Hunter Dickinson scored 27 points and grabbed a career-best 21 rebounds to lead top-ranked Kansas to an 89-84 victory over No. 17 Kentucky on Tuesday night in the Champions Classic at Chicago.
Dajuan Harris scored a career-high 23 points and added seven assists for Kansas (3-0), which beat Kentucky for the sixth time in the past eight meetings. KJ Adams Jr. added 16 points before fouling out and Kevin McCullar Jr. had 12 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for the Jayhawks.
Chicago native Antonio Reeves had 24 points and eight rebounds to pace the Wildcats (2-1). Rob Dillingham scored 18 points off the bench, Adou Thiero added 16 points and 13 rebounds, and reserve Reed Sheppard had 13 points and four steals.
With Kentucky down three, Sheppard airballed a 3-point attempt with six seconds remaining.
Jamari McDowell got the rebound and made two free throws with 5.4 seconds left to seal it for the Jayhawks, who concluded the game with an 11-1 run after trailing 83-78 with three minutes to play.
Harris knocked down a 3-pointer and added two free throws 24 seconds later before Dickinson made two free throws as Kansas took an 85-83 lead with 2:04 remaining.
After Tre Mitchell split two free throws for Kentucky, Dickinson scored in the interior to give the Jayhawks an 87-84 lead with 1:13 left.
Kansas shot 47.5 percent from the field, including 6 of 18 from 3-point range.
Kentucky made just 32.9 percent of its shots and was 12 of 38 from behind the arc.
The Wildcats led 58-44 after a basket by Reeves with 16:22 left before the Jayhawks erupted with a 21-4 surge.
Back-to-back baskets by Adams pulled Kansas within 60-56 with 13:54 to play.
Reeves made another basket to briefly stem the tide but the Jayhawks rolled off the next nine with McCullar’s three-point play giving Kansas a 65-62 lead with 10:53 left in the game.
Kentucky later used an 11-2 run to move ahead by six. Sheppard drove through the lane for the layup to give the Wildcats a 78-72 lead with 5:43 remaining.
Kentucky led 83-78 after a basket by Reeves with 3:14 left before Kansas’ decisive run.
Dillingham scored 16 points and Thiero had 13 points and nine rebounds as Kentucky held a 48-41 halftime advantage.
Dickinson had 13 points and 10 rebounds in the half for the Jayhawks.
The score was tied at 30 before Dillingham and Reeves hit treys to give the Wildcats a six-point lead with 4:37 left.
Kentucky later led by 12 before Kansas scored the final five of the half, capped by Dickinson’s 3-pointer as time expired.
–Field Level Media
