STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Kansas guard Gradey Dick was the main target of jeers from Oklahoma State’s noisy fans Tuesday night.
His outside shooting quieted the crowd. The freshman scored 17 of his season-high 26 points in the second half and the fifth-ranked Jayhawks rolled to an 87-76 victory over the Cowboys.
Dick said Oklahoma State’s fans gave him energy.
“I love it,” he said. “I love it. I kind of like being, you know, the hated one going into (visiting arenas). And they were doing their little chants. But it definitely fuels the fire, for sure.”
Dick made 10 of 17 field goal attempts, shooting 4 of 9 on 3-pointers. And his performance allowed Kansas to get away with a bit of an off night from the Big 12’s leading scorer. Jalen Wilson had 14 points — nearly seven below his average coming in.
Wilson said Dick’s production was exceptional, especially for a freshman.
“He did great,” Wilson said. “You guys have seen all year, he has no conscience when it comes to shooting the ball and that’s what makes a great shooter. Every time he shoots the ball, we think it’s going in just like he thinks it’s going in.”
Kansas shot 66% from the field in the second half to pull away from the Cowboys. Oklahoma State leads the Big 12 in field goal percentage defense, but the Cowboys couldn’t figure out the Jayhawks.
“We’ve got to defend better,” Oklahoma State coach Mike Boynton said. “We’re a better defensive team than we showed. We just didn’t have our fastball tonight and our curveball wasn’t good enough.”
Kansas (21-5, 9-4 Big 12) has won three straight. The Jayhawks are tied with Texas and Baylor atop the conference standings.
Kalib Boone scored a career-high 27 points, John-Michael Wright had 18 and Bryce Thompson added 17 for Oklahoma State (16-10, 7-6).
Oklahoma State had won five straight, including victories over ranked opponents TCU and Iowa State. The Cowboys were coming off a 64-56 win at then-No. 11 Iowa State.
But the Cowboys were again without senior guard Avery Anderson III, who remained out after having surgery on his left wrist.
Thompson lit up the Jayhawks early. The guard, who played at Kansas for a year before transferring to Oklahoma State, scored 14 points in the first 11 minutes to help the Cowboys take a 23-18 lead.
Kansas hung tough, and Dick’s 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer gave the Jayhawks a 39-37 lead at the break.
