OAKLAND, Calif. Head-Royce scored 19 straight points in the first half and beat the Wildcats 54-36 on Wednesday, improving to 13-7 this summer. The Jayhawks forced 17 turnovers and made 13 steals, and they did not trail again once the run began.
The Wildcats scored the game's first four points on a basket and a second-chance basket, and that 4-0 margin was their biggest lead. Nick answered with a 3-pointer off a pass from Jack, and Tua put Head-Royce ahead 7-6 with a basket off a turnover. The Wildcats tied the game at 7 and went ahead 8-7 with a pair of free throws. It was their last lead. The game had two lead changes and one tie.
Jack's 3-pointer, assisted by Nick, started the 19-0 run. Idan followed with a basket and a 3-pointer, Jack scored off a turnover, and Sam hit a 3-pointer off a turnover on a pass from Tua to make it 20-8. Baskets by Nick, Sanjay and Tua pushed the lead to 26-8. The Wildcats scored the last three points of the half to trail 26-11 at the break, then opened the second half with a 3-pointer to finish a 6-0 run.
Head-Royce answered right away. Idan and Sanjay hit 3-pointers on either side of a Wildcats free throw, and Nick's basket made it 34-15. The Wildcats later cut the lead to 38-26 with another 6-0 run, but Nick scored Head-Royce's next three baskets, the first off a turnover, to make it 44-28. Idan added a 3-pointer, and Lo scored the Jayhawks' last five points to build the biggest lead of the game, 54-34, before the Wildcats scored the final basket.
Nick led Head-Royce with 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting, with five rebounds, five assists, two steals and no turnovers. Idan scored 13 points, made three 3-pointers and added two assists and a block. Sanjay had seven points and a team-high eight rebounds, four of them on the offensive glass. Jack added seven points and six rebounds. Lo scored five points with two steals and a block off the bench, and Sam had three points and four rebounds as the reserves scored eight points.
The defense drove the result. Six Jayhawks had two steals each, and Head-Royce outscored the Wildcats 11-2 in points off turnovers. Head-Royce shot 41.5 percent (22-of-53) to the Wildcats' 35 percent (14-of-40) and made seven 3-pointers to their two. The Jayhawks assisted on 15 of their 22 baskets, while the Wildcats had six assists. Rebounding was even at 30 each, and the Wildcats held a 6-0 edge in second-chance points and made 6 of 12 free throws.
Head-Royce has won two straight and is now 13-7.