Head-Royce turned a four-point halftime deficit into a 66-46 road win over Athenian on Friday, Feb. 23, 2024, outscoring the hosts 44-20 in the second half. The win lifted the Jayhawks to 33-2 and extended their winning streak to 10 games.
Athenian started fast. It scored nine of the game's first 10 points, including a 7-0 run, and led 12-3 after a second-chance 3-pointer, its largest lead of the night. Head-Royce answered with a 3-pointer from Micah Nyamuzuwe and a putback by Marcel Pierre-Louis. Trailing 16-10, the Jayhawks then went on a 10-0 run. Lamarr Covington scored seven of those points, and Micah Riebel's 3-pointer put Head-Royce ahead 18-16 for its first lead. Athenian came right back with a 10-0 run of its own, hitting two 3-pointers to go up 26-20. A basket by Bryce Clepper made it 26-22 at halftime.
The Jayhawks took control early in the second half, and Marcus Lefkovits led the way. He scored all nine of his points during the stretch. Clepper's 3-pointer off a turnover cut the deficit to 28-27, and Lefkovits scored on a second-chance basket to give Head-Royce a 29-28 lead. After Athenian went back in front 30-29, Lefkovits made a 3-pointer and then a basket for a 34-30 edge, and Head-Royce never trailed again. The game had five lead changes in all.
Head-Royce led only 38-35 when it put the game away with an 11-0 run. Clepper started it with a free throw, and Riebel followed with a 3-pointer. Pierre-Louis and Covington scored inside, and Clepper added a second-chance basket to make it 49-35. Later, Pierre-Louis scored on four straight Head-Royce possessions, the last off a turnover, for a 59-42 lead. The Jayhawks then made five straight free throws to build their largest lead, 64-42, and closed the game from there.
Clepper led Head-Royce with 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting to go with five assists and three steals, and he did not commit a turnover. Pierre-Louis scored 13 points and grabbed a team-high nine rebounds, five of them offensive. Riebel scored 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting and added seven rebounds and four assists without a turnover. Covington made all four of his shots for nine points off the bench, and Lefkovits finished with nine points, four rebounds and a block.
The Jayhawks shot 46.2 percent from the field (24 of 52) and held Athenian to 26.8 percent (15 of 56), including 6 of 28 from 3-point range. Head-Royce had 12 steals and committed only six turnovers. Its bench outscored Athenian's in effect with 24 points, and the Jayhawks had 15 assists on 24 field goals. Athenian's scoring was tracked only as a team.
The win gave Head-Royce a season sweep of Athenian after a 71-61 road win on Saturday, Feb. 10. The Jayhawks are 33-2.