OAKLAND, Calif. Head-Royce made all 22 of its free throws and answered an early deficit with a 19-0 run on the way to a 61-47 win over Woodside on Friday, June 7, in the Jayhawks' 2024 summer opener. The victory moved Head-Royce to 1-0.
Woodside scored first on a basket off a turnover, and that 2-0 edge was its only lead of the night. Bryce Clepper tied the game with two free throws, and Micah Nyamuzuwe put the Jayhawks in front for good with a basket off a turnover, assisted by Clepper. Jack Peay followed with a three off a turnover, and Jonah Greenberg added four points during the stretch. Nyamuzuwe capped the 19-0 run with back-to-back baskets, both set up by Clepper, for a 19-2 lead.
Head-Royce kept pushing. Nyamuzuwe hit a three from a Lamarr Covington pass, and Peay scored on another Covington assist to make it 30-8, the Jayhawks' largest lead at 22 points. Woodside answered with a 7-0 burst, four free throws and a three, to get within 32-18. Head-Royce then put together a 7-0 run of its own. Mikael Akpala hit a second-chance three, Covington scored off a turnover and Nyamuzuwe made two free throws for a 41-21 advantage.
Greenberg scored consecutive baskets for a 45-24 lead and later made two free throws to push it to 47-29. After a Nick Taubes basket made it 49-31, Woodside made its strongest push, scoring nine straight points to pull within 49-40. Taubes stopped the run with two free throws. Woodside later cut it to 51-45, but Jackson scored off a turnover on a Taubes assist and Sanjay Ernst added a second-chance basket. Jackson's three, assisted by Tua Montoya, made it 58-47 after the first period. Jackson hit another three for the only points of the second period, and that made the final 61-47.
Nyamuzuwe led Head-Royce with 13 points on 5-of-11 shooting and added five rebounds and a block. Greenberg scored 12 points off the bench, going 3-of-4 from the floor and 6-of-6 at the line, and grabbed five rebounds, four of them offensive. Akpala scored nine points and was 6-of-6 on free throws, and Jackson added eight points with two 3-pointers. Covington had four points, five rebounds, four assists and a game-high five steals, while Clepper went 4-of-4 at the line and handed out three assists.
Neither team shot well from the field. Head-Royce made 17 of 49 attempts (35 percent) and Woodside made 14 of 42 (33 percent). The free throw line, the glass and the bench made the difference. The Jayhawks went 22-of-22 at the line, while Woodside went 15-of-15. Head-Royce outrebounded Woodside 34-14, pulled down 14 offensive rebounds and held a 7-3 edge in second-chance points. The Jayhawks also had 11 steals, outscored Woodside 11-4 in points off turnovers and got 26 points from their bench.
Head-Royce begins the summer at 1-0 and has won one straight.