Zeke Mayo scores 26 as No. 10 Kansas defeats NC State

Field Level Media|published: Sat 14th December, 17:53 2024

Dec 14, 2024; Lawrence, Kansas, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack guard Marcus Hill (10) shoots the ball against Kansas Jayhawks forward KJ Adams Jr. (24) during the first half at Allen Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Zeke Mayo had a season-high 26 points and Hunter Dickinson had 21 points and 14 rebounds as No. 10 Kansas defeated North Carolina State 75-60 on Saturday afternoon at Lawrence, Kan.

Kansas (8-2) also got 15 points and six assists from Dajuan Harris. It was the Jayhawks' 13th straight victory over NC State.

NC State (7-4) was led by Ben Middlebrooks with 14 points and eight rebounds. Bradley Huntley-Hatfield added 12 points off the bench and Marcus Hill with 10.

Kansas led 38-30 at halftime and maintained at least a seven-point lead throughout the second half.

Harris scored a layup with 18:14 left in the second half, giving him 10 points for the game at the time. He finished the contest with 1,006 in his Kansas career. He became the fifth member of the 2024-25 Jayhawks to reach the 1,000-point plateau, joining Dickinson, Mayo, David Coit and Shakeel Moore.

AJ Storr and KJ Adams likely will join that list within the next few games. All but Harris and Adams scored a vast majority of their points at other schools before transferring to Kansas.

Dickinson picked up his third foul with 15:12 left in the half on a Flagrant 1 foul. With Middlebrooks attempting a baseline drive, Dickinson wrapped both arms around him and brought him to the ground. NC State went on a 6-0 run to cut the deficit to 48-41.

Flory Bidunga, Dickinson's backup, picked up his fourth foul less than a minute later, and Kansas put Dickinson back in the game. The foul situation was exacerbated when Adams picked up his fourth foul with 12:28 left.

The Wolfpack were once again within seven before Mayo went on a 6-0 run by himself to stretch it to 54-41 and the Jayhawks were never threatened again.

The Jayhawks started the game with a 15-0 run and NC State was fighting an uphill battle the rest of the half. Kansas led by as many as 16 before the Wolfpack found their footing. They used a 9-0 run to trim the deficit to 19-12. That was as close as they could get.

The Jayhawks were led by Mayo with 12 first-half points. NC State was led by Middlebrooks with seven points and five rebounds in the half.

--Field Level Media