Flory Bidunga finished with 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, Tre White added 16 points and No. 17 Kansas pulled away for a 73-49 victory over Towson on Tuesday night at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas.
The Jayhawks (9-3) were playing without star freshman Darryn Peterson, who was ruled out before the game with cramping in his quad. That is the same injury that forced Peterson out late in KU’s previous game at NC State.
But the Jayhawks responded well. Melvin Council Jr. had 15 points and five rebounds, and Bryson Tiller finished with 11 points as four players scored in double figures. As a team, KU shot 46.7% from the field.
The Tigers (6-5) were held below 50 points for the second time this season. They made just 27.5% of their shots from the field, including a dismal 3-of-24 from 3-point range (12.5%). But Towson did win the rebounding battle 45-43.
Dylan Williamson led Towson with 19 points, including 14 in the first half. Tyler Tejada, the Tigers’ leading scorer going into the game, was held to eight points. Tejada was scoreless in the opening half, battling foul trouble as he picked up his third foul at the 8:02 mark.
The Jayhawks controlled the game early on. They went on an 11-0 run, taking a 15-3 lead on a dunk by Tiller at the 14:59 mark. At half, KU led 36-25, shooting 48.1% from the field compared to Towson’s 27.8%.
Early in the second half, the Jayhawks went on a 10-2 run, extending their lead to 46-29 on a 3-pointer by Council with 15:15 left. KU went on to take a 25-point lead, 66-41, on a layup by Bidunga with 7:24 left.
KU, which has won six of its last seven, hosts Davidson on Monday. Towson, which fell to 0-4 on the road, returns home to face Notre Dame of Maryland on Friday.
