photo by: AP Photo/Lucas Peltier

Kansas forward KJ Adams (24) shoots the ball against Duke guard/forward Cooper Flagg (2) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024, in Las Vegas.

Las Vegas — Kansas played some of its best basketball at the start of each half on Tuesday night against Duke, only to see one extended lead after another — as many as 13 points early and eight points in the second half — fall by the wayside.

Still, the top-ranked Jayhawks persisted against the 11th-ranked Blue Devils, and after the second-half ejection of star center Hunter Dickinson, his replacement Flory Bidunga made a game-changing contest to force a turnover by Kon Knueppel in the final minute. Rylan Griffen hit a pair of free throws, Knueppel’s last attempt rattled out and KU held on for a white-knuckle 75-72 victory.

Dajuan Harris Jr. led four double-digit scorers for KU with 14 points and added nine assists, while Zeke Mayo earned a hard-fought 12 and AJ Storr put up 11 in his first game starting for the Jayhawks. Dickinson had 11 prior to his ejection for a flagrant foul.

Tyrese Proctor took all seven of his shots from beyond the arc and made five to serve as the game’s leading scorer. Freshman phenom Cooper Flagg had a hard time getting involved in the first half but finished with 13.

At the start of the game KU jumped ahead 10-3, aided by 3-pointers by Mayo and Dickinson, both of whom attempted to hype up the KU-friendly portion of the neutral crowd, and a pair of turnovers by Cooper Flagg. The Jayhawks boosted their early advantage further on a contested jump shot by Storr that turned into a three-point play.

The Blue Devils got back within single digits on Flagg’s first points of the night, a pull-up jumper at the 14-minute mark, only for Harris to respond with an and-1 off a floater in the lane.

Duke had plenty of time to find its rhythm because the Jayhawks fell out of theirs for four minutes until Flory Bidunga finished an alley-oop from Harris to make it 25-16, and then Storr drained a dead-center 3 out of the ensuing media timeout.

KU regained a bit of its offensive verve but also committed a string of fouls that brought the Blue Devils into the bonus and allowed them to keep pace at the free-throw line. Proctor hit his second 3-pointer of the game with just under five minutes left in the half, and Maliq Brown made his first 3 of the season as part of a 12-0 run for Duke that tied the game at 32. Harris brought the run to a merciful end by connecting from deep himself.

The Jayhawks found themselves in a favorable position up 41-36 with the ball and the shot clock off, but Griffen took a transition 3 and missed badly, before Proctor connected at the buzzer at the other end to cut KU’s lead to two points at the break.

Kon Knueppel gave Duke its first lead since 3-2 on a close-range fadeaway early in the second half, but Storr erased it immediately with a corner 3 and KJ Adams scored twice as part of a 9-0 run.

The Blue Devils got hot from long range and Flagg hit a 3 for just his second field goal of the night, but then Adams blocked him inside to give KU a key bit of momentum entering a media timeout up 54-48.

Once again the strong start early in the half gave way to a sluggish middle, and with 10:26 to go Dickinson got called for a flagrant 2 foul as he got fouled while going for an offensive rebound, tumbled to the ground over Brown, and then appeared to extend his leg and poke Brown in the head while both were on the floor. The freshman Bidunga was pressed into extended action as Dickinson got ejected.

Duke briefly tied the game at 59 and 61 while fouling repeatedly, then again at 65 before going ahead on a dunk by Flagg with six minutes left, only for Griffen to hit an off-balance 3 out of a timeout. He then finished off a protracted and chaotic possession with a layup through contact for a more conventional three-point play.

Duke evened the game once again, only for Mayo to rattle in a go-ahead floater with two minutes to go. With KU up 73-72, Flagg turned the ball over to allow the Jayhawks to run some significant clock, but Mayo couldn’t muster another heroic shot and Duke had a couple of late opportunities.

The Jayhawks, who remained unbeaten, will return to Lawrence to host Furman on Saturday at 5 p.m. in a game that is technically considered part of the Vegas Showdown.