LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Isaiah Moss poured in 21 points to lead six Jayhawks in double-figures scoring, and No. 5 Kansas romped to a 112-57 victory over undersized and outclassed Monmouth on Friday night.
Moss, who missed the season opener against Duke because of an injury, was 5 of 6 from beyond the arc as the Jayhawks (2-1) ran their home winning streak to 23 straight games. The streak is the third-longest in the nation behind only Tennessee (28) and Gonzaga (25).
Devon Dotson added 17 points, David McCormack had 13 points and 11 rebounds, and Udoka Azubuike finished with 12 points and eight boards for Kansas. Freshman guard Christian Braun was 3 for 3 from the arc and had 11 points, while Silvio de Sousa finished with 11 points and six rebounds.
Kansas hit 14 3-pointers and shot 56% from the field.
Deion Hammond had 17 points to lead the Hawks (1-3), who didn’t make a field goal until midway through the first half. George Papas had 12 points and Ray Salnave added 11.
The Jayhawks, who got off to a sluggish start against UNC-Greensboro, had no such trouble against the Hawks. They scored the first nine points, pushed their opening run to 21-2, and added an alley-oop dunk and a deep 3-pointer before Monmouth finally made a shot.
By that point, the Jayhawks led 26-6.
The end of the half was just as lopsided: After the Hawks got within 41-19 on Hammond’s 3-pointer, Kansas began an 18-2 closing run capped by Azubuike’s dunk in the final seconds.
Part of the big lead came through efficient offense and excellent defense by Kansas.
Part of it came by way of Monmouth’s offensive ineptitude.
The Hawks missed their first 12 shots, throwing up an airball, shooting a jumper over the backboard and blowing a layup along the way. At one point they had nearly as many turnovers (four) as shot attempts (five), and they finished the half 6-for-26 shooting with 12 turnovers.
Monmouth added whistles to its long list of problems in the second half.
The Jayhawks scored the first six points out of the locker room, and the Hawks’ only recourse was to slow them down with fouls. Kansas hit the bonus with 15:20 left in the game.
BIG PICTURE
Monmouth gave Kansas State all it could handle earlier this week, leading another Big 12 foe at the half. But the Hawks fell apart over the final 20 minutes and evidently never put it back together.
Kansas got little more than a glorified practice out of Friday night, but tougher tests are coming fast. The Jayhawks have one game left before heading to Maui.
UP NEXT
Monmouth wraps five-game trip to open the season Monday night at Pittsburgh.
Kansas plays Southern Conference favorite East Tennessee State on Tuesday night.