KU dominates Oklahoma State in 90-66 road win

By Henry Greenstein Jan 16, 2024

Kansas guard Johnny Furphy (10) slam dunks the ball in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Oklahoma State, Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024, in Stillwater, Okla.

Stillwater, Okla. — The Kansas men’s basketball team earned a convincing 90-66 road win Tuesday night and watched one of its young players continue to blossom along the way.

Australian freshman Johnny Furphy matched his career high in scoring, 15 points, with his third 3 of the game by the 17-minute mark, using a mixture of the long-distance shooting he’s shown in spurts throughout the year and the athleticism that gave him such sky-high potential entering the season.

“He looked like a pro out there,” KU coach Bill Self said. “That first half, he was impressive. He plays above the rim in transition, blocking shots, rebounding and then just jumping up and making shots. He was really good that first half.”

He added seven rebounds as well, but took a backseat in the second half as KJ Adams totaled 16, Kevin McCullar had 18 and Hunter Dickinson, whom the Jayhawks relentlessly fed the ball in the post, finished with 21 and seven rebounds. Dajuan Harris Jr. added 11 more points as all five KU starters finished with double-digit point totals.

“When everything is working well and spaced out, it’s pretty easy to get going,” Furphy said.

As a unit, for the second game in a row, the Jayhawks pressed their advantage in the second half and did not let the Cowboys get within 15 points at any point after the break.

“We were kind of due for one of these wins where we kind of build an early lead and kind of maintain it throughout the game,” Dickinson said.

Former KU guard Bryce Thompson (20 points) led the way for an erratic Oklahoma State, which dropped to 0-4 in conference play and was unable to put up the same sort of resilient effort it has against the Jayhawks at Gallagher-Iba Arena in years past.

“Today’s the most comfortable (in Stillwater) we’ve been that I can remember,” Self said.

OSU got off to a worst-case start when it conceded a Dickinson hook shot and back-to-back transition baskets by Furphy and was forced to call a timeout a minute and eight seconds into the game.

While KU didn’t have quite the same success on defense, it stole a few tough baskets to extend its lead further, including a McCullar 3-pointer from the right wing and an Adams pull-up jumper when the Cowboys gave him space around the free-throw line. That put the Jayhawks up 19-10 midway through the half.

OSU was unable to stop the bleeding in any form after the break, allowing KU to embark on a quick 12-4 run that included two corner 3s by Furphy; one came off a crisp pass from under the basket by Elmarko Jackson and the other originated from Furphy’s own offensive rebound.

With the Cowboys switching to a zone in the hopes of inspiring a comeback like UCF had engineered six days earlier, KJ Adams scored three quick baskets inside, but OSU made up some ground by firing from long range. Jarius Hicklen and Quion Williams made one shot apiece and then Connor Dow sank three free throws after a foul by Harris.

Furphy blocked a Javon Small baseline jumper, snagged the rebound and fed Nick Timberlake for a vicious fast-break dunk against Thompson, one of the Towson transfer’s most distinguished plays all season.

“That was a great play,” Furphy said. “I passed that ahead, I didn’t fully expect him to get up that high, but I heard Kev scream out ‘Dunk that.'”

Dickinson said he “kind of looked like a prime Derrick Rose” and “brought back the Towson highlights.”

Adams, for his part, said he was more excited about the dunk than Timberlake himself.

“I didn’t even know it went in until I landed and I didn’t hear like a loud boom from the crowd celebrating,” Timberlake said. “I was like ‘Oh.’ Then I saw the ball at halfcourt — I go, ‘I should probably get back on defense.'”

The Jayhawks had a late-in-the-half sequence go against them when they came up empty on a penultimate possession after a timeout, then gave up a Thompson 3 at the buzzer that reduced their lead to 48-33.

The second half slowed to a glacial pace as OSU committed five fouls in just over two minutes. KU got sloppy on defense but managed to sustain a sizable lead thanks to five early points by Dickinson. Adams used some tough inside scoring to lead a 10-0 stretch, including a putback by Jackson off the bench.

The Cowboys went on a miniature run of their own featuring five straight points for Hicklen and had some of their best offensive possessions down the stretch but couldn’t cut particularly deep into their deficit.

KU will continue its road trip when it takes on West Virginia on Saturday at 3 p.m. Central Time.

Box score

Oklahoma State guard Bryce Thompson (1) fouls Kansas guard Kevin McCullar Jr. (15) in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024, in Stillwater, Okla.

Kansas guard Kevin McCullar Jr. (15) shoots over Oklahoma State center Brandon Garrison (23) in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024, in Stillwater, Okla.

Kansas forward K.J. Adams Jr. (24) shoots around Oklahoma State center Brandon Garrison (23) in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024, in Stillwater, Okla.

Kansas guard Johnny Furphy (10) drives past Oklahoma State guard Javon Small (12) in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024, in Stillwater, Okla.

Kansas guard Johnny Furphy (10) shoots the ball in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Oklahoma State, Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024, in Stillwater, Okla.

Kansas center Hunter Dickinson (1) shoots over Oklahoma State center Mike Marsh (32) in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024, in Stillwater, Okla.

Kansas center Hunter Dickinson (1) shoots over Oklahoma State center Brandon Garrison (23) in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024, in Stillwater, Okla.

Oklahoma State center Brandon Garrison (23) shoots over Kansas center Hunter Dickinson (1) in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024, in Stillwater, Okla.

Oklahoma State forward Eric Dailey Jr. (2) shoots over Kansas guard Kevin McCullar Jr. (15) in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024, in Stillwater, Okla.

Kansas guard Dajuan Harris Jr. (3) drives past Oklahoma State guard John-Michael Wright (51) in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024, in Stillwater, Okla.

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Written By Henry Greenstein

Henry is the sports editor at the Lawrence Journal-World and KUsports.com, and serves as the KU beat writer while managing day-to-day sports coverage. He previously worked as a sports reporter at The Bakersfield Californian and is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis (B.A., Linguistics) and Arizona State University (M.A., Sports Journalism). Though a native of Los Angeles, he has frequently been told he does not give off "California vibes," whatever that means.