LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Frank Mason III scored 21 points, Josh Jackson had 20 points and a pair of big 3-pointers and No. 2 Kansas rallied past No. 4 Kentucky 79-73 on Saturday night in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
The Challenge’s marquee matchup between college basketball’s two winningest programs ended with the Jayhawks earning their second straight win over the Wildcats on Kentucky’s home floor. Three-point shooting was critical for Kansas (19-2) as it shook off an 0-for-8 first half to make 5 of 11 after halftime, with Jackson’s consecutive 3s starting things for the Jayhawks. They shot 59 percent in the second half.
Mason had 13 second-half points and Landen Lucas contributed 13 points — including a layup with 4:41 remaining for a 69-59 lead — and five rebounds before fouling out. Jackson also had 10 rebounds.
The Jayhawks, who trailed by 12 in the first half, become just the fourth team to beat a John Calipari coached Kentucky team when when trailing by 10 or more points.
Malik Monk and Derek Willis each had 18 points for Kentucky (17-4), which dropped its second straight.