Kevin McCullar Jr., No. 5 Kansas outlast No. 4 UConn

Field Level Media|published: Fri 1st December, 23:43 2023

Dec 1, 2023; Lawrence, Kansas, USA; Connecticut Huskies guard Tristen Newton (2) drives against Kansas Jayhawks center Hunter Dickinson (1) and guard Dajuan Harris Jr. (3) during the first half at Allen Fieldhouse. credits: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

Kevin McCullar Jr. scored 21 points and No. 5 Kansas led most of the way while recording a 69-65 victory over No. 4 UConn on Friday night in the Big East-Big 12 Battle at Lawrence, Kan.

KJ Adams Jr. added 18 points and Hunter Dickinson registered 15 points, nine rebounds and four blocked shots for the Jayhawks (7-1).

Tristen Newton made a career-best six 3-pointers while scoring a season-high 31 points for the Huskies (7-1).

UConn's Cam Spencer missed a potential go-ahead 3-pointer with just three seconds to play. He had just six points on 2-of-12 shooting.

Adams was fouled with 2.4 seconds left and made two free throws to seal it as Kansas improved to 4-0 all-time against the Huskies.

Reigning national champion UConn saw its record streak of 24 consecutive nonconference victories by double digits come to an end.

The Huskies shot 41.1 percent from the field, including 11 of 28 from 3-point range. Alex Karaban scored 10 points before fouling out.

The Jayhawks made 50 percent of their attempts and were 9 of 14 from behind the arc.

The Huskies trailed by three before McCullar drained a corner 3-pointer to give Kansas a 66-60 lead with 1:08 remaining.

Newton was fouled while shooting a 3-pointer and made all three attempts with 56.8 seconds left to cut UConn's deficit back to three.

After Adams split two free throws with 28.8 seconds left, Newton drove for a layup to bring UConn within 67-65 with 23.1 seconds remaining.

Kansas' Dajuan Harris Jr. missed two free throws with 16.8 seconds to play prior to Spencer's late miss.

UConn trailed by as many as 12 in the first half and never led until Newton knocked down a 3-pointer for a 47-46 lead with 10:36 remaining in the game.

Newton made his sixth trey 37 seconds later to give the Huskies a 50-47 lead.

The Jaywhaks regained the lead at 55-54 when McCullar buried a 3-pointer with 5:56 to play. McCullar hit another trey 46 seconds later and Dickinson added one with 4:13 remaining to cap an 11-0 run and give Kansas a 61-54 lead.

Karaban made a 3-pointer with 3:18 left for UConn's first points in nearly 4 1/2 minutes.

Dickinson and McCullar scored 10 points apiece as Kansas led 38-31 at the break. Newton had 16 and went 4 of 5 from 3-point range in the half for the Huskies.

—Field Level Media

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