Lawson scores 25, propels Kansas to 87-53 blowout win over Northeastern

(Carter Williams, KSL.com)


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SALT LAKE CITY — Kansas forward Dedric Lawson was so excited to play in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament that he went to bed early Wednesday night because he figured it would help him get to gameday quicker.

He wanted to be a part of “such a great opportunity.”

It seemed to work.

Lawson scored 25 points and pulled down 11 rebounds to lead the No. 4-seeded Jayhawks in an 87-53 blowout win over No. 13 Northeastern on Thursday afternoon at Vivint Arena.

It was Lawson's 21st double-double of the season. Northeastern couldn’t find a way to slow him down.

“We didn’t really have a matchup for him,” head coach Bill Coen said. “It was a very difficult matchup for us.”

However, it wasn’t just Lawson. Kansas outshot the Huskies 56-28 percent from the floor, outrebounded them 45-27 and outscored them 50-16 in the paint in a one-sided affair.

They held a typically robust 3-point shooting team to just 21 percent from beyond the arch.

In short, it was an easy win for the Jayhawks.

“I think they took us out of our own identity. Typically we’re a team that, you know, moves the ball on offense and shares the ball and gets quality looks,” Coen added. “If you are kind of dialing up the blueprint for an upset, it would include a great shooting night. Unfortunately, we didn’t have that.

Kansas guard Charlie Moore goes up for a layup during Kansas's 87-53 win in the first round of the NCAA men's basketball tournament at the Vivint Arena on Thursday, March 21, 2019. (Photo: Carter Williams, KSL.com)
Kansas guard Charlie Moore goes up for a layup during Kansas's 87-53 win in the first round of the NCAA men's basketball tournament at the Vivint Arena on Thursday, March 21, 2019. (Photo: Carter Williams, KSL.com)

Northeastern remained close for the first 12 minutes of the game. However, Kansas used defense and fast breaks to fuel an 11-0 run between the 7:59 and 5:03 marks of the first half. Kansas then coasted to a 37-25 halftime lead.

The Huskies cut their deficit to 7 points with 17:06 left in the game, but the Jayhawks attack was too much and Kansas rolled to an easy win.

Thursday’s victory was the Jayhawks’ 13th straight first-round victory in the NCAA tournament dating back to 2007. They have appeared in the last 30 tournaments.

Devon Dotson added 18 points, while Ochai Agbaji and K.J. Lawson each chipped in 13 apiece for the Jayhawks.

“I thought we came into the game with a great mindset and performed pretty well for the most part of 40 minutes,” Jayhawks coach Bill Self said.

Guard Jordan Roland led Northeastern with 12 points.

Kansas will face No. 5 Auburn in an intriguing matchup Saturday.

Self said his team will have to adjust to a quick and athletic team like Auburn. The Tigers squeaked past No. 12 New Mexico State in a nailbiter earlier Thursday.

Tipoff is slated for 7:40 p.m.

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Carter Williams is an award-winning reporter who covers general news, outdoors, history and sports for KSL.com.

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