The second-ever meeting at Allen Fieldhouse between Kansas and Duke certainly lived up to billing on Sunday afternoon — despite its exhibition status — but the second-ranked Blue Devils sent KU fans home unhappy with a 90-84 victory.
After trailing by double digits early in the first half, the Jayhawks led by four points midway through the second before allowing a key 9-0 run that stripped some of the energy from a raucous crowd. KU got within a point with seven minutes left but never led again thanks to an additional 11-0 run.
Duke junior center Patrick Ngongba II played what, if official, would have been the best game of his college career with 28 points and 10 rebounds, and John Blackwell scored 23 points for the Blue Devils. In a foul-laden game, Duke took full advantage by shooting 27-for-33 (81.8%) from the line.
Tyran Stokes impressed with 27 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for the Jayhawks. Taylen Kinney and Keanu Dawes chipped in 14 and 11 points, respectively, off the bench on a day when KU did not play with a true center for the second half and wing Tre White battled foul trouble.
KU got off to a rough start that put it down 5-0 within 25 seconds, but only needed until the 18-minute mark to take the lead on a putback by Christian Reeves, who got off to an exceptional start with five rebounds and two blocks by the first media timeout.
The Jayhawks led briefly by six points before a 3-pointer by Ngongba (who was 8-for-31 from deep last season) and missed a number of opportunities to extend their advantage on two close-range shots from Reeves and a transition 3-pointer by Stokes.
Duke took the lead at 15-13 on a contested layup by Caleb Foster, then went up 20-15 on a wide-open 3-pointer by Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje. Melvin Council Jr. committed his second foul trying to defend a lob to Boumtje Boumtje soon afterward.
The Blue Devils continued to stifle KU’s offense, and Ngongba got behind Reeves for a thunderous dunk that made it 25-17 at the midpoint of the half and prompted a timeout from Bill Self.
Duke’s run stretched to 15-3, and it didn’t help that KU missed a series of free throws. Fouls also sidelined White and prompted some early playing time for freshman Trent Perry.
Stokes battled his way to a couple of tough buckets inside to help reenergize the Allen Fieldhouse crowd and cut the deficit to six points, but after Perry forced a turnover by Boumtje Boumtje, the Jayhawks bungled a potential transition opportunity.
Kinney briefly made it 35-32 with a 3-pointer, but Duke had an immediate response from beyond the arc with Deron Rippey Jr. Kinney continued to find his groove, however, and with three minutes left in the half Perry set him up to muscle in a layup before Dawes knocked down a straight-on 3 to tie the game at 40.
Perry wiggled his way in for a transition reverse layup that put KU ahead 42-41. He then acquitted himself admirably against Ngongba in the post, nearly forcing him out of bounds, only for the big man to thread a pass through to Blackwell for a layup.
After a 1-for-2 trip to the free-throw line, Stokes put a move on Dame Sarr and rattled in a layup, then Blackwell got called for an offensive foul trying to battle through contact from Leroy Blyden Jr. KU turned it over trying to force its way to one more bucket, but still entered the break ahead 45-43.
Stokes led the Jayhawks in points (15), rebounds (six) and assists (four) at the half. Ngongba paced the Blue Devils in points (16) and rebounds (five) and was tied for the team lead with two assists.
Duke scored on each of its first three possessions of the second half (and KU did not score at all in the meantime), prompting Self to call timeout. It did the trick as Stokes drained a contested 3 and Council added a quick floater.
White committed his fourth foul and Duke sustained its offense with a long series of free throws. The Jayhawks went ahead 63-60, however, after consecutive 3s by Dennis Parker Jr. and Dawes. Dawes also, through a foul, finished a lob from Council that made it 67-64 at the under-12 timeout and added the free throw afterward.
The Blue Devils retook the lead on a second-chance 3-pointer by Boumtje Boumtje, and Sebastian Wilkins dunked over Kinney to make it 73-68 with 9:41 to go, capping off a 9-0 run.
Cayden Boozer’s putback with just over four minutes remaining to make it 83-76, in between a pair of misses by White, dealt KU a significant blow. The Jayhawks went more than five minutes without a point before a late layup from White.
KU will open its season for real on Monday, Nov. 2, against Fordham, with tipoff set for 7 p.m.
