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The Kansas Jayhawks finished their three game stint in the Hoophall Miami Invitational undefeated Saturday, taking down the previously undefeated Syracuse Orange, 76-60.
Things started slowly for Kansas
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. In the early going, Syracuse's commitment to playing half court basketball set the pace, and points were hard to find. Kansas uncharacteristically missed several open threes early on, which helped limit their offensive production out of the gate. Fortunately, KU played excellent defense and mostly forced tough shots, and as the half went on, they started to take over. Syracuse would make only five of 23 shots before the half, and Devonte Graham sparked enough offense to give Kansas a comfortable lead. The Jayhawks, behind 16 points and 4 assists from Graham, took a 35-21 lead into the locker room.
Kansas came out ready to play in the 2nd, forcing a quick Syracuse timeout after starting it on a 6-0 run. However, the Orange regrouped and would make it a single digit game just over five minutes in. Graham then quickly put a stop to the run, hitting a stepback three, followed by a pair of free throws on the next possession.
The lead would only fluctuate between nine and 16 before KU took a 76-60 lead at just under the two minute mark, where it stayed. Graham had another great game with 35 points (tying a career high) and five assists. Lagerald Vick put in 20, including one of the fiercer dunks in recent memory. Kansas is 7-0 to start the year, and next faces Washington at the Sprint Center on Wednesday.