OAKLAND, Calif. Tucker Peay had 19 points and 18 rebounds, and Nick Taubes scored the final three points as Head-Royce held off a late St. Joes rally for a 65-63 win on Tuesday. The victory evened the Jayhawks' record at 7-7.
St. Joes scored the game's first basket, and that 2-0 edge was its only lead of the night. Head-Royce answered with a 6-0 run: Tucker Peay hit a 3-pointer off an assist from Jack Peay, and Taubes followed with a basket and a free throw. Idan Benharush then scored twice on passes from Tucker Peay, and the Jayhawks led 12-5.
St. Joes pulled within 14-12 on a 3-pointer before Head-Royce pulled away again with an 8-0 run. Jack Peay scored a second-chance basket and added a free throw, Tucker Peay scored on a second-chance basket, and Tucker Peay's 3-pointer off a Sanjay Ernst assist made it 22-12. After St. Joes cut the lead to 25-20, the Jayhawks put together another 8-0 run. Tucker Peay scored five straight points, and Taubes hit a 3-pointer on a feed from Tua Montoya for a 33-20 lead, the largest of the game.
St. Joes stayed close enough to threaten and got within 40-34, but Montoya hit a 3-pointer off a turnover and Tucker Peay scored on an assist from Ezra Goldfarb to make it 45-34. The bench kept the lead in double figures, with Goldfarb scoring twice and Loryan Boyette-Tindall adding a basket. Ernst hit a 3-pointer off a Boyette-Tindall assist, and Taubes followed with a basket for a 62-49 lead. St. Joes then scored the next 12 points on four field goals and four free throws, and a basket off a turnover plus one more field goal cut the lead to 62-61. Taubes ended the run with a basket for a 64-61 lead. St. Joes made two free throws to get within 64-63, and Taubes made a free throw for the final point of the game.
Tucker Peay, a freshman, shot 8 of 15 from the field, grabbed eight offensive rebounds and added two assists, two steals and two blocks. Taubes finished with 13 points, three assists and three steals. Jack Peay scored 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting and made all four of his free throws. Benharush added seven points, and Ernst scored five of the bench's 11 points on 2-of-3 shooting.
The two teams shot nearly the same, Head-Royce at 41.3 percent (26 of 63) and St. Joes at 42.1 percent (24 of 57), so the difference came from turnovers and rebounding. The Jayhawks forced 13 turnovers and committed eight, and they outscored St. Joes 11-4 in points off turnovers. Head-Royce also won the rebounding battle 33-32 and had a 10-8 edge in second-chance points. St. Joes made 10 of 18 free throws, while the Jayhawks made 8 of 15.
Head-Royce (7-7) hosts College Prep on Friday, Jan. 16.