Senior guard Lagerald Vick remained hot Friday, posting his second straight career-high with 33 points after pouring in 32 in his previous game as No. 2 Kansas tripped Louisiana 89-76 at Lawrence, Kan.
Vick went 11 of 18 from the field, including 7 of 12 from 3-point range after making all eight treys he attempted four nights earlier in a home win over Vermont. He also grabbed a game-high nine rebounds.
Previously, Vick was an unheralded member of the Kansas backcourt while teaming with two All-Americans, Frank Mason and Devonte Graham.
Junior forward Dedric Lawson, a preseason All-American who was held scoreless by Vermont, added 19 points for the Jayhawks. All but four came in the second half, which Kansas (3-0) led throughout.
Sophomore center Udoka Azubuike added 17 points and eight boards.
The pesky Ragin' Cajuns were led by junior forward Justin Miller, who exceeded his career-high with 22 first-half points but was then held scoreless before fouling out with 3:19 left. Senior forward JaKeenan Gant added 18 points.
Louisiana (1-2) played Kansas even throughout the first half and even led by 12 before trailing 44-41 at halftime.
Miller surpassed his career-high with 6:31 still remaining in the first half. He netted 22 points on 7-for-16 shooting, topping a 21-point performance earlier in his career against Minnesota.
The Ragin' Cajuns, reigning Sun Belt champions, capped a 24-5 run with 12 unanswered points for a 32-20 margin.
The close of that stretch included a technical foul against Jayhawks coach Bill Self at the 9:18 mark, not long after backup forward Mitch Lightfoot was called for a questionable flagrant foul.
Following the technical, the Jayhawks went on a 17-3 run, which included 3-pointers from Vick and Grimes, whose three-point play with 3:49 left gave the Jayhawks a 37-35 edge.
Vick, scored 18 first-half points. He made 4 of 7 attempts from behind the arc and also led Kansas with five rebounds.
The Jayhawks played without Azubuike over the final 13 minutes after he drew his second foul.
--Field Level Media
UL Lafayette | Kansas | |
Justin Miller 22 | Scoring | Lagerald Vick 33 |
Marcus Stroman 9 | Assists | Marcus Garrett 5 |
Justin Miller 7 | Rebounds | Lagerald Vick 9 |
Justin Miller 4 | Free Throws Made | Dedric Lawson 7 |
Marcus Stroman 4 | Steals | Lagerald Vick 2 |
N/A | Blocks | Udoka Azubuike 4 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
UL Lafayette | 76 | 42.9 | 12-36 | 10-12 | 16 | 27 | 0 | 10 | 15 |
Kansas | 89 | 49.2 | 8-22 | 17-26 | 20 | 40 | 5 | 6 | 16 |