Vick leads No. 2 Jayhawks past Louisiana, 89-76

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Coming off his historic performance against Vermont, senior Lagerald Vick showed no signs of slowing down as he recorded a new career high and his second-straight 30-point game of the season to help the No. 2 Kansas Jayhawks shoot past the Ragin Cajuns, 89-76, Friday night inside Allen Fieldhouse. Vick was 11-of-18 from the field and connected on seven 3-pointers, making him the first player in program history to tally seven or more threes in consecutive games.

A scrappy Louisiana team tested the Jayhawks from the opening tip, as junior forward Justin Miller kept KU from gaining any momentum with his 22 points in the first half. A 24-5 run from the visiting team prompted the Jayhawks to reset after the Cajuns led 32-20 with under 10 minutes left in the half. From there, the Jayhawks rattled off 10-straight points to bring themselves within two.

Vick took matters into his own hands as he closed the half with back-to-back threes, including a deep shot from inside half court to put the Jayhawks up three at the break, 44-41.

KU chalked up a quick eight-point lead to start the second half but it was quickly squandered as Louisiana showed no signs of going away, using a 13-4 run to pull within a point of the Jayhawks with eight minutes remaining. However, from that point on, the Jayhawks would close out the game with 24 more points to seal the victory.

After recording only four points in the first half, junior forward Dedric Lawson showed his efficiency and aggressiveness in the second half as he scored 15 points to help KU pull away. He finished with 19 points and six rebounds.

Junior center Udoka Azubuike used six dunks and four blocks to nearly record a double-double with 17 points and eight rebounds on the night, with three-consecutive dunks sealing the victory for KU in the final three minutes. His teammates used accurate passes in the post to find the big man who posted his second-straight game in double digits.

Coming off his perfect 8-of-8 performance from 3-point range on Monday versus Vermont, Vick became the first Jayhawk in Kansas men’s basketball program history to record back-to-back games with seven-plus 3-pointers as he fired a mark of 7-of-12 from behind the arc tonight.