Kansas Jayhawks knock off Bahamian National Team 92-87 in second Puerto Rico exhibition
The Kansas Jayhawks held on to win their second exhibition game in Puerto Rico Saturday afternoon, edging out the Bahamian National Team 92-87.
KU took command after the Bahamian National Team got out to a hot start. The Jayhawks trailed by as many as six points in the early going and were down by two after the first quarter, but surged ahead by seven points at halftime and held on from there.
Senior center Hunter Dickinson starred for Kansas in the win, scoring a game-high 28 points while grabbing six rebounds and recording four assists. The Michigan transfer is now averaging 20.5 points and six rebounds per game during the Puerto Rico trip.
He was one of four Jayhawks who scored in double figures in the five-point win. Junior forward K.J. Adams had another big offensive day, scoring 17 points and dishing out six assists. Senior forward Kevin McCullar had 12 points in the first half and finished with 13 for the game, while freshman guard Elmarko Jackson poured in 12.
Franco Miller Jr. led the Bahamas in scoring with 24 points in the losing effort, but the standout performance came from current Indiana Pacer and former Oklahoma Sooner Buddy Hield, who only played in the first half and had 18 points. A.J. Storr, who transferred from St. Johns to Wisconsin this offseason, also had 19 points for the Bahamas in the loss.
These two teams will face off again on Monday in the last of three exhibition games for the Jayhawks on this trip. KU hasn’t lost an exhibition game since its 2012 trip to Paris when it fell to a professional French team.
The Bahamas could add some reinforcements ahead of Monday’s finale. DeAndre Ayton and Kai Jones are two of the other NBA players on the Bahamian National Team who were billed as possible participants ahead of this week but didn’t suit up for Saturday’s game. Tip for the last of KU’s three exhibitions is set for 11 a.m. Monday.
