KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Darryn Peterson scored 17 points in his return after a month lost to a hamstring injury, and No. 21 Kansas used a 23-3 run spanning halftime to seize control against Missouri, before the Jayhawks rolled to an 80-60 victory over their bitter rival Sunday.
The potential No. 1 pick in the NBA draft, Peterson had missed the past seven games with the nagging injury. He played 17 minutes in the first half but only six in the second, which Peterson spent much of on the bench getting worked on by the training staff.
Tre White led the Jayhawks (7-3) with 20 points and 13 rebounds. Flory Bidunga added 10 points and 11 boards.
Mark Mitchell had 21 points for the Tigers (8-2), who were still missing guard Jayden Stone to a hand injury. Jacob Crews scored 11.
Missouri has lost six of its last seven games in the Border War to the Jayhawks.
The latest showdown between ex-Big 12 rivals began before a sleepy crowd inside T-Mobile Center, where Jayhawks fans — with only a 30-minute trip from their campus in Lawrence — provided a big advantage in what was designated as a Kansas home game.
The crowd sure woke up in a hurry.
Kansas and Missouri traded first-half runs, and at one point the Tigers took control on Mitchell’s dunk. But the Jayhawks finished the half on a 12-2 charge, which ended when Mitchell missed a bucket and White drilled a 3-pointer at the buzzer for a 33-25 lead.
Along the way, Bidunga was fouled hard from behind by the Tigers’ Nicholas Randall while pulling down a rebound, nearly touching off a mid-court brawl. The officials wound up calling technical fouls on each team while order was restored.
Kansas extended its lead to 20 early in the second half and kept a comfortable margin all the way to the finish.
Up next
Missouri plays Alabama State on Thursday night.
Kansas visits NC State on Saturday.
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