STILLWATER, Okla. — Kansas guard Gradey Dick wasn’t fazed.
The freshman caught the ball behind the arc, didn’t hesitate and drained the three-pointer. The Oklahoma State faithful inside Gallagher-Iba Arena sat down stunned.
The loudest roar of the game by those who donned black and orange turned into a whimper.
Not only did Dick put Kansas up 10 points after an OSU run pulled the Cowboys within striking distance — the shot gave him a career-high 26 points with 6:05 left in the game.
The No. 5 Kansas men’s basketball team beat Oklahoma State 87-76 on Tuesday at Gallagher-Iba Arena.
Dick scored 26 points while Kevin McCullar and KJ Adams added 15 each for the Jayhawks, who completed a season sweep of Oklahoma State. On New Year’s Eve, KU defeated OSU 69-67 at Allen Fieldhouse.
Kansas (21-5, 9-4) has won five straight against Oklahoma State and now sits tied for first in the Big 12.
Kalib Boone scored 27 points on 10-for-15 shooting for the Cowboys (16-10, 7-6 Big 12), who had their five-game winning streak halted by KU.
The first half was a true back-and-forth affair, with KU only taking a narrow lead to the break after Dick drained a three seconds before the halftime buzzer; the Jayhawks led 39-37 at the half.
From there, the Jayhawks went on a 19-10 run to give themselves an 11-point lead (58-47) with about 15 minutes left in the game.
The Cowboys never got closer than five after that point.
Kansas will travel home to Lawrence to face Baylor on Saturday at Allen Fieldhouse. Baylor and Texas are the other two teams tied for first in the conference.
Here are three takeaways from Tuesday’s game…
KU withstands hot start from OSU’s Bryce Thompson, Kalib Boone
Former Kansas guard Bryce Thompson scored 23 points on 7-for-13 shooting the last time the two teams played.
This time around, Thompson had some help in Boone.
The duo combined for 30 of OSU’s 37 first-half points. Thompson scored 14 points on 5-for-9 shooting, while Boone added 16 points on 6-for-10 shooting.
Kansas forward KJ Adams struggled to stop Boone from scoring in the post. But it was different with Thompson, as KU played tight defense on the transfer guard and even got in his airspace, but he hit multiple contested shots.
Still, the Jayhawks were able to keep the rest of Oklahoma State’s lineup in check.
Not only did Kansas keep pace with the duo, but KU had a two-point lead (39-37) at halftime.
KU’s Gradey Dick catches fire in the second half
Dick scored nine points on 4-for-7 shooting from the floor in 18 first-half minutes.
It took him less than five minutes in the second half to surpass his first-half point total.
In fact, Dick scored 12 of KU’s 19 points in its early second-half run, which put Kansas up 11 over the Cowboys.
Dick finished with 17 points on 6-for-10 shooting from the floor in the second half alone. His scoring flurry was instrumental in KU gaining control of the game.
Kevin McCullar’s offensive hot streak continues
KU’s McCullar has struggled with his offensive consistency throughout the season but seems to have found his groove of late.
McCullar scored double-digit points for his third-straight game.
The guard scored 15 points on 6-for-9 shooting from the floor. He also posted eight assists in 36 minutes. McCullar didn’t make a single three but rather relied on his driving ability and mid-range prowess to score.
McCullar did appear to turn an ankle late in the game when he inadvertently stepped on another player’s shoe. Joseph Yesufu closed out the contest in his place.
