OAKLAND, Calif. Bishop O'Dowd scored the first 10 points of the second half and pulled away for a 70-48 win over Head-Royce on Friday night. The Jayhawks shot 26.7 percent from the floor, fell to 6-5 and have now lost four in a row.
Head-Royce fell behind 4-0, then scored the next six points. Jack Peay hit a 3-pointer on an assist from Bryce Clepper, and Clepper added a 3 off a turnover to put the Jayhawks up 6-4, their largest lead of the night. Bishop O'Dowd answered with 12 straight points and led 16-6.
The Jayhawks trailed 19-9 before an 11-0 run put them in front. Micah Nyamuzuwe hit two 3-pointers in the stretch, Sam Gulaid scored off a turnover, and Mikael Akpala's 3 on a feed from Nick Taubes gave Head-Royce a 20-19 lead. Bishop O'Dowd went back ahead with three straight baskets, but a 3 by Taubes and a basket by Gulaid tied the game at 25. Bishop O'Dowd hit a 3 and scored off a turnover, and a Taubes basket made it 30-27 at halftime. The game had three lead changes and two ties, all before the break.
Bishop O'Dowd took control out of the break. Its 10-0 run, six points of which came at the free throw line, pushed the lead to 40-27. Clepper ended the drought with a 3, and freshman Alex Jones hit another to cut the deficit to 42-33, but Head-Royce got no closer. Bishop O'Dowd led 60-38 after another stretch of six straight points and built its lead to as many as 23. Freshman Sanjay Ernst hit a second-chance 3, and Clepper made two free throws and hit a 3 late.
Clepper led Head-Royce with 14 points, going 4 of 9 from 3-point range and 2 of 2 at the line, and added five rebounds and two assists. Taubes, a sophomore, filled the stat sheet with 10 points, nine rebounds (seven offensive), five assists, three steals and three blocks without a turnover. Nyamuzuwe scored eight points and blocked two shots, and Gulaid had four points, five rebounds and five assists. Peay grabbed five rebounds.
The shooting numbers decided the game. Bishop O'Dowd shot 47.5 percent (29 of 61), and 27 of its field goals came from inside the arc. Head-Royce made 16 of 60 shots, and 12 of those came from 3-point range (12 of 37). The Jayhawks assisted on 15 of their 16 field goals. Bishop O'Dowd won the rebounding battle 39-32 and outscored Head-Royce 10-5 on second-chance points, even though the Jayhawks had 16 offensive rebounds. Bishop O'Dowd also held a 10-8 edge in points off turnovers and went 10 of 13 at the free throw line, while Head-Royce went 4 of 6.
Head-Royce is now 6-5 on the season.