards.

Dickinson achieved a rare milestone midway through the first half, converting a putback to reach 2,400 points for his five-year college career that included three seasons at Michigan.

Kansas, which won its first true road game this season following losses at Creighton and Missouri in early December, finished with 62 points in the paint. The Jayhawks outrebounded the Knights 63-32 with 22 at the offensive end, while UCF shot 20.6 percent (14 of 68) from the floor.

Keyshawn Hall had 12 points, six rebounds and three steals for UCF (10-3, 1-1), which had its six-game winning streak snapped. The Knights also lost at Addition Financial Arena for the first time this season after an 8-0 start.

--Field Level Media