Braun breaks through to lead Kansas past Kansas State, 74-51

By Matt Tait     Feb 2, 2021

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Kansas guard Christian Braun (2) pulls a rebound away from Kansas State forward Antonio Gordon (11) during the first half on Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2021 at Allen Fieldhouse.

**1 – Christian Braun -** There’s just something about the Wildcats that Braun seems to like. After struggling for the past couple of weeks, Braun found his scoring touch again and did it early, knocking in 4-of-9 from 3-point range and 6-of-11 overall for 18 points in 31 minutes [to help Kansas knock off Kansas State, 74-51 at Allen Fieldhouse.][1]

**2 – David McCormack -** McCormack was a man possessed in the second half. And he did a good job of getting going early, too. He finished with his fourth double-double of the season and showed why so many on his team expected him to be so good this season.

**3 – Ochai Agbaji -** Agbaji was back to being the steady but unspectacular leading scorer on Tuesday night. He finished with 15 points, hit a couple of 3-pointers and played a big role in getting KU off to a good start. From there, he let his teammates bring it home.

**4 – Tristan Enaruna -** His activity level was terrific, especially on the glass and on defense. He didn’t do much offensively, but his defense definitely helped him stand out.

**5 – Jalen Wilson -** He was better. And his hot start to the second half was what Kansas fans — and likely Wilson — have been waiting to see. He still shot a rough percentage and played a bit too sped up — trying too hard at times — to consider this a great night.

**6 – Mitch Lightfoot -** Worked hard for every rebound he could even get close to and also appeared to be aggressive on offense, looking to score when he could and attacking the glass looking for tip-ins, as well.

**7 – Marcus Garrett -** Garrett didn’t do anything on offense, but KU didn’t need him to. He did chip in with 6 rebounds and 5 assists in 24 minutes, but, much to his liking, several of his teammates had better nights.

**8 – Dajuan Harris -** Tallied 5 assists and 2 rebounds in 21 minutes, playing solid at times and a little crazy at others.

**9 – Tyon Grant-Foster -** His lack of defensive effort and intensity cost him minutes and he never really got a chance to make an impact as result.

**10 – Latrell Josseell -** Grabbed 1 rebound and missed his only shot attempt in 2 minutes of mop-up time at the end.

**Season Standings**

1 – Ochai Agbaji – 150

2 – Jalen Wilson – 132

3 – Marcus Garrett – 129

4 – Christian Braun – 125

5 – David McCormack – 122

6 – Mitch Lightfoot – 92

7 – Dajuan Harris – 85

8 – Tyon Grant-Foster – 65

9 – Tristan Enaruna – 58

10 – Bryce Thompson – 50~

11 – Latrell Jossell – 9

12 – Gethro Muscadin – 8

~ missed 3 games with a back injury and is out another 2-3 weeks with a broken finger

[1]: http://www2.kusports.com/news/2021/feb/02/no-23-kansas-cruises-kansas-state-74-51-move-1-0-f/

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Written By Matt Tait

A native of Colorado, Matt moved to Lawrence in 1988 and has been in town ever since. He graduated from Lawrence High in 1996 and the University of Kansas in 2000 with a degree in Journalism. After covering KU sports for the University Daily Kansan and Rivals.com, Matt joined the World Company (and later Ogden Publications) in 2001 and has held several positions with the paper and KUsports.com in the past 20+ years. He became the Journal-World Sports Editor in 2018. Throughout his career, Matt has won several local and national awards from both the Associated Press Sports Editors and the Kansas Press Association. In 2021, he was named the Kansas Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. Matt lives in Lawrence with his wife, Allison, and two daughters, Kate and Molly. When he's not covering KU sports, he likes to spend his time playing basketball and golf, listening to and writing music and traveling the world with friends and family.