Deadspin: White leads No. 17 Kansas as Jayhawks pull away from Fordham

Kansas builds an early lead

White set the pace for Kansas in the opening half, scoring 13 points on seven attempts and making five shots. The Jayhawks went into halftime ahead 43-31 after shooting 53.6% before the break.

Kansas reached a double-digit advantage before 12 minutes had elapsed and led by as many as 16 points in the first half. Leroy Blyden Jr. scored 15 points, and Melvin Council Jr. added 10.

Fordham closes the gap

The Rams cut Kansas’s lead to six, making the score 54-48 with 13:27 remaining. Kansas responded with a seven-point run over about a minute, then stretched its advantage with a longer 19-3 burst.

Debuts and team statistics

Stokes recorded 15 points and seven rebounds in his anticipated first appearance for Kansas. Trey Kaufman-Renn, a transfer from Purdue, scored nine points in 23 minutes during his Jayhawks debut.

Keanu Dawes led Kansas with nine rebounds, and the team outrebounded Fordham 50-33 despite committing 17 turnovers. Fordham’s Akira Jacobs scored 20 points, including a career-best five three-pointers on six attempts, while Lateef Patrick Jr. added 13.

Fordham shooting struggles

Fordham shot 31.9% from the field and made 13 of 33 attempts from three-point range. Rikus Schulte finished with two points after averaging 10.7 for the Rams last season.

Amir Lindsey supplied seven assists but made one of 12 shots. Kansas’s victory extended its streak of winning home openers to 54 seasons.